It may also be helpful to have access to a world globe that has up to date names and locations. You can also find world maps online, including 3D maps and maps where you can click to zoom in and get a closer look at certain locations or areas. [1] X Research source [2] X Research source
Regions: You should know the different regions on the Earth as well as how these regions form and change over time. Location: You will need to be aware of where people and places are located on the Earth’s surface. Place: You will need to note the physical and human characteristics that distinguish one place from another as well as what makes a place special or unique. Relationships within places: You should be aware of how human interaction shapes the characteristics of the people and the environment. Movement: You will need to know how movement on the Earth, from people to products to information, affects the characteristics of places.
You may want to look at 3-D reenactments of Pangea, where geologists have shown how the world was broken into different regions over time through continental drift. [4] X Research source You should also consider how the regions of the world are broken into continents. You may want to look at the official list of cities in each region of the world to get a better sense of each region. [5] X Research source
The equator divides the Northern Hemisphere from the Southern Hemisphere and has a latitude of 0°. The prime meridian has a longitude of 0° and runs through Greenwich, England. Latitude and longitude is mapped out using the grid system, with latitude indicating a place’s location on a horizontal axis and longitude noting a place’s location on a vertical axis. There are also directions assigned to each number based on their location in the world, such as north, south, east, or west. Being aware of how to identify a place’s global address will allow you to get a better sense of where it is exactly in the world and find it easily on a map. For example, you may note that your hometown of San Juan in Puerto Rico is at a latitude of 18° 27’ N and a longitude of 66° 6’ W. You may also note that your new home in New York City, NY is at 40° 42’ N / 74° 0’ W. You can then use this information to determine how much distance you and your family traveled on a map from your old home to your new home.
You may want to use 2 areas as an example and work through the differences between the 2 areas. You can use your hometown and a neighboring town or a town that is on the opposite side of the globe. Consider the climate and the landscape of each location. You should also think about the language spoken by the people who live in each location and how they interact with their environment. For example, maybe you contrast your hometown of San Juan to your new home in New York City. The climate of San Juan is tropical, so it is usually humid and wet, with little to no dry season. In contrast, New York City is a subtropical climate but it is prone to freezing and snow in the winter months. San Juan is within a tropical rainforest, with a landscape of wetlands, but it is also located on the north coast and considered the country’s most important sea port. New York City is a port city as well but it is densely populated and urban, with only a few major green spaces.
The Panama Canal, for example, was built across a narrow strip of land in Central America. It was built as a shipping lane between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. This was done because it made it easier to move goods back and forth between South America and other areas of the world. The Canal also shifted the environment of that area and affected the geography of that region.
A map made by a European cartographer, for example, may always feature Europe prominently and place other regions as secondary. Many of the maps used in schools show the Eurocentric map, but scholars have started to flip around these maps to show how we can view the world map in different ways. An upside down Eurocentric map will show the East as the top of the map, with China, Indonesia, and Australia in the center of the map. [8] X Research source You may also want to look at maps that showcase or highlight different areas of the world based on certain guidelines or distinctions. For example, a map may show where people live based on their economic status, or the major shipping routes during the colonial era. [9] X Research source Note that an atlas is a collection of maps. You may want to compare an old atlas and a new atlas to see how the maps have changed over time.
You’ll also get to see photos of the area and learn about what makes it uniques, such as the types of food native to the area or commonly celebrated holidays that may be different from your own.
You may also walk around your home or school and use your eyes to help you map out the space. This can also be a good excuse to take a walk around your neighborhood and make a map of the area through moving through the area. You may notice details you do not usually pay attention to and get a better sense of the geography of your neighborhood.
You can also extend this game to identifying locations on a map based on cardinal direction. For example, maybe you note that your hometown of San Juan is on the north coast of Puerto Rico and east of the equator.
You may also get a better sense of how events can be tied to geography. For example, an earthquake may occur in a region that is located on a fault line. Or a hurricane may go through a tropical area due to its location in the ocean.
One popular mapping game is Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?[10] X Research source You can find a list of mapping games for kids through the BBC at: http://www. bbc. co. uk/schools/websites/4_11/site/geography. shtml.
A list of geography tests and quizzes can be found online. [11] X Research source
If you are home schooled, you can access online tools to help you achieve a more well rounded study of geography. Work with your parents or guardians to integrate geography into your home school studies.
