Geography Basics

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Questions and Answers

What is the imaginary line that divides the Earth into Northern and Southern Hemispheres?

Prime Meridian

Equator (correct)

180th Meridian

International Date Line

Which continent is located in all four hemispheres?

Europe

Asia

Africa (correct)

North America

What is the longitude of the Prime Meridian?

180°

90°

270°

0° (correct)

What is the purpose of the international date line?

To separate two consecutive calendar days Signup and view all the answers

What is the latitude of the equator?

0° Signup and view all the answers

What is the purpose of a compass rose on a map?

To show the cardinal directions Signup and view all the answers

What is the significance of the scale of a map?

It affects the amount of detail shown on the map Signup and view all the answers

What are the points called where the axis of the Earth passes through?

The North and South Poles Signup and view all the answers

What is the purpose of indicating the north at the top of a map?

To provide a frame of reference for navigation Signup and view all the answers

What determines the amount of detail shown on a map?

The scale of the map Signup and view all the answers

Which imaginary line divides the globe into the Northern and Southern Hemispheres?

Equator Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following continents is NOT located in at least two hemispheres at once?

Antarctica Signup and view all the answers

What is the term for the point on a river where it meets a larger body of water?

Mouth Signup and view all the answers

What is the term for a narrow strip of land that connects two larger landmasses?

Isthmus Signup and view all the answers

What is the purpose of a map's key or legend?

To explain the symbols on the map Signup and view all the answers

What is the feature that divides the globe into Eastern and Western Hemispheres?

The Prime Meridian Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of a peninsula?

It is completely surrounded by water Signup and view all the answers

What is the purpose of a harbor?

To provide a safe place for ships to anchor Signup and view all the answers

What is the definition of an island?

Land completely surrounded by water Signup and view all the answers

What is the coast also called?

The coastline or the shore Signup and view all the answers

What is the significance of the equator on a map?

It marks the boundary between the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. Signup and view all the answers

How do you measure straight-line distances on a map?

By using a ruler to measure the number of inches between two points and multiplying by the map scale. Signup and view all the answers

What is the purpose of a map scale?

To convert map distances to real-world distances. Signup and view all the answers

Which continents exist solely in the Northern Hemisphere?

Europe, North America. Signup and view all the answers

What is the ratio of map distance to real-world distance according to the map scale?

One inch on the map equals two thousand miles in real life. Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Maps and Map Skills

Maps have keys or legends to explain their symbols, representing human and physical characteristics of places.
Most maps are oriented with the North Pole at the top, unless otherwise indicated.
Students should be able to measure distance on a map and use an atlas.

Continents and Oceans

There are seven continents and four oceans, including the North and South Poles, and major rivers on each continent.
All continents are located in at least two hemispheres at once (Northern or Southern, and Eastern or Western).

Rivers

Every continent except Antarctica has several great rivers, which have played important roles throughout human history.
Rivers provide many important benefits and resources, but they also have great destructive power.

Hemispheres

The equator is an imaginary line around the center of the world, dividing the globe into the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.
The world can also be looked at as having a Western Hemisphere and an Eastern Hemisphere.
Any continent occupies portions of at least two hemispheres.

Geographical Terms and Features

A peninsula is a piece of land sticking out into a body of water, almost surrounded by water.
A harbor is a part of a body of water, providing a safe place for ships to anchor.
A bay is a small area of an ocean or a lake that creates an opening in the land.
An island is land completely surrounded by water, smaller than a continent.
The coast is the land that runs along an ocean, bay, or gulf, also called the coastline or the shore.

Scale and Measurement

Scale is the ratio between the representation and the thing it represents on a map.
A large-scale map will show less area but more detail than a small-scale map.
Students can use a ruler to measure distances on a map, and multiply by the scale to get the straight-line distance.

Directions and Compass Rose

The cardinal directions are north, south, east, and west, with intermediate directions being northeast, southeast, southwest, and northwest.
A compass rose indicates the directions on a map.
Most maps and globes are oriented with the north at the top, unless otherwise indicated.