Geography Exam Guide
Geography Exam Guide
Geography Exam Guide
Capital cities:
Alberta
Edmonton
British Columbia
Victoria
Manitoba
Winnipeg
New Brunswick
Fredericton
St. Johns
Yellowknife
Nova Scotia
Halifax
TERRITORY Nunavut
Iqaluit
Ontario
Toronto
Charlottetown
Quebec
Quebec City
Saskatchewan
Regina
Whitehorse
H S
O M
M H
E E
S O
What is Geography?
Geography is the subject that describes the earths surface, its physical features,
climate, vegetation, soils and role in the solar system. Simply, geography is the
study of land and its people
Thematic Maps: Are used to display very specific information about a place.
Topography Maps: They use symbols to show a variety of landscape features,
such as mountains. Very important for military use
MAKING MAPS (CARTOGRAPHY):
Title: Identifies the area shown on map, topic, explains maps purpose.
Direction: Represented by north arrow, compass, symbol
Scale: Compares distance between points on the map with actual distance
between those points on earths surface.
Legend: Explains meaning of symbols/colours used on the map.
Grid: Lines on a map that help us find and describe location
Date of Publication: Tells the reader if the map information is recent of old
Border: Sets the map apart from other information.
LABELS:
Grid systems
Hemispheres: There are 2 hemispheres the Ecuador and the Prime
Meridian. The Ecuador divides and separates the globe into two halves;
northern and southern. Prime Meridian divides and separates the globe into two
other halves; eastern and western hemispheres.
Latitude and longitude: Latitude tells you whether you're north or
south of the Ecuador. **ALWAYS STATED FIRST**. Longitude tells you
whether you are east or west of the Prime Meridian.
Time Zones
The earth rotates east to west. When going to left <--- you subtract and
when going to right you add --->. Lines of longitude deal with time zones. The
International Date Line is located at 180 longitude.
Time zones in Canada: There are 6 times zones in Canada. Pacific
Time, Mountain Time, Central Time, Eastern Time, Atlantic Time,
Newfoundland Time (only hr) .
Scales
3 types of Scales: The 3 types of scales are the Direct Statement scale,
Line scale, and Representative Fraction scale. The direct statement scale uses
words to describe the relationship between distance on a map and a specific
distance on earths surface (i.e. 1 cm = 10 km). The linear scale is a special
kind of ruler that is divided into units of distance. The Representative Fraction
scale is given as a ratio using the same unit of measurement (i.e. 1:50'000)
*1km = 100'000cm* cm to km = / by 100'000 AND km-->cm= x by 100'000
UNIT 2:
J. Tuzo Wilson what did his theory claim: His theory claimed that
the earth consists of about 20 plates made up of both continental and oceanic
crust. Tectonic plates are floating over a layer of hot rock several hundred
kilometers below Earth's surface. Convection currents caused by unequal
distribution of heat within the Earth's core makes the plates move. The
movement of plates are:
Convergent Boundary - Collide / Crash
Subduction Zone - going under/below
Transform Boundary - Sliding
Divergent Boundary - separating / pulling apart.
Geologic time is the history of Earth from its formation to the present.
Era: Major divisions of geologic time
Precambrian era is 90 % of the entire history of earth. It first began
4600 million years ago and ended 570 million years ago. Major geological
events are the formation of Earth. Glaciation occurs. Major biological events
are the first multi called organisms and first single called organisms
Paleozoic Era is the first of the 3 geologic eras in the most recent 10%
of Earth's history. It began 570 million years ago and ended 245 million years
ago. Major biological events are periods when large areas of North America are
covered by shallow seas, and Appalachian Mountains are formed. Major
Biological Events are first insects appear, large swamps-coal form from this
vegetation, and first plants and animals on land.
Mesozoic era is the second of the 3 geologic eras in most recent 10% of
Earth's history. It began 245 million years ago and ended 66 million years ago.
Major geological events are the formation of Rocky Mountain, and shallow
seas represent in the interior of North America at various times. Major
Biological events are the age of reptiles such as dinosaurs, first flowering
plants, first birds and mammals, and more warm climates-- no glaciers.
Cenozoic era is the last of the three geologic eras in most recent 10% of
Earth's history. It began 66 years ago million years ago and its still ongoing.
Major geological events are ice sheets cover much of North America,
continents take on their present shape, and formation of Rocky Mountains is
completed. Major biological events are age of mammals, human beings
developed, and moderns forms of life evolve.
Landform Regions of Canada
Canada has seven landform regions and they are: Innuitian Mountains,
Hudson Bay- Arctic Lowlands, Western Cordillera, Interior Plains, Canadian
Shield, Great Lakes- St. Lawrence Lowlands, and Appalachians.
UNIT 2.2:
LOWERN stands for latitude, ocean currents, winds & air mass,
elevation, relief and nearness to water.
Latitude affects the climate because, since the earth is circular its harder
for the suns energy to concentrate in places further away from the equator,
causing the Earth's energy to have to spread out over the curve of the earth.
**north + south of equator tempt. gets colder**
Ocean currents affect our climate because depending on whether if it's a
warm or cool current the air passing over it will change. Warm currents raise
tempt. of the air that pass over it therefore raising tempt. of a nearby land, and
cold currents do the opposite (lower tempt.).
Winds and air mass affect climate because air moves along the surface
of Earth from high pressure areas to low pressure areas. The moving of this air
causes winds. High and low pressure belts around the earth have created a
well-stablished pattern of prevailing winds. In Canada prevailing winds blow
from **west to east** and therefor are called Westerlies. The type of weather
conditions an air mass brings depends how much how warm or cold and dry or
moist the air mass is to begin with. The polar jet stream is what separates the
cold/dry air between the warm/moist air.
Elevation this affects our climate because the higher you go the colder it
gets. To calculate this you first do (condensation begins)/100*1 (ans1) then you
subtract (mountain top) (where condensation begins) the answer of that (call
it (ans2) you do (ans2)/100*0.6 the answer of that (call it (ans3)), and finally
sea level ((ans1) + (ans2)). If there is no condensation u skip 2nd step.
Relief affects our climate relief affects our climate because Mountain
There are 7 Natural vegetation regions in Canada amd the are the
and spruce. They are cone bearing trees with thin needle-type leaves. The
needles contain a material that acts as an anti-freeze during the long cold
winters of the North. Also, they can survive the winter because of thick banks
that can hold moisture. They are found were soils are thin and rocky, further
north in Canada, out south of the tree line.
Water