Geography style!!

Begin Journey….

• It happened one night as you were immersed in an unbelievable dream about your first date with you favorite movie star… you were abruptly interrupted with a great beam of light in your window. There was a loud crash and then nothing but white light… and then you awoke. As you tried to get your bearings, you realized there was an odd figure standing above you. Though you had never been one to believe in aliens, you were pretty sure that was what you were seeing. ALIENS!!! Could it be?!? Had you been abducted by an alien species? Your questions were soon answered.

• “You have been selected to introduce us to your planet. You will answer our questions and you will be safely returned to the habitat from which you were taken. Should you choose to be uncooperative, you will suffer dire consequences…”

• You begin to wonder why they had chosen you. You were no expert on earth!! How were you going to answer their questions? You remember you had taken geography this school year and had learned how to find answers to all your “earthly” questions… you only needed a geography book and your handy dandy palm size computer. You feel more confident… As you look around you notice you are in outer space and the ship has begun to move toward earth…

Next

Continue to the alien’s first question Back to Introduction

Alien question # 1• On a previous data collection mission, we gathered the following

image:

• You must identify this image and explain its significance. What is this landform? – You immediately recognize it was as a basic geography term…

now using your geography book to help you remember the name, you tell the aliens it is a :

• Hill• Basin• Mesa

Alien question #2• All of sudden the aliens are very excited. It seems as though you giving

the correct answer has made them sure you can give them all the information they need. Now the room is filled with 20 or so aliens all speaking at the same time (some alien gibberish you don’t understand- until one them realizes the universal translator has been shut off and then runs to turn it back on) and shoving papers and small computer screens at you with images. You realize you have a lot of work in front of you. The first thing you need to do is introduce them to Earth as whole…. You need a map. You know the aliens know what the earth looks like in globe format, but you decide to introduce them to a flattened image of earth- a map. First you show them the 3 types of map projections: Cylindrical, Conic, and Planar. After explaining how each works, you need to decide which one will best suit your purposes on this trip. Since you don’t know where you are going on earth, you aren’t going to need a map to emphasize a certain hemisphere…. So you decide to go with a ___________ projection.

• A. Cylindrical• B. Conic• C. Planar

Back to question: # 1 #2 #3 #4 #5 #6 #7 #8 #9 #10 #11 # 12 #13

Alien Question #3• You are surprised to see how very enthusiastic the aliens are about your

information on map projections… really?? Who gets this excited about geography (other than those weird national geographic guys you’ve seen while watching the Discovery channel) ?!? But as long as there are no laser beams coming your way, you just keep giving out the info… now that you have a map, you decide to show them what the lines and symbols are. The aliens first point to the following symbol:

• A. Scale• B. Compass Rose• C. Prime Meridian

Be sure to explain to the aliens what it isused for….

Alien Question # 4

Which of the following is the correct absolute location for Washington, D.C.?• 38° 53 N, 77° 02 W• 38° 53 S, 77° 02 E• 37° 32 N, 77° 28 W• 37° 32 S, 77° 28 E

•Excited by your wealth of Earthly knowledge, the Aliens anxiously wish to know the relative location of your place of learning (MJHS) to your primary residence (where you were abducted from). Remember, relative location is a place in relation to other places.

•Next, your abductors want to know the absolute location of your national government’s capital! Remember, absolute location means the exact position of a place on Earth. Can you say latitude and longitude? For your sake, you better find it.

Alien Question # 5

• Concerned that you may be giving them too much information too quickly, you try to divert their attention back to the map. Using the following diagrams, you explain the following terms: meridian, equator, latitude, longitude, parallel. You decide to have them visit the Amazon river Basin- which one of the above terms will you take you closest….

Meridians Of Longitude

Parallels of latitude

Alien question # 6• As you fly downward

you explain some of the physical features the aliens are seeing including the Amazon rainforest and the Atlantic ocean. You see the large natural stream of water in the Amazon rainforest and the smaller ones leading into it… you explain the small streams of water leading into the larger one are called…

• Rivers• Tributaries• Capes

Alien Question # 7• Your abductors are pleased, but they have become bored with

words, maps, and such so you can not continue using the map just now. They take you on a quick fly-over of Maryland. Can you identify this landform? Choose from the following:

• source• channel• harbor

Alien Question # 8• After flying back from Maryland Harbor, the alien spaceship

stumbled upon a very strong hurricane off the East Coast of North America. The aliens are furious and want to know what sort of evil brought this storm upon their ship. You quickly refer them to your handy ocean current map and explain what happened.

• According to the ocean current map above, if a hurricane started in the Atlantic Ocean somewhere off the coast of Africa, what current brought it to America?

• Gulf Stream• South Equatorial• North Pacific• North Equatorial• Both A and D• None of the above• Ocean currents

Alien Question # 9The aliens are thrilled to be moving around the planet looking at earth’s landforms. You

begin a descent into the western United States. You point toward the Rocky mountains and explain the concept of elevation (height of land above sea level) and point out other physical feature (characteristic of a place occurring naturally, such as a landform, body of water, climate pattern, or resource) like the Baja peninsula just south of California and the Colorado River. What large (and famous) landform is the final destination for this descent? Peninsula, Canyon, or Plateau.

Alien Question # 10

• Your alien captors are now curious about the inside of Earth. Since their home planet generally stinks and is composed of layers upon layers of yucky sulfur, they want to know what makes Earth so nice and green. (and sweet-smelling)

• Since you scored well on this part of your Geography lessons, you are able to quickly explain what the Earth is composed of.

• What layer of inner Earth is probably very hot liquid metal?– crust– inner core– outer core– mantle

Alien Question # 11• You decide to explain that all the geographical information that

you have shown them is used and created by Cartographers… Cartographers are mapmakers! These scientists will make maps and will also gather information that is placed into GIS (Geographic information systems). You decide to show the aliens how easy it is to find a GIS and use it by going to the CIA World Factbook (https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/) on the internet.

• Using the link to the CIA world factbook, which of the following has the highest population (the most Earthlings)?

• France• Iraq• Mexico• Australia

Alien Question # 12

Your captors somehow came across this old drawing of a very familiar geographic feature. Familiar to us, of course, but the aliens are puzzled. You explain to them that this is a narrow strip of land that connects the two continents of North and South America.

• This drawing shows the highlands (mountains) and lowlands that are characteristic of this landform. You tell the aliens that it is called a(n):

• peninsula• Isthmus• channel• cape

Alien Question # 13

• Concerned that the aliens maybe plotting some kind takeover, you decide to direct their attention away from particular places on earth and explain some more mapping concepts… emphasizing to the aliens they may be able to use this information to create maps of their own planet. You show them two types of maps: A political and physical. Which of these two maps will best show the aliens a topographically suitable place to land?

• Political map• Physical map

Alien Question # 14

• The aliens have grown weary of learning the geography of Earth and wish to move on to their real reason for visiting… setting up a new trade relationship with Earth. They have requested that you “take them to your leader”…. Now you must decide… Do you believe them? Do you believe they wish to start a new friendship? Or do you think they are conspiring to take over earth and their first target is Washington D.C. and the president? You must decide… your future depends on it…

• You decide to take them to your leader• You decide to be returned to your home without helping aliens

Answer to Question # 1

• MESA- you can tell it’s a mesa because it looks a lot like a mountain that has had its peak sawed off.

Back to question 2

Answer to question #2

• Cylindrical is definitely the best selection. Since both conic and planar show the earth best when you are looking at a particular area of earth, neither of them will be as useful as one map that shows the entire earth contiguously. Though cylindrical will stretch out the poles a bit, you think you can overcome that problem with a simple explanation.

Back to question 3

Answer Question # 3

• Compass rose- as you explain to the aliens, the compass rose is used to show direction (North, Northeast, South, Southwest, etc.) Immediately the aliens begin to start using relative location as they look at places on the map….

Back to question 4

Answer to question # 4

• Good job. You chose wisely. (but it sure took you long enough!) The correct absolute location for Washington, D.C. is indeed 38° 53 N, 77° 02 W. Escape your captors’ wrath by solving the next Earthly question.

Back to question 5

Answer to question # 5

• Equator… of course. Now you can explain how the sun has made this a very fertile area with lots vegetation… Perhaps this area could lead you to your next explanation...

Back to question 6

Answer question # 6

• Tributaries is definitely the correct answer. You explain that the tributaries that run together in this area come together to create the Amazon river which is Earth’s widest river…. The aliens are very impressed with your knowledge... You are beginning to feel as though you may be making progress with your new acquaintances.

Back to question 7

Answer to Question # 7

• Correct. A harbor is a sheltered place along a shoreline where ships can safely dock. Did you actually think you were looking at a channel or a tributary? Your captors are becoming quite impatient with your lack of mental speed.

Back to question 8

Answer to Question # 8• Whew! Your chose correctly. As you can see from the

map, storms in the Atlantic Ocean• migrate toward the North American coast thanks to the

North Equatorial and Gulf Stream currents. These currents can even push storms into the Gulf of Mexico, as seen in the image below.

Hey Magellan, next time let’s

warn the aliens before they

navigate into a hurricane.

Back to question 9

Answer to Question # 9

• Yes, it’s the Grand Canyon. You explain to the aliens that the Grand Canyon was created by millions of years of erosion by the Colorado river and its tributaries and also by ice and wind. Though they seem pleased with this answer, you worry that your new alien friends are more unpredictable (and a bit more violent and emotionally unstable) than you would prefer.

Back to question 10

Answer to Question # 10

• Correct. The outer core is probably liquid metal, although that is an educated guess on behalf of Earth scientists. As far as the sweet-smelling aroma is concerned, perhaps they like the smell of humans. Let’s not make them any more impatient than they already are. Speaking of Earth scientists… you just thought of something else they might be interested in knowing…

Back to question 11

Answer to Question # 11

• Yep… Mexico. Mexico has 11th largest population in the world. Though Australia has over 7 million square km of land and Mexico has less than 2 million, Mexico’s population is 5 times larger than Australia’s…. The aliens are once again very impressed with your knowledge of GIS and Earth…

Back to question 12

Answer to Question # 12

• Correct. This narrow isthmus is in the area of Panama. Your captors are pleased….for now. Perhaps if you keep answering correctly they will not find it necessary to abduct anyone else. Don’t let the pressure get to you!

Back to question 13

Answer to question # 13

• Definitely Physical map. A political map will show you borders of a country, but it will not show you where the mountains are in order to keep the alien ship from crashing into it (and taking you with them!).

Back to Question 14

You decide to go home…

• The aliens do as they promised and they take you home… they leave and as far as you know, they are never seen or heard from again. After awhile you decide you may have made a mistake. You decide to try to contact the aliens yourself, but you don’t have the technology to do so. You report your experience (in complete detail) to the authorities… unfortunately you have no proof and you are believed to be mentally unstable. You spend the rest of your life locked in an insane asylum trying to convince everyone you are not lying or crazy… There really are ALIENS!!!

On to final assignment

The beginning of a beautiful friendship

• You decide to trust your new friends… You take them to the capital. Great decision! The aliens mean business and immediately begin negotiations for a new space trade relationship. The president is so excited about this new economic opportunity that he recommends you for a National Medal. Not long after you are also nominated for and win the Nobel Peace Prize. You have become an international hero. You are appointed Ambassador to your new alien friends’ home planet. As the aliens are also thrilled with this new trade relationship, you become an hero there too! You acquire wealth beyond belief and live out your life in luxury and admiration of Earthlings everywhere.

On to Final Assignment

Final Assignment Choices

• Alien newsletter

• Alien Comic strip