Grade 9 Geography Exam Review Essay

Geography Exam Review Grade 9 1) Unit 1- Introduction to Geography a) What is Geography? * Geography is the study of the Earth’s physical and human systems/features and the relationships among them. * Physical Features: rivers, mountains, etc. * Human Features: buildings, cities, etc. b) The Five Themes of Geography * Location (Absolute and Relative) * Absolute and relative locations are 2 ways of describing the positions of the Earth’s physical and cultural features. * Ex: Mogadishu, Somalia, is at 2 degrees north latitude, 45 degrees east longitude. * Place (Physical and Human Characteristics) * All places on Earth have special features that distinguish them from other places. * Ex: Lake Baikal is 25 million years old, more than one mile wide, and contains 1/5 of the Earth’s fresh water. * Human-Environment Interactions (Relationships Within Places) * People interact with their environment and change them in different ways. * Ex: 90% of America’s garbage is buried in landfill sites, the cheapest option to waste disposal. * Movement (Mobility of People, Goods, and Ideas) * How things move from one place to another (information, objects, people) * Ex: AIDS is believed to have started in equatorial Africa. It has been transmitted to other parts of the world via tourists, immigrants, and military personnel. * Regions (How They Form and Change) * Regions are areas on the surface of the Earth that are defined by certain unifying characteristics. * Ex: Mexico and Germany are subdivided into states; Canada and France call their subdivisions provinces. c) Mapping * What is a Map? * A map is a representation of the Earth’s features drawn on a flat surface. * Types of Maps * General Purpose Map * Provides many types of information on one map. * Ex: Water, roads, railways, lines, parks. * Thematic Maps * Shows specific information about one particular topic. * Ex: Canada’s populations, Canada’s wonderland. * Topographic Maps * Shows a variety of features of land. * Ex: Mountains, rivers, landforms. * Large Scale Maps * Shows a large amount of detail of a small area. * Ex: Cities, towns, residential communities. * Small Scale Maps * Shows a small amount of detail of a large area. * Ex: Countries, continents. * Map Requirements (BOLTSS) * B= Border * To keep map within boundaries * O= Orientation * Shows direction * L= Legend * So people know what colours/symbols mean * T= Title * What your map shows * S= Scale * Shows distance on a map compared to real life distances * S= Source * To show where info is from