I. Geography Skills

A. Terms

1. Latitude:

- Distance north or south of equator - Lines called parallels

2. Equator:

0 degrees latitude - halfway between North and South Poles

3. Longitude:

Distance east and west of Prime Meridian

Lines called meridians

4. Prime Meridian:0 degrees longitude, at Greenwich, England; time start point

5. International Date Line –180 degrees

longitude

6. Grid: formed by lines of lat. and long.

7. Degrees - measure of distance:

60 minutes in degree

60 seconds in minute

Example:

36°37’30"N 087°26’22"W

8. Hemispheres – half of the globe

Map of the World, 1597

Western and Eastern

Northern and Southern

map dated 1/1/1790

B. Mapmaking

1. Map: flat diagram of all or part of Earth’s surface

2. Atlas: collection of maps in one book

3. Map Projections:

Ways of showing round world on flat maps

Three types:

cylindrical conic flat-plane

Great-circle route: The shortest route between any two points on Earth

C. Map Essentials

1. Legend or Key – explain what symbols represent

2. Compass Rose – arrows point in cardinal directions

3. Scales – measure distance

4. Inset maps –small part of larger map

D. Working with maps

1. Physical-political maps: show physical and political features

2. Climate Maps: show weather patterns

3. Population maps: show where people live, population density

4. Economic maps: show resources,

industries

E. Using Graphs and Diagrams

Bar graph Pie Graph Line Graph

Climograph – compares temperature and precipitation

Tables –statistical information

Timelines – Events over a period of time