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Latitude and Longitude

• Lines on globes and maps provide information

that can help you easily locate places on the earth.

• These lines—called latitude and longitude—cross one another, forming a pattern called a grid system.

Latitude

• Lines of latitude, or parallels, circle the earth parallel to the Equator and measure the distance north or south of the Equator in degrees.

90

0

• The Equator is at 0° latitude, while the Poles lie at latitudes 90°N (north) and 90°S (south).

• Degrees are the angular measurement north

or south of the equator

Longitude

• Lines of longitude, or meridians, circle the earth from Pole to Pole.

These lines measure distances east or west of the starting line, which is at 0° longitude and is called the Prime Meridian.

The Prime Meridian runs through the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, England.

Lines of longitude go 180 degrees east and

west of the prime meridian

International Date

Line: An arc that

for the most part

follows 180°

longitude,

although it deviates in several places to avoid

dividing land areas.

When you cross the International Date Line heading

east (toward America), the clock moves back 24

hours, or one entire day. When you go west (toward

Asia), the calendar moves ahead one day.

Absolute Location

• The grid system formed by lines of latitude and longitude makes it possible to find the absolute location of a place. Many places can be found along a line of latitude, but only one place can be found at the point where a certain line of latitude crosses a certain line of longitude. By using degrees and minutes (points between degrees), people can pinpoint the precise spot where one line of latitude crosses one line of longitude—an absolute location.

Degrees are divided into minutes

• 1 degree equals 60 minutes

Minutes are divided into seconds

• 1 minute equals 60 seconds

(airplanes need to land on the correct runway and bombs need to hit the right

building.)

Degrees can be turned into decimals to make them easier to work with

• 51 minutes = .85 degrees

• 30 minutes = .5 degrees

• 20 minutes = .33 degrees

Southern California Vernacular

Regions

•

•

•

•

•

The Valley

LA The West Side

South

Central

The

South

Bay

Orange

County

San

Gabriel

Valley

The High Desert

Inland

Empire East

LA

Long

Beach

The Valley

LA The West Side

South

Central

The

South

Bay

Orange

County

San

Gabriel

Valley

The High Desert

Inland

Empire

East

LA

Long

Beach

San Gabriel Valley

The Valley

The IE

LA and East LA

South Central

The West Side

Orange County

The South Bay

The High Desert

Long Beach

Southern California

Vernacular

Regions

•

•

•

•

•

There are two main branches of

geography: human geography, and

physical geography.

Human

geography: the

study of the

location of people

and human

activities across

Earth’s surface,

and of their

relationships to

one another.

Physical geography studies the natural

environment: climates, landforms, and types

of vegetation.

Physical geography studies the natural environment: climates, landforms, and types of

vegetation.

Geography vs. Geology

San Fernando Valley

Santa Monica Mtns.

Southern California

Physical Map

Inland Empire

San Gabriel Mountains

• San Gabriel Mts, San Bernardino Mts,

Santa Monica Mts., Santa Ana Mts, LA

River, San Gabriel River, Santa Ana River,

Puente Hills, Chino Hills, San Jose Hills,

San Fernando Valley, San Gabriel Valley,

Inland Empire

Chapter 1 Study Guide

Textbook webpage

http://wps.prenhall.com/esm_rubenstein_humangeo_8/

0,9140,1362726-,00.html

Geography looks at the world

from a spatial perspective,

seeking to understand the

changing spatial organization of

the earth’s surface.

• the science of location

Spatial patterns,

Fertility and education of women

inter-relationships.

(interconnections,

interdependence)

Geography is the study of Earth’s physical and

cultural landscapes,

Geography’s slogan: Where, why,

and why care.

Urban design affects crime, housing

prices etc

Tobler's First law of geography: All things are

related, but near things are more related than

far things.

Climate, ethnicity, housing prices, sports etc.

One of the most important ideas in geography is

Distance decay : the effect of distance on cultural

or spatial interactions. The distance decay effect

states that the interaction between two locales

declines as the distance between them increases.

Related terms include friction of distance: the notion

that distance usually requires some amount of effort,

money, and/or energy to overcome.

Because of this "friction," spatial interactions will tend

to take place more often over shorter distances;

quantity of interaction will decline with distance.

For example land decreases in value as distance from

the center increases

Distance decay is

graphically represented by a

curving line that swoops

concavely downward as

distance along the x-axis

increases.

Draw

Geographers try to

understand the

Human

Environmental

Interaction: how

places shape culture

and how culture

shapes places.

Geography is also considered the study of

place and space

Space or location is the where

Place: meaningful human

associations with a

location.

Human nature has a need to identify

with a place and to differentiate

ourselves through that place. Place

suggests qualities of distinctiveness

and identity with a location.

sense of place: feelings evoked among people

as a result of the experiences and memories

that they associate with a place

Flam, Norway New Orleans

Places exert a strong influence on

people’s physical wellbeing, and

their opportunities.

Living in a small town dominated by petrochemical

industries, for example, means a higher probability than

elsewhere of being exposed to air and water pollution.

Small towns have only a limited range of job

opportunities, and may have a relatively narrow range of

lifestyle options because of a lack of amenities such as

theaters, specialized stores and restaurants, and

recreational facilities.

spatial association: The concept that the

distribution of one phenomenon is

scientifically related to the location of other

phenomena