Geographer’s Tools

1. Geographer’s Tools Maps Globes Graphs

2. Organization • The grid that covers a globe is made of lines that run east to west and north to south. • Lines of latitude run east-west • Lines of longitude run north-south

3. Organization • The equator is an imaginary line that circles the globe halfway between Earth. • Lines of latitude measure distances north and south of the equator. They are also know as parallels • The prime meridian is an imaginary line drawn from the North Pole through England to the South Pole • Lines of longitude, also called meridians, measure distance east and west of the P.M.

4. Parallels and meridians measure distances in degrees. Those north of the equator are noted with an N, south with an S. Meridians can go west or east of the prime meridian and will be noted with a W or E

5. Hemispheres, Continents, and Oceans • The equator divides the world into two halves, or hemispheres. Northern and Southern • The prime meridian and the 180 meridian divide the world into Eastern and Western Hemispheres • 7 Continents • 4 Oceans

6. Maps • Flat representations of all or part of Earth’s surface. • There are many ways of presenting our round earth on flat maps these are called map projections • Because the earth is round, all flat maps have some distortion. • Most common maps projections are cylindrical, conic, and flat-plane.

7. Great Circle Route • A straight line on a flat map is not the shortest distance • Shortest route is called a great-circle route • Pilots and ship captains use great-circle routes to help navigate The loxodrome is a line of constant heading, and the great circle, although appearing longer than the loxodrome, is actually the shortest route between New York and London.

9. Map Elements • Cartographers provide basic map elements to help us translate the codes that contain information on maps • Almost all maps have several common elements • Distance scale • Key • Directional indicator

10. Distance Scale • Distance scales helps us determine real distance between two points on a map • Distances measured and measurements used can vary

11. Keys • A maps legend, or key, identifies the symbols representing cities, roads, and other features. • They can use colors to represent different elevations, regions, and locations

12. Directional Indicators • Shows which directions on a map are north, south, east, and west • A compass rose has arrows that point to all four principal directions

13. Other Elements • Inset maps are used to focus in on a small part of a larger map • They can focus in on a specific area or focus on an area that is far away • The map of the USA shows both contiguous and non contiguous states. • Contiguous means connected or bordering

14. Special-purpose maps • The two main types of maps we will be using are political and physical feature maps • Other include • Climate and precipitation maps • Population and economic maps • Elevation profile and topographic maps

15. Climate Graphs and Population Pyramids • Climate graphs show the average temperatures and precipitation in a place. • Population pyramids show the percentage of males and females by age group in a country’s population • Help us understand population trends in countries • Name comes from pyramid shape • If not in shape of a pyramid, called age-structure diagram