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GEOGRAPHY and CONTINENTS

Geography & Continents

GEOGRAPHY
Geographia (Greek origins) Geo (earth) + graphein (to describe or write) To write or describe the surface of the earth The study of the spatial arrangement and association among elements on and/or in contact with the earths surface. Geography means writing about or describing the earth. Geographers use technological tools such as sonar, satellites, and the global positioning system (GPS) to study locations on the earths surface. Growing in importance are graphic information systems (GIS), which use computer technology to analyze and display data about the earths surface to solve geographic problems. Geographic concepts help organize the way people think about geography.

GEOGRAPHY and CONTINENTS

Three main components of Geography at Brock


Human Geography Human Geography is concerned with (a) understanding the human world and its interaction with physical, built, and symbolic landscapes and (b) using this knowledge to work towards more equitable societies. Sites of human activity are critically examined at various scales: local, regional, and global. We offer several courses in each of these areas, as well as several courses that integrate the cultural, social, and economic realms in examinations of urban and planning issues, community development, gender relations, producer services, development initiatives, historical geography, resource management, and regional studies. We also offer a range of methodology and field courses that provide students with the skills necessary for conducting primary research and gaining a better appreciation of the centrality of geography to understanding human life.

Physical Geography
Physical Geography is the study of the Earths surface features and processes. It aims to explain the geographic pattern of landforms, soils, water, vegetation, and climate by understanding the processes operating at the surface of the earth, and how these processes interact, affect and complement human activities. Physical Geography at Brock emphasizes the field-based nature of the discipline. Students are exposed to a wide range of geographic studies including geomorphology, glacial studies, climatology, meteorology, biogeography, and environmental studies. The study of Geography can roughly be divided into two broad, and sometimes overlapping, branches. Human (Cultural) and Physical Geography often use the same geographic skills and standards in their fields. They both can look at geography from the definition of what is where, why there, and why care? Physical geography is the stage upon which human activity takes place. The physical elements are the parts of the geography that humans saw when they first came to a place. We hear about these elements every day when we hear or read the news. We talk about them whenever we are out camping or hiking. We say The hill is too steep to climb or The flat plains are boring. The news tells us that there has been a flood in one place, an earthquake in another and a hurricane somewhere else. The physical elements include: Landforms mountains, plateaus, and plains. Vegetation trees, grasses, and other plants. Soil that covers the landforms and provides a place for the vegetation to grow. Kinds of rock found in various places. Earths movements, such as earthquakes and volcanoes The bodies of water that provide people and plants with moisture. Climate The ice ages have been part of our physical geography.

GEOGRAPHY and CONTINENTS


The temperatures, the rain, snow, and hail Blizzards, tornadoes, hurricanes, tidal waves, sandstorms, and monsoons Physical geography is very important when people first come to an area because the physical elements often determine: Where we will live How many of us can live in one place What kinds of food we will eat What kinds of homes we will build What we will wear. Physical geography was extremely important to the First Nations people in the Americas. First Nations people learned to adapt and use the physical elements, wasting as little as possible. Early Europeans were often looking for physical geography that reminded them of home. When they couldnt find places that looked like home, they often thought that the new land they saw was useless or had no value. In an earlier time, the physical geography of an area often determined how people would make a living and whether they could travel very easily. Historians often say that peoples lives were very much influenced by geography. Geography here means "physical geography."

Geomatics
Geomatics includes scientific and technological activities which integrate various fields, including cartography, remote sensing, and geographical information systems (GIS), for the collection, analysis, and management of spatially referenced data. A number of geomatics courses are available at Brock, and students with a special interest have the option of pursuing an innovative degree program (the Concentration in Geomatics) that combines university courses with courses taught in a postgraduate program at Niagara College. Equipped with these skills, students are well positioned to meet the growing demand for professionals who combine a geographic education with strong geomatics skills.

The Five Themes of Geography


Geography is more than memorizing names and places. Geographers organize space in much the same way that historians organize time. To help organize space, geographers are concerned with asking three important questions about things in the world: Where is it? Why is it there? What are the consequences of its being there?

GEOGRAPHY and CONTINENTS


The five themes of geography help answer these questions: Location : Where is it located? Place : What's it like there? Human/Environment Interaction : What is the relationship between humans and their environment Movement : How and why are places connected with one another? Regions : How and why is one area similar to another?

No one theme can be understood without the others. The themes are connected with one another, as are all components of our world. No part of our world can be understood in isolation. I. Location: Position on Earth's Surface Absolute and relative locations are two ways of describing the positions and distribution of people and places on the earth's surface. Absolute location answers the questions: Where is it? Absolute location is nothing more than a simple dot--often identified as a grid coordinate on the surface of the earth. Latitude and longitude can be used to pinpoint a location. For example, the absolute location of New Orleans, Louisiana, is 30 degrees north, 90 degrees west. Finding absolute location is the starting point for geographic research. Relative location is the relationship of a place to other places. For example, New Orleans is located at the place where the Mississippi River empties into the Gulf of Mexico, which gives it easy access to ocean and river shipping. Your home has a relative location. Where is it located in relation to schools, stores, and convenient transportation? Location is only one piece of the framework of geography, yet it is an important theme because it helps us know and express where things are. Discuss answers to these questions about your location: II. What are the latitude and longitude coordinates of your absolute location. What is your relative location and the relationship of your location to other locations? How does the importance of your location change over time?

Place: Physical and Human Characteristics

The theme of place addresses this question: What's it like there? This theme considers the characteristics that make one place different from all other places on earth. Geographers describe a place by two kinds of characteristics; physical and human.

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The physical characteristics of a place make up its natural environment and are derived from geological, hydrological, atmospheric, and biological processes. They include land forms, bodies of water, climate, soils, natural vegetation, and animal life. The human characteristics of a place come from human ideas and actions. They include bridges houses, and parks. Human characteristics of place also include land use, density of population, language patterns, religion, architecture, and political systems. The theme of place helps flesh out information about location. Taken together, the themes of location and place provide a basis for observation in geography. These themes can be used to help answer the first two questions of geography: Where is it? and Why is it there? With a sense of physical and human place, we can read the landscape around us and make observations about what we see. we'll explore more about physical and human places when we look at the theme of region. Discuss answers to these questions about your place: How would you describe where you live physically? Is your place flat or hilly, hot or cold, wet or dry? What natural resources are found there? What are some of the human characteristics that describe your place? For example, what types of houses are there? Are patterns of land use different from those in other parts of the country? What types of industry are found, and how might they be different from industries in other parts of the country?

III.

Human/Environment Interaction: Shaping the Landscape

The physical and human characteristics of a place provide keys to understanding the interrelationships between people and their environments. This geographic theme addresses this question: What is the relationship between humans and the environment? Three key concepts underlie human/environment relationships: Humans depend on the environment: The natural environment is made up of living things and non living things. Humans depend on the natural environment for their basic needs; food, shelter, and clothing. Humans modify the environment: People modify the natural environment to meet their needs. For example, they build dams, plow and irrigate fields, and dig mines. They build houses, schools, and shopping centers on land. Humans adapt to the environment: Humans have settled in virtually every corner of the world by successfully adapting to various natural settings. For example, people who live in the northeastern United States use heating units to keep their homes warm in winter People in the southern part of the country use conditioning much of the year to stay cool in the heat. The ways people choose to adapt to their settings reflect their economic and political circumstances and their technological abilities. Studying geography furthers appreciation of our natural environment and of our cultural differences.

GEOGRAPHY and CONTINENTS


Discuss answers to these questions about the human/environment interaction where you live: What examples of human/environment interaction do you see in your area? Do you see evidence of exploited resources? Do you see changes in the landscape in animal habitats? Are there changes in the air, water, and soil? IV. Movement: Humans Interacting on the Earth

The theme movement addresses this question: How and why are places connected with one another? Relationships between people in different places are shaped by the constant movement of people, ideas, materials, and physical systems such as wind. Our world is in constant motion, constantly changing. Like blood flowing through our bodies, movement brings life to a place. Discuss answers to these questions about movement where you live: V. What examples of movement of people, goods, or ideas do you see in your area? Has immigration had an impact on your area? If so, what has happened? What are the transportation routes in your area?

Regions: How they Form and Change

A region is a basic unit of geographic study. It is defined as an area that has unifying characteristics. The study of regions helps us answer these questions: How and why is one area similar to another? How do the areas differ? Most regions differ significantly from adjoining areas. Some regions are distinguished by physical characteristics. Physical characteristics include land forms, climate, soil, and natural vegetation. For example, the peaks and valleys of the Rocky Mountains form a physical region. Some regions are distinguished by human characteristics. These may include economic, social, political, and cultural characteristics. The highly urbanized Northeast Corridor between Boston and Washington, D.C. can be considered a human region. Other regions are combinations of physical and human characteristics, for example, the South, Scandinavia, and the Midwest. Boundaries between regions can be vague. Regions are generally thought of as large areas, such as the Corn Belt in the Midwestern United States or sub-Saharan Africa. Overhead transparencies will help the teacher demonstrate that a region can be as small as a classroom learning center, a neighborhood, an industrial park, or a recreational area. Discuss answers to these questions about regions where you live: How many different regions can you identify within your area? How many larger regions does your area belong to?

GEOGRAPHY and CONTINENTS

Seven Continents
Continents make up the largest landmasses on the planet earth. A continent is larger than an island and is usually made up of multiple countries. There are seven continents in the world although some people do combine Europe and Asia into the single continent Eurasia and others combine North and South America into the American continent. 1. North America 2. South America 3. Europe 4. Asia 5. Africa 6. Australia 7. Antarctic

North America
The North American continent includes the Latin American regions that serve as a connection between North and South America. North America makes up about 17 percent of the worlds landmass and is home to about 8 percent of the people. This population of about 529 million people live in about 23 independent countries. The earliest human inhabitants in North America were from Asia and crossed into Alaska over the Bering land bridge during an ice age. The arrival of Europeans occurred in the mid 1600s. This population is now dominant in North America.

South America
The South American continent is the southern portion of the larger American continent. The equator passes through the continent yielding a tropical climate to much of the landmass with temperate conditions possible in the south. The indigenous people of South America may have migrated south from North America although the majority of its current 371 million residents are of European descent. The population bases are largely along the Pacific and Atlantic coasts with large portions of the inland regions hosting small and widely spread populations. South America includes the Andes Mountains which comprise the longest range of peaks in the world. The continent is home to llamas and alpacas that originally were wild but became domesticated nearly 5,000 years ago. Colonization efforts by Spanish and Portuguese explorers ultimately lead to the prevalence of those languages on the South American continent.

Europe
The western portion of the Eurasian continent is known as Europe. It is noted as one of the smallest of the continents, with 7 percent of the worlds landmass. However, Europe is home to about 11% of Earths population, and is the second most densely populated continent, with 134 people per square mile, behind Asias 203 people per square mile. Europe, by definition, includes the continental mainland ending in the east at the Ural Mountains

GEOGRAPHY and CONTINENTS


in Russia. Europe also includes islands such as Iceland and Sicily, and the islands of the British Isles. The British Isles consist of the large island that is home to England, Scotland, and Wales, and is called Great Britain; the British Isles also include the small island that contains Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, and several much smaller surrounding islands. People have been living in Europe for about 100,000 years. Around 2000 B.C., Indo-European settlers came and brought the language that most modern European languages are descended from. The ancient Greek and Roman civilizations flourished there, from which we get much of our learning and culture. In the 5th and 6th centuries, the Germanic tribes swept over most of Europe, and their descendants shaped the modern countries of Scandinavia, and west and central Europe. By this time the Roman Empire had become Christian, and eventually all of Europe became Christian, for reasons of both faith and economics. Many diverse and interesting elements went into shaping the Europe that we know today.

Asia
Asia covers nearly 9 percent of the earths surface making it the largest of the continents. It is also the home to the most people with an estimated population of 4.3 billion. Asia is defined as the eastern portion of the Eurasia continent with the Ural river and mountains serving as the dividing line with Europe. Asia contains some of the oldest civilizations in the world including the Chinese and Japanese nations. The continents large population makes it an important part of the world economy. Asia includes the Saudi Arabia peninsula with the oil rich countries including the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait. The continent also includes the manufacturing centers of India and Japan and Hong Kong, which is a leading banking and corporate headquarter center. Africa While Africa is first alphabetically, it is second as far as population and size among the Earths continents. About 1 billion people live in the 54 countries in Africa. This is about 15 percent of the worlds population living on 20 percent of the total land area. The equator passes through the center of the continent with largely tropical climates. The northern and southern portion of Africa has more temperate conditions. Africa is also noted as the birthplace of mankind. The oldest fossil evidence of Homo sapiens was found in the eastern part of the continent.

Australia
The continent of Australia includes the mainland of the country Australia and the island nations of New Guinea, Tasmania and Seram. During ice ages, when much of the worlds water was frozen in glaciers, the Australian mainland was connected by land bridges to these islands. Australia has a wide variety of animals and plants many of which are unique in the world. The continent first was inhabited by man nearly 45,000 years ago. European inhabitants came onto the Australian landmass in the 1700s. Australia is the most isolated and remote of the continents and has been least influenced by migrations of people, plants and animals.

Antarctica
Antarctica holds a number of firsts among the continents of Earth. The continent is the most southern of the seven continents and includes the South Pole. It is also the least populated with less than 5,000 residents. Antarctica is known as the coldest landmass and has few native plants or animals. Much of the landmass is covered with permanent glaciers.

GEOGRAPHY and CONTINENTS

10 Most Popular Destinations

10. Mexico

9. Malaysia

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8. Germany

7. Turkey

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6. United Kingdom

5. Italy
Italy an important tourist destination in Europe is a favorite with honeymooners and all romantic souls. Vacations to Italy are an invitation to spend ones time indulging in the senses is it eating delicious Italian pasta or drinking some of the best Italian wine, seeing Italian art or simply breathing in the scented air of the country.

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4. Spain
Spain is the second most visited country in the world with more than 50 million tourists visiting it annually. A tour of Spain would include a visit to its famous cities Barcelona and Madrid. Apart from sampling some ethnic Spanish food and wine one can see some of the most beautiful architectural designs on the buildings of Spain.

3. China
China has grown as a top tourist spot as the people of the country and their unique culture attract people from far and wide. The impressive Great Wall of China and the tasty food of the country make every China holiday well worth the time.

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2. United States
USA is a top destination for tourists. Holidays in USA are an experience in diversity as the country is diverse in its weather conditions, the composition of the population and the topography. This diversity has led to people defining USA in their own terms and one can see the states of USA having a distinct identity

1. France
France is the most visited country by tourists as the country is rich in culture and has some of the finest places to see. Villas in France, the French wine and weather make a fantastic reason to see the country.

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