World Geography U1

8/11/2019 World Geography U1

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WORLD GEOGRAPHY-The Seasons-


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Learning Goals

1) How did the Sun, Earth and Moon form?

2) Why does Earth have seasons?


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The Constellation Orion


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The Orion Nebula


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The Sun is an intensely hot star thatradiates energy in the form of light

The Sun formed from a massivemolecular cloud 4.6 billion years ago

Gas, in the form of hydrogen beganto condense and concentrate

It grew hotter and hotter until a

protostar formed

Eventually nuclear fusion kicked informing our Sun

Formation of the Sun


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The Sun is in a constant tug of war

Gravity is attempting the crush thecondensed gas

Fusion however is trying to explode

and push outward

As hydrogen atoms are forcedtogether, they are fused creatinghelium

When this occurs, photons/neutronsare released

These photons of electromagneticenergy travel to Earth in the from of

light, heat and radiation

Formation of the Sun


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As the Sun sparked to life, gas anddust continued to coalesce

Much of it was heavy, iron, minerals,and rocks

At first, Earth was comprised of hotburning rocks that was struckrepeatedly by meteorites

Over time, the Earth began to cooland solidify

A cooled crust of plates formed,floating on a bed of liquid magma

Formation of the Earth


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At the center of Earth lies its core, aball of liquid iron

As the Earth rotates, it generates amagnetic field from its iron core

This field shields Earth fromdestructive cosmic rays

It can be seen in the north as theAurora Borealis

Volcanos then emerged and leakedgas from the interior of Earth

Water vapor cooled and formedclouds


Formation of Earth
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Rain fell to Earth from the clouds andformed Oceans, lakes and rivers

From these warm water bodiesemerged Earths first life forms

Around 100 million years after Earthformed, a huge object crashed into it

A massive piece of Earth was blowninto space forming our moon

The moon also plays a critical role

It cycles Earths oceans and slows theEarths spin on its axis



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The Earth has another unique featurethat allows it to warm and sustain life

The atmosphere is a multi-band ofgas, water vapor and dust

A description usually involvestemperature, moisture/precipitationand wind

These bands are responsible forcreating weather on Earths surface

Climate and Weather


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As light passes through theatmosphere it becomes trapped

These bouncing light rays create heat

This effect can be witnessed in a caron a hot summer day

Trapped light cannot escape easily

It creates a greenhouse effect

This keeps Earths surface warm andallows for plant and animal life

Climate and Weather


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Without the greenhouse effect, Earthwould be too cold to sustain life

Not all places on Earth receive thesame amount of sunlight

As the Earth moves, it spins on acentral axis like a top

This spinning motion is calledrotation

The Earth spins from West to East

This causes the Sun to appear tomove from East to West

A complete rotation takes 24 hours

Climate and Weather


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The Earth also moves in a circularorbit around the Sun

This movement, which takes one yearto compete is called a revolution

365 and 1 quarter days in a year

Leap year takes into account the 1/4to keep everything balanced

In addition, the Earth tilts 23.5degrees to and away from the Sun

Light strikes the Earth differently atcertain distances

Climate and Weather


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The Earth tilts to the North each yearand then slowly back again to theSouth as it moves along its orbit

The maximum mark in the North is

called the Tropic of Cancer

When it reaches the southernmostpoint it is called the Tropic ofCapricorn

We call those maximums theSolstices

They occur on June and December21st of each year

Climate and Weather


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Another term that is used is Equinox

This is when the Sun appears in themiddle of trips either North of South

These points occur on March and

September 21st

In the ancient world these dates werecelebrated

June 21st is Midsummers Day

December 21st was Sol Invictus tothe Romans

March 21st were the Ides of March,

dedicated to Mars

Climate and Weather


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When the Sun is at its highest in thesky we have summer

When it is at its lowest we experience

winter

Its rise to greater highest meansSpring

Its descent means Autumn

Regions near the equator experiencevery little fluctuation in temperature

Climate and Weather


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The Sun heats the air and the water ofEarth

Warm air rises and cool air falls

Convection causes wind and oceanCurrents

Warm air flows from the equator tothe poles

Cold water flows from the poles backto the equator

The motion is the same for both airand water

Climate and Weather


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WORLD GEOGRAPHY-Climate and Weather and Biomes-


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As a people, we are obsessed withweather

News, conversations, weather isalways a big topic

People dedicate their lives tostudying weather and predictingpatterns

Weather has a mind of its own, itchanges and affects our lives

What then is weather?

Climate and Weather


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Weather is the condition of thebottom layer of the Earthsatmosphere

The atmosphere is a multi-band ofgas, water vapor and dust

A description usually involvestemperature, moisture/precipitation

and wind

Weather is erratic and constantlyshifting

Weather


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Climate is a term for weather patternsin a particular area over a long periodof time

Climate depends on altitude, latitudeand longitude, relation to nearbywater

Climate can change but changes are

small over long periods of time

Climate is what you expect, weatheris what you get

Climate and Weather


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Humidity is the amount of watervapor in the air

Precipitation is water that falls out ofthe atmosphere towards Earth

Warm air is less dense. It rises andabsorbs moisture

As the air rises it cools and

condensation occurs

When enough water condensates, itturns into a liquid and falls back toEarth

Precipitation


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There are different types ofprecipitation

One that occurs in the TropicalRegions is called Condensation

Precipitation

Humid air rises from jungles andareas of great vegetation

This then cools and falls back in theform of rain

Creates many rainstorms and greatervegetation and life

Precipitation


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Orographic Precipitation occurswhen clouds pass over highlandforms

Moist air condensates, originatingusually over the ocean

As clouds pass over land, they letforth water and rain in order to passover mountain peaks and highlands

This typically creates a lush greenregion on one side of the mountainand a dry desert on the other

Precipitation


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The last form of precipitation iscalled frontal

This occurs when two air masses ofdifferent temperature run into one

another

The warm air is forced up by the coolair creating precipitation

This kind of weather pattern is alsoresponsible for creating violentstorms such as tornados

Next we turn to Earths biomes

Precipitation


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Rain is more abundant near theequator due to convectionprecipitation

There are two large regions near theequator in particular where this takesplace

First is the Amazon Basin

Second is the Congo River Basin in

Africa

Rainforest's account for only 6% ofthe worlds surface but contain 1/2its animals

Forests


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Trees and plants slightly north andsouth of the equator developdifferently

Here, like at the equator, they keeptheir leaves year round

Vast deciduous forests form

Deciduous forests shed their leavesin preparation for winter

Before doing so they turn color

They once covered most of NorthAmerica but now only a fragmentremains

Forests


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At the northern and southernmostlatitudes coniferous trees grow

Most of these develop narrow needlesthat last year round

Many grow very slowly due to shortgrowing seasons

The final kind of forest and tree iscalled chaparral

It is essentially bush type trees thatgrow dry regions of Arizona andCanada

Forests


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Many continents are covered by vastgrasslands

Like forests, they vary greatly fromregion to region

Near the equator and the tropics theyare called Savannas

Savannas typically have three seasons

Wet, Dry, and Fire

The most renowned is the AfricanSavanna

Grasslands


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In cooler regions like North America,

grasslands appear differently

Here they go by the name of prairies

Other names are Steppes and Pampas

They differ in the types of grass dueto the amount of rainfall and soil

While these once covered greatportions of the US, few remain

Most were plowed under to createcrops

What has grown in their place is not

the same

Grasslands


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Deserts also dot the globe

Many are not the vast wastelands wethink

Gobi has snow for example

Mojave has cacti and grass

Plants, animals and life abounds inmost

Plants and animals have evolved tosurvive in the most inhospitableenvironments

Deserts


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Tundra regions exist in areas that are

cool or cold

Alpine tundras exist high in themountains where no trees grow

Small plants, grasses and wildflowersgrow in these regions as well aslichen on rocks

Trees in tundra regions have shortgrowing seasons

For certain parts of the year plantshave no light

Tundra regions have a layer ofpermafrost and soggy surfaces

Tundra


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The final biome is the Taiga

In many ways it is similar to theTundra

The Taiga is characterized by

coniferous forests

The Taiga is the worlds largest biomeand makes up 29% of the worldsforests

It is found in Canada, Russia and inArctic regions

It has very short growing seasons andtypically is very cold

Taiga


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WORLD GEOGRAPHY-Land Formations-


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PENINSULA:a large mass of land projecting into a body of water


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ISTHMUS:a narrow stretch of land connecting two larger land areas


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DELTA:a triangular area of marshland formed by deposits of silt at the mouth of a river


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STRAIT:a narrow passage of water connecting two large bodies of water


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HARBOR:a sheltered port where ships can take on or unload cargo


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MOUNTAIN RANGE:a group of connected mountains


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FJORD:a long, steep-sided glacial valley now filled by seawater


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CAPE:a point of land that extends into a river, lake, or ocean


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WORLD GEOGRAPHY-The 5 Themes-


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An easy way to understand

geography is to divide thingsinto 5 themes

They are:

Location

Place

Human/Environ.Interaction

Movement

Regions


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Location is the address of theplace, where it is located

It answers the question, Whereis it?

Location can be either relativeor absolute

Relative= Mt. St. Helens islocated in the North West of the

US

Absolute= Mt St Helens islocated at 46 degrees lat and122 degrees long

Location


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RELATIVE/ABSOLUTE


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RELATIVE/ABSOLUTE


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Place determines thecharacteristics that make alocation unique

It answers the question What isthere?

Place is divided into twocategories

Physical Characteristics=

Greece is rocky and warm

Human Characteristics=China has a lot of rice patties[man made]

Place


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Interaction defines how people andthe environment affect each other

It answers the questions How andwhy do human interact with theirenvironment

It explains how humans aredependent on the environment tosurvive and how they adapt to survive

It also explains the positive andnegative reactions to thoseadaptations and changes

Egyptians built dams to collect waterfor farms

Interaction


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Movement defines how people,goods and ideas move from placeto place

It answers the question: Howand why do people move?

An example: Many boat peoplefleeing the Vietnam War became

immigrants to the US

It explains transportation, trade,migration and connections

Movement


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Regions define the sharedhuman and physical traits thatset an area apart from others

It answers the question: Whatare the traits of a region? Whyand how did it form? How mightit change in the future?

An example: The Midwest issometimes called theBreadbasket of the US

Regions


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WORLD GEOGRAPHY-Human Geography-


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Human geography contains a wide

range of topics

Birth, marriage, migration and death

It also studies culture, a groupsbeliefs and actions that define them

Today, the Earth is home to nearly 7billion people

This is a number that is difficult to

comprehend

You had lived a million seconds whenyou were 11 days old

31.7 years to reach a billion seconds

Population


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10,000 Dollars


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One Million Dollars


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100 Million Dollars


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One Billion Dollars


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And now for fun....


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One Trillion Dollars


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In some areas, the population densityis very high

Other regions have very few to none

What factors in to why people moveto live in a certain region?

Natural objects restrict where peoplelive comfortably

More than 2/3 of Earths surface iscovered by water

Half of all land is arable and suitablefor food

Population


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As a result, people live in a small areaof land

They seek areas where food can begrown, water is plentiful and climate

is mild

People have adapted to live in manyharsh climates

They have built shelters and wornheavier/warmer clothing

At the same time, humans havedrastically altered the Earths surface

Population


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By cutting down trees, growingcrops, giving animals grazing land,building dams and roads, the Earthhas been changed

Some of these changes have notaltered Earth while others havedrastically changed it

Wherever you go, population has had

an effect

Population density has had a factor inthese changes, for good or for bad

Population


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A simple way to calculate populationdensity is to divide the total population ora region by its land

This number can at times be misleading

Egypt has a high population and area butmost of its land is inhospitable

Some geographers prefer to use a nationsarable land in order to give a moreaccurate number

Egypt has a of 177 people per squaremile measured without arable land

In terms of arable land the figure is 8,839

Population


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The densest regions of the world interms of population are in East Asia,South Asia, Europe and NorthAmerica

Many people in these regions clusteraround major metropolitan centers,such as large cities

Today, most of the population in

these regions are urbanized

Interestingly, urban populations aregrowing twice as fast as rural regions

Population


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The worlds population has increased

rapidly in the past couple centuries

Several factors have contributed

Technology, food production, health

care

The overwhelming growth rateproblem does impact poorer regions

Some have predicted that in the near

future mass famine, disease andnatural resource depletion will occur

Other contest that technology willkeep up and food production will

sustain greater populations

Population


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Growth rates across the world havebeen very uneven

This number is calculated by lookingat birthrates to death rates

This also factors in immigration andemigration

When the combined birthrate andimmigration rate equals the

emigration and death rate a region issaid to have zero population growth

This is the case in manyindustrialized nations

Population


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WORLD GEOGRAPHY-World Governments-


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Mankind started out as hunters andgatherers

Most time was spent searching outfood to survive

Most groups were very small,consisting mainly of families

As mankind discovered how to plantand grow crops, leaders were raised

Soon societies grew and systems ofgovernment were needed to keep thepeace

Government


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The world has seen many forms ofgovernment during its history

Forms of government have generallybeen categorized in three ways

Autocracy: All power is concentratedinto the hands of one person

Examples: Absolute Monarchy,Dictatorship, and Totalitarianism

Nations include: Medieval Kings/Queens and their lands, NaziGermany, Fascist Italy, Cuba andSaudi Arabia

Government


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Democracy: Government power is inthe hands of the people

This form of government typically

involves voting

Examples: Direct Democracy,Representative Democracy,Constitutional Monarchy

Nations: Ancient Greece, Rome, TheUnited States, Great Britain, France,and Germany

Government


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The final form of government can be

categorized as special interest

They involved some that you haveheard of and others that you have not

Theocracy: The rule by God or by aperson appointed by God

Examples: Medieval Europe underthe Pope

Stratocracy: Rule by military chiefs

Examples: Burma, Argentina duringthe 1970s or any nation whosemilitary seizes power

Government


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Communism or Ideological Party

During the 1700s many great thinkersspeculated on utopian societies

These societies sought to rid the worldof poverty, property, religion and insome cases marriage

They felt these evils led to war andhardship

Everyone was equal but these systemshave never been effective

Many have developed into groups thatrule, such as the USSR and China

Government


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WORLD GEOGRAPHYEconomic Systems

World Geography U1

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