World Tourism

Top 20 Most Popular Cities for tourists in 2013

#20 LOS ANGELES

#19 RIYADH

#18 TAIPEI

#17 VIENNA

#16 TOKYO

#15 AMSTERDAM

#14 SHANGHAI

#13 ROME

#12 MILAN

#11 SEOUL

#10 BARCELONA

#9 HONG KONG

#8 KUALA LUMPUR

#7 DUBAI

#6 ISTANBUL

#5 NEW YORK

#4 SINGAPORE

#3 PARIS

#2 LONDON

#1 BANGKOK

Bandar Abas, Iran

Avenida Dos Baobas, Madagascar

Plitvice Lakes National Park, Croatia

Angel Falls, Venezuela

Prague Castle, Czech Republic

Baku is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan

Hallstatt, Austria

The Dead Sea, Jordan

What is Geography?

is the science that studies the lands, the features, the inhabitants, and the phenomena of the Earth.

What is Tourism?

Comprises the activities of people travelling to and staying in places outside their usual

environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and

other purposes not related to the exercise of an activity remunerated from within the

place visited – World Tourism Organization

The 7 Continents1. North America2. South America3. Asia4. Europe5. Africa6. Australia and Oceania7. Antarctica

These seven continents are believed to have once formed the supercontinent Pangaea, a landmass that existed on Earth 250 million years ago. Pangaea was surrounded by one ocean, known as Panthalassa. Because of movements of the underlying tectonic plates, the landmass broke up and the continents separated and moved apart, and eventually to the positions they are in now. This process took around 1 million years to complete

Pangaea

North America

North America lies between two great bodies of water, the Atlantic Ocean, and the Pacific Ocean. It is east of the Pacific Ocean, and west of the Atlantic Ocean. The continent of North America is also attached to another continent by a small strip of land. That continent is . . .

South America

South America also lies between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. South America is attached to North America by a small strip of land. Just like North America, the continent of South America sits to the east of the Pacific Ocean, and to the west of the Atlantic Ocean. It is north of the Southern Ocean. The Atlantic Ocean separates South America from another large continent to its east. That continent is . .

Africa

Africa is surrounded on three sides by oceans. Africa lies east of the Atlantic Ocean, west of the Indian Ocean, and north of the Southern Ocean. The continent of Africa sits directly to the south of another continent. The continent directly to the north of Africa is . . .

Europe

Europe sits to the east of the Atlantic Ocean, and south of the Arctic Ocean. The Atlantic Ocean separates Europe from North America. The continent of Europe shares its eastern border with another continent. This giant land mass is . . .

Asia

Asia is the largest of the continents. Asia is located east of Europe, so it shares its western border with Europe. To the east of Asia, lies the Pacific Ocean, which also separates Asia from North America. South of Asia, lies the Indian Ocean. The Indian Ocean separates Asia from another continent. That continent is . . .

Australia/Oceania

Australia/Oceania is the smallest of the continents. For many years it has been called simply Australia. The continent is made up of many islands, however. Together we call them the continent of Australia/Oceania. Australia is by far the largest island on the continent. New Zealand, Fiji, and Papua New Guinea, are just a few of the other islands in Australia/Oceania. Australia is surrounded by three oceans. To the west of Australia lies the Indian Ocean. The Pacific Ocean lies to the east. South of Australia is the Southern Ocean. If we travel south across the Southern Ocean, we will find the last of the seven continents. That continent is . . .

Antarctica

Antarctica is the southernmost of the seven continents. In fact, the entire continent of Antarctica lies further south of any piece of land on any other continent! Antarctica is surrounded by the Southern Oceans. All of the other oceans lie to the north of Antarctica, and of course, all of the other six continents are also north of Antarctica.

Tools in Geography1. A globe is a round model of the Earth. By looking at a globe and spinning it around, we can see all the areas of land and water in scale, so they are exactly true to their real shapes and sizes. Scale is the way that mapmakers reduce the real size of land masses, oceans, rivers, and other landforms to sizes that fit on a map or globe. Having a true scale is an advantage of using a globe. We can not however, see all of the world at the same time. We can not see what is on the back of the globe, while we are looking at the front. This is one disadvantage of using a globe.

2. Maps – are the blueprints of travel

Types of MapsFlat Maps - With a flat map, we can see the entire world at one time. This is an advantage of using a flat map. Because the world is round and not flat, a flat map can not show the exact scale of the shape or size of the land and water areas. This is one disadvantage of using a flat map.

Route Maps - are useful references for both airlines and the car rental industry.

Locator Maps – usually represents a small area, say a city, they help you find the locations of attractions and hotels

Route map

Other Map Considerations

• compass rose. The compass rose will remind us of the directions: north, south, west, and east.

• Hemispheres. Everything north of the equator is the Northern Hemisphere and everything south is the Southern Hemisphere. The world is also divided into a Western Hemisphere and an Eastern Hemisphere.

• Equator- an imaginary line on the Earth's surface equidistant from the North Pole and South Pole, dividing the Earth into the Northern Hemisphere and Southern Hemisphere. The sun passes over the Equator twice each year, at the March and September equinoxes.

• International Date line - The International Date Line (IDL) is an imaginary line on the surface of the Earth that runs from the north to the south pole and demarcates one calendar day from the next. It passes through the middle of the Pacific Ocean, roughly following the 180° longitude but it deviates to pass around some territories and island groups.

• Prime Meridian - a line of longitude, at which longitude is defined to be 0°. It divides the Earth into two hemispheres, Eastern Hemisphere and Western Hemisphere. The Prime Meridian is used to define Universal Time and is the meridian from which all other time zones are calculated. Time zones to the east of the Prime Meridian are in advance of UTC (up to UTC+14); time zones to the west are behind UTC (to UTC-12).

Elements of Geography

1.Location2.Time3.Physical Characteristics4.Human & Cultural Characteristics

1. Location

Longitude and Latitudeis a system used to find the location of any place on earth. It is commonly called the Grid SystemIt is made up of 2 sets of lines that cross each other

LATITUDE• Also called Parallels• Are parallel lines extending

east and west• Measures points north and

south of the equator• Base point is the equator

LONGITUDE• Also called Meridians• Extends north and south

from the poles• Measures east and west

with respect to the Prime Meridian

• Base point of reference or Prime Meridian is at Greenwich, England

2. Time• Every 15 degree change in the meridian, there is a one (1)

hour difference in time• The time of the initial begins at the Prime Meridian in

Greenwich, England• The meridian marking the change of date at 180 degrees

is the International Date Line• Travelling eastward from one time zone to another, clocks

are advanced I hour in each time zone until reaching the line of 180 degree longitude where the day changes to the PRECEDING DAY

• Travelling westward, the opposite occurs and the date changes to the NEXT DAY

3. Physical Characteristics of a Place

3 Elements

A. ClimateB. VegetationC. Landforms

CLIMATE

DEFINITION: is the name we give to the typical weather patterns in one place which does not change much. It is the average, long range weather or sate of the atmosphere of any place

Climate is important to tourism:1. Climate is an attraction2. Climate affects an individual’s comfort level

Characteristics affecting Climate

1. Latitude and related solar energy– A place’s climate is controlled by its distance from the

equator.– The sun is at its hottest at the equator, gives little warmth

at the poles– Places near the equator have warm temperatures all year

round 0-25 degrees (low Latitude)– Places 30 to 60 degrees north and south of the equator

have distinct summers and winters (Mid-latitude)– Places 60 degrees and above north and south of the

equator have cooler temperatures all year (High latitude)

2. Land and Water Distribution or Continental Effect

– At the same latitude, air temperatures are warmer in summer and colder in winter over land because landmasses heat and cool more rapidly than bodies of water do

– Bodies of water tend to moderate the air temperature over nearby land areas, warming them in winter and cooling them in summer

3. Prevailing Winds

– When air passes over ground warmed by the sun, it is heated and becomes lighter, it rises leaving an area with less air pressure – LOW PRESSURE AREA

4. Precipitation– Rain, snow or hail

5. Landforms– There is gradual decrease in temperature with

increasing elevation

5 Major Climatic Regions

1. TROPICAL– Lies in the low latitude areas around 0-25

degrees–Warm all year and has no winter–High temperature and heavy rainfall

A. Tropical Rainforest Climate - Has rainfall all year - Equatorial lowlands and along mountainous tropical coasts - Amazon Basin, South America, parts of South central Africa and SEA Asia

B. Tropical Savannah Climate - Distinct wet and dry season – dry season is longer - SE Asian countries, Mexico, Miami, FL, Caribbean Islands

2. DRY

• Also lies in the low latitude areas • High temperature and little or no

rainfall

A. Desert or AridVery dry areas with almost no rainfall

Hot Desert Climate - Sahara, the Arabian, Syrian and Kalahari Deserts, large parts of Iran, southern and central Pakistan, northwest India, the southwestern United States, Northern Mexico, and much of Australia. These areas are located between 30 degrees south and 30 north latitude.

Cold Desert Climate - The Gobi desert in Mongolia, The Kyzyl Kum and Taklamakan deserts of Central Asia and the drier portions of the Great Basin Desert of the western United States, The Ladakh region, lying in

the Great Himalayas in India also has a cold desert climate.

B. Steppe or Semi arid - Have greater amounts of vegetation which means it receives little rain TROPICAL STEPPE - West Africa, India, parts of Mexico and small parts of Pakistan , In Australia, a large portion of the Outback , sections of South America such as the sertão (the sertão consists mainly of low uplands that form part of the Brazilian Highlands) COLD SEMI-ARID - commonly found in Asia and North America, Northern Africa, South Africa, Europe, (primarily in Spain) sections of South America and sections of interior southern Australia and New Zealand.

3. Mesothermal Humid

• occupies the mid latitude areas (30-60 degrees)

• Found in the margins of continents or near bodies of water

• With distinct seasons• Relatively no snow during winter

A. Mediterranean - Lies on west facing coasts at lat 35-40 deg - Warm dry summers and mild wet winters - Tel Aviv, Israel, Seville, Spain, Perth, Western Australia, Portugal , San Francisco, United States, Southern Europe

B. Humid Subtropical• Lies on the east side of continents at lat 25-35 deg• Winters are short and mild, summer months have

mean temperatures• SE USA, South Japan and Korea, Australia

C. Marine West Coast• 40-55 deg lat• Temperatures are moderated by westerly winds• Winters and summers are mild, winter fog is common• NW Europe, Portugal, Pacific Coast of North America

4. Microthermal Humid

• Also occupies the middle latitude areas of 35 to 70 degrees• Occupies the centers of large land masses• Cold, snowy winters and warm humid summers• Eurasia and North America• southern Canada, inland and northeastern China, Korea,

northern Japan, most of Russia and Bosnia, parts of Norway, Sweden, inner parts of Spain and Turkey, parts of north and north-west of Iran, northern Iraq specifically Iraqi Kurdistan, Poland, Czech Republic, Austria, some parts of Germany, Slovakia, Slovenia, Hungary, Romania, Moldova, Ukraine, Armenia, Belarus, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Finland.

A. Hot Summer Continental climates • Chicago, Illinois, United States , Muş, Turkey , Pyongyang, North Korea

B. Warm Summer Continental or Hemiboreal climates • Helsinki, Finland, Kiev, Ukraine, Fargo, North Dakota, United

States, Buffalo, New York, United States, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, Vladivostok, Russia

C. Continental Subarctic or Boreal (taiga) climates• Northwest Territories, Heilongjiang, China

5. Polar

• Occupies the high latitude area 70 degrees and above

• North Pole (Arctic) is 15 ft thick of ice floating on the sea

• South Pole (Antarctica) is 8,800 ft thick of ice over solid rock

A. Tundra-Beyond the Arctic Circle-Winters are bitterly cold with no true summers-Ground underneath the surface is Permafrost (permanently frozen) ----These climates occur on the northern edges of the North American and Eurasian landmasses, and on nearby islands. It also occurs on some islands near the Antarctic Convergence.

B. Ice CapHas no month with temperatures above freezingCovered by permanent ice and snowThis climate is dominant in Antarctica (e.g., Scott Base) and in inner Greenland (e.g., Eismitte or North Ice).