Map SKills

Maps, Globes,
& Geography

​Continents vs. Countries

What is a continent?

• ​One of Earth's major landmasses

  • Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Europe, Australia, Antarctica (Why Europe?)

What is a country?

• ​Typically, it is a smaller piece of land located within a continent

• A political state or nation​

  • Ex.: USA, Russia, Canada, France, South Africa, etc. ​

​Australia is only place on earth that is both a country and a continent!

• Main set of directions

• North, East, South, West

  • Never Eat Soggy Waffles

• ​sometimes a compass rose only shows N or North

​Cardinal Directions

• Secondary set of directions

• Northeast, Southeast, Southwest, Northwest

• Gives a more specific direction​

​Intermediate Directions

Multiple Choice

Which is not a basic/cardinal direction

• North

• Southwest

• East

• South

Multiple Choice

Which is not an intermediate direction?

• Southwest

• Southeast

• North

• Northwest

​Important Parts of a Map

• Title - tells us what
  the map is showing.

• Compass Rose -
  shows directions

• Scale - shows how distance on
  a map relates to real distance

  • Ex: 1 inch on a map
    is 1 mile in real life

• Key​ - tells us what different
  symbols, colors, and lines represent
  

Multiple Choice

This explains symbols, colors, etc. on a map

• Scale

• Compass Rose

• Key

• Equator

Multiple Choice

What is this object known as?

• map symbol
• map key
• map scale
• compass rose

Based on this scale, how far is Albany from Boston?
Some scales will even tell you how much an inch or CM represents

A map scale is basically a ruler

Multiple Choice

What does a map scale do?

• Tells the meaning of symbols, colors, lines, etc. on a map

• Tells what timezone you are in

• Tells what the map is describing or showing

• Tells how much real distance is represented on the map

Multiple Choice

How many real world miles would 4 inches on the map represent?

• 2
• 400
• 4000
• 4

​Latitude

• Imaginary horizontal or parallel lines that run east to west and tell us how far something is North or South of the equator​

• 90°S to 90°N

• Important ​Latitude Lines

  • Equator: 0°

  • Tropic of Cancer: 23.4°N

  • Tropic of Capricorn: 23.4°S

  • Arctic Circle: 66.3°N

  • Antarctic Circle: 66.3°S

  • North Pole: 90°N

  • South Pole: 90°S

Wait - horizonal lines measure north & south???

Latitude lines

​Longitude

• Imaginary vertical lines that run from the North Pole to the South Pole and tell us if a location is East or West of the Prime Meridian

  • Longitude lines are aka meridians

• 180°W to 180°E

• Important Latitude Lines:

  • Prime Meridian: 0°

  • International Date Line: 180°

Multiple Choice

Imaginary vertical line that specifies if a location is east or west

• Latitude

• Longitude

• Key

• Scale

Multiple Choice

Imaginary horizontal lines that specifies if a location is north or south

• Latitude

• Longitude

• Key

• Scale

Multiple Choice

The equator is located at...

• 180°

• 0°

• 23.4°S

• 66.3°N

Multiple Choice

At what line of LONGITUDE is Point B located?

• 105^o W
• 60^o N
• 150^o W
• 80^o W

​Hemispheres

• Hemi = half

• Hemisphere is one half of the earth

• Earth has 2 sets of different hemispheres

• Northern Hemisphere and Southern

• Hemisphere are divided by the equator

• Eastern Hemisphere and Western

• Hemisphere are divided by the Prime

• Meridian and International Date Line

• The two sets are independent of one another, you cannot combine them

  • Canada would be in the Northern Hemisphere and the Western Hemisphere, not the Northwestern Hemisphere (which doesn't exist)

Multiple Choice

A _______________ is exactly half of the earth.

• Equator
• Hemisphere
• Tropic of Cancer
• Arctic Circle

Multiple Choice

The equator divides what two hemispheres?

• East and West

• North and South

Multiple Choice

Which hemisphere is shown above the equator?

• Eastern Hemisphere

• Western Hemisphere

• Northern Hemisphere

Multiple Choice

An imaginary line that divides the eastern and western hemispheres?

• equator

• longitude

• latitude

• prime meridian

Multiple Choice

Which hemisphere is highlighted in blue?

• Western

• Eastern

• Southern

Multiple Choice

Which hemisphere is highlighted in blue?

• Southern

• Northern

• Western

Multiple Choice

Which hemisphere is highlighted in blue?

• Northern

• Southern

• Western

Multiple Select

The continent Africa is found on which hemispheres? Choose all that apply.

• Northern

• Southern

• Western

• Eastern

Multiple Select

South America is found in which hemispheres? Choose all that apply

• Northern

• Southern

• Western

• Eastern

Multiple Select

North America is found in which hemispheres? Choose all that apply

• Northern

• Southern

• Western

• Eastern

​Types of Maps

Political Map

Shows man made borders for countries, states, or even counties, along with cities, towns, and other landmarks​

​Types of Maps

Thematic Map

Shows many different types of things but it has a specific theme in mind, such as population,
clim​ate, crime rate, etc.

​Types of Maps

Physical Map

shows the physical features of the land, such as
elevation, different
landforms, and
bodies of water

Multiple Choice

Click on the physical map

Multiple Choice

If a certain subject or theme is being focused on, you'd look on a...

• elevation map

• political map

• physical map

• thematic map

Multiple Choice

Which map would show you borders of different counties in Iowa?

• physical

• political

• thematic

• elevation

​Map Projections

• Projection = representation of any part of a sphere onto a flat surface

  • Showing a 3D object in 2D​

• Problems with maps

  • flattening a globe creates distortions

  • distortion leads to misrepresentation;
    it is not accurate

• Most accurate projection
  is a globe

​Map Projections

• Mercator Projection

  • Most commonly used projection

  • Projects globe onto a cylinder

    • Makes the map more accurate at the equator

    • Very distorted at the Poles

      • Further away from equator, worse the distortion is

​https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vknOQwRgdRU ​ https://thetruesize.com.

​Map Projections

Robinson Projection

• Most common projection in textbooks, magazines, etc.

• Goal is to minimize distortions

• Landmasses still have
  distortions, but not
  as much as Mercator

• ​Longitude lines
  will be curved

Multiple Choice

Which projection is this?

• Robinson
• Mercator
• Eckert IV
• Goode's Homolosine

Multiple Choice

Which projection is this?

• Lambert
• Mercator
• Goode's Homolosine
• Robinson

Multiple Choice

A way of representing the spherical Earth on a flat surface.

• Map Projection
• Distortion
• Imagination

• Map description

Multiple Choice

The change in shape, size, or location of a place when shown on a map.

• Map Projection
• Distortion
• Fluxation

• Induction

​Coordinates

• Combine latitude and longitude to give an exact location on earth

  • Much like Battleship, or basic graphing

• Coordinates are always written latitude first (N or S), then longitude (E or W)

• Be careful!

  • On a Mercator map, longitude lines are straight up and down; easy to follow

  • Robinson map, longitude lines are curved; need to follow the curve to find the degrees

​Coordinates

N & S will go from 90N to 90S. • E & W will go from 180W to 180E

Sometimes (rarely) + or - will be used. Think of it like a thermomenter: Up or right is warmer (+) and down or left is colder (-)

​On your map, mark the following:

​

0°, 20°E​

​

25°S, 60°W

​

38°N, 127°E​

​

​