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World Map Individual countries

#1 The World in Spatial Terms

LocationWhere is it? Why is it there?

Two Types of LocationAbsolute

Relative

Hudson Bend Middle School15600 Lariat Trail Austin, TX

78734

Latitude: 30.39137 Longitude: 97.935225

30 N, 97W

Absolute Location

Absolute = Exactly, Specific, Global AddressWhat people need to tell exactly where they

are.Specific Place – where are you specifically right now?

Latitude and Longitude (the global address)Latitude Lines run East to West ……Measure N to SLongitude Lines run North to South….Measure E to W

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Relative Location

Where a place is, in relation to another place.Use words to describe

North, South, East West

Austin is NORTH of San Antonio.Texas is SOUTH of Arkansas.

# 2 Places & Regions

Place = Features & Characteristics that give an area its OWN identity

Physical Characteristics - Landforms, climate, plants, animals

Human Characteristics – Language, Religion, Music, Politics, a way of life

Region = A grouping of Places

Human Characteristics

PeopleCulture

Language, Religion, Customs

Buildings & LandmarksCities

Austin, Texas Human Characteristics

Artic Circle12

The Arctic Circle is an imaginary line that marks the latitude above which the sun does not set on the day of the summer solstice (usually 21 June) and does not rise on the day of the winter solstice (usually 21 December). North of this latitude, periods of continuous daylight or night last up to six months at the North Pole.

Antarctic Circle 13

Antarctic Circle, imaginary circle on the surface of the earth at

66 1/2°S latitude.

It marks the southernmost point at which the sun can be seen at the winter solstice (about June 22) and the northernmost point of the southern polar regions at which the midnight sun is visible

Marguerite Bay

Tropic of Cancer & Capricorn14

Three of the most significant imaginary lines running across the surface of the earth are the equator, the Tropic of Cancer, and the Tropic of Capricorn.

While the equator is the longest line of latitude on the earth (the line where the earth is widest in an east-west direction), the tropics are based on the sun's position in relation to the earth at two points of the year. (about.com)

The sun is directly overhead at noon on the Tropic of Cancer on June 21 (the beginning of summer in the Northern Hemisphere and the beginning of winter in the Southern Hemisphere)

The sun is directly overhead at noon on the Tropic of Capricorn on December 21 (the beginning of winter in the Northern Hemisphere and the beginning of summer in the Southern Hemisphere).

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Longitude

The starting point for determining Longitude is the

Prime Meridian 0 0.

Does the earth have East and West Poles?

Through an international agreement Greenwich, England was chosen as a

place for all longitude lines to be measured.

Two Equal Parts = East or West of the Prime Meridian

Latitude

The starting point for measuring Latitude is the Equator.

The equator divides the earth into Two Equal Parts =

North Latitude and the South Latitude

What is 0o (zero degrees)?

North Pole the South Pole