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Map Master

Skills Handbook

Five Themes of Geography

Understanding Globes

How To Use A Map

Human Migration

Mr. Graver Name _____________________

Old World Cultures Period ____________________

Notebook

Number

_________

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In this chapter, you’ll be introduced to many skills you’ll need

to do well in Old World Cultures. You’ll learn about the “Five

Themes of Geography,” how to use a map and a globe, what

migration is and how it changes history, and how people

change the Earth. Whew! Geography is a HUGE topic!

Five Themes of Geography: Just by paging through this first chapter you

can probably figure out that “Geography” is a huge topic to study. When

some people hear the word “Geography” they think about studying states

and capitals. Although that’s part of Geography, there is so much more!

To make the study of Geography a little easier to understand, geographers

have divided it up into 5 smaller topics, or themes. Let’s find out what they

are!

1. What question does the theme “Location” answer?

Location answers the question “Where is it?”

Where is Slatington Located?

Where is the United States Located?

2. What does ABSOLUTE LOCATION mean? Give an example of Absolute

Location.

It tells us exactly where something is located on the earth. It’s like an

address – There is only one spot on the face of the earth for that specific

location.

To describe where Slatington is located using Absolute Location, we

might say it’s at 42 degrees North Latitude by 80 degrees West

Longitude.

1. LOCATION

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3. What does RELATIVE LOCATION mean? Give an example of Relative

Location.

When we use Relative Location, we describe where an unknown place is

located using known and familiar places.

Where is Turkey Hill located? Hmmm… You have to go up the steep

hill in Slatington until you go around the sharp left hand turn by the

firemen’s statue. When you come to the stoplight, Turkey Hill is on

your right hand side.

4. What is a good definition for the theme of REGIONS?

Regions are areas that share at least one common feature.

Hawaii and Jamaica have at least one thing in common. They are both

in a tropical climate region.

5. Give two examples of Regions.

Areas around the world where people speak English would be an

example of a language Region.

Rainforests and desserts would be examples of climate Regions.

2. REGIONS

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6. What does PLACE help us to understand?

This theme helps us realize that every place on earth is different from

every other place.

Every place has different landforms, climates, plants, animals, people,

and languages.

7. Every place has unique PHYSICAL characteristics and unique HUMAN

characteristics. It is these characteristics that help geographers identify and

describe a place.

8. Give some examples of PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS that help us to

describe a place.

The Statue of Liberty and the Empire State Building make New York

City different from every other place.

The Eiffel Tower makes Paris different from every other place.

The Firemen’s Statue and the Blue Mountain make Slatington different

from every other place.

9. Give some examples of HUMAN CHARACTERISTICS that help us to

describe a place.

The types of clothing people wear helps to make a place different from

any other places. Cowboy hats and boots make Texas different from

other places.

The types of foods people eat helps to make one place different from

every other place. Many people in Mexico eat tacos.

Language accents help to make one place different from every other

place.

3. PLACE

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10. What question does the Theme of MOVEMENT answer?

Movement answers the question, “How do people, goods, and ideas

move from place to place?”

11. How did Marco Polo give us an excellent example of MOVEMENT?

He loaded his ship with goods made in Italy and went to China. He

traded his Italian goods for Chinese goods. The Chinese got things they

had never seen before.

Marco Polo went back home to Italy with rice and silk from China. The

Italians loved these new goods they had never seen before.

In a very short time, the Italians and Chinese were also trading ideas,

religion, and language back and forth.

12. What can BLUE JEANS teach us about MOVEMENT?

Blue Jeans were “invented” in our country and first worn by

gold miners and farmers.

It didn’t take long for people all over the world with other

types of jobs to start wearing Blue Jeans!

4. MOVEMENT

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13. What two things are interacting when we talk about the Theme of

INTERACTION?

Human beings and the environment are interacting with each other

when we talk about this theme.

14. Give some examples as to how people INTERACT with the environment.

We interact with our environment to make our lives easier. We build

houses to stay warm and dry.

We build dams to control floods.

We build roads to drive our cars on. We pollute the air with

the cars we drive.

We wear coats to stay warm in the winter and shorts to stay

cool in the summer.

15. What’s the difference between PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY and HUMAN

GEOGRAPHY?

Physical Geography is the study of natural features of the earth.

Physical Geographers would study things like mountains, rivers,

deserts, and oceans.

Human Geographers study people and try to figure out why people

change their landscape. Human Geographers want to know why people

built the Great Wall of China.

They also want to know how ideas, languages, religions, and technology

move around the world.

5. INTERACTION

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Understanding Globes: In this section, you’ll find out what globes are and

how to use them. We’ll also find out what all of those lines are used for on

maps and globes!

1. What is a good definition of the term GLOBE?

A GLOBE is a scale model of the Earth.

2. What do globes show us?

A globe shows the actual shapes, sizes, and locations of all Earth’s

landmasses and bodies of water.

3. Why is a globe better than a map?

The Earth is round. A map is flat. It’s impossible to put a round object

on a flat piece of paper. Everything on a map becomes distorted.

4. What are PARALLEL lines of LATITUDE on a globe or map?

Parallel lines, or Latitude lines, are lines that are drawn horizontally on

a map. They are lines that are drawn from left to right.

Latitude lines are numbered from 0 degrees to 90 degrees NORTH

Latitude and from 0 degrees to 90 degrees SOUTH Latitude.

5. What is the most important line of Latitude? Where is this line located and

what number is it given?

The most important line of Latitude is the EQUATOR. It is halfway

between the North and South Pole and is given the number 0 degrees

Latitude.

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6. How much distance does ONE DEGREE of Latitude represent?

One degree of Latitude is about 70 miles.

7. What do we call all of the latitudes, land, and water NORTH of the equator?

Anything that is located ABOVE the Equator is in the Northern

Hemisphere.

8. What do we call all of the latitudes, land, and water SOUTH of the Equator?

Anything that is located BELOW the Equator is in the Southern

Hemisphere.

9. What are MERIDIAN lines of LONGITUDE on a map or Globe?

Meridian lines, or lines of Longitude, are lines that are drawn vertically

on a map. They are lines that are drawn up and down.

Longitude lines are numbered from 0 degrees to 180 degrees

EAST Longitude and from 0 degrees to 180 degrees WEST

Longitude.

10. What is the most important line of LONGITUDE? What famous place does

this line run through and what number is it given?

The most important line of Longitude is the Prime Meridian.

It runs through Greenwich, England. When it’s Tuesday on one side of

the Prime Meridian, it’s Wednesday on the other.

The Prime Meridian is given the number 0 degrees Longitude.

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11. What do we call all of the Longitudes, land, and water EAST of the Prime

Meridian?

Anything on the East side (Right side) of the Prime Meridian is in the

Eastern Hemisphere

12. What do we call all of the Longitudes, land, and water WEST of the Prime

Meridian?

Anything on the West side (Left side) of the Prime Meridian is in the

Western Hemisphere.

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How To Use A Map: In this section, we’ll find out how to use the different

clues mapmakers put on maps to help us understand the information on a

map. This is easy!

1. What does a LOCATOR GLOBE do for someone reading a map?

A Locator Globe shows where on the Earth the area of the map is

located.

2. What does a TITLE do for someone reading a map?

A Title tells you the subject of the map.

3. What does a COMPASS ROSE show?

A Compass Rose shows you directions (North, South, East, and West)

on a map or globe.

4. What is another term for a map KEY? What does it do?

A Map Key is also called a LEGEND. It shows the symbols and colors

used on the map and what each means.

5. What does a SCALE BAR do?

A Scale Bar helps you find actual distances between points shown on the

map. For example, one inch on the map may equal 300 miles on the

Earth.

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Human Migration: We’re on the move! Heck, people have been moving

from place to place since the beginning of time. In this section, we’ll find

out what happens to people and places when other people migrate to a new

place.

1. What is HUMAN MIGRATION?

It’s when a large group of people move from one area

to another.

2. What THEME of Geography are we talking about when we study

MIGRATION?

When we study Migration, we are learning about the Theme of

Geography called MOVEMENT.

3. What happens to people and their new environment when people migrate?

When people migrate, they change their environment and

are changed by their environment.

When people move, the culture people bring with them

mixes with the cultures of the place in which they have

settled.

4. What is FORCED MIGRATION?

It’s when people are forced to move from their homes to another place.

These people did not want to leave their homes.

Slavery is an example of FORCED MIGRATION.

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5. Give an example of something that would “PUSH” people to migrate out of

an area.

Poverty, or losing your job, may “push” people to migrate out of an

area.

A hurricane may “push” people to migrate out of an area.

6. Give an example of something that would “PULL” people to migrate to an

area.

The promise of a better life, or a better job, may “pull” people to

migrate to another area.