Lab D - Introduction to Geographic Tools - Atlases

LAB D - INTRODUCTION TO GEOGRAPHIC TOOLS - ATLASES Introduction Geographers use a variety of tools in their work, two of which are atlases and maps. This lab exercise will help the student to extract information from an atlas. Materials needed: atlas, ruler and pencil Atlases are one of the most valuable, yet overlooked information sources available to students. They contain a variety of maps, including: • • • • World Thematic Maps, portraying the distribution of climatic regions, raw materials, economic activities, landforms and other worldwide features Regional Maps which provide detailed reference maps for all inhabited land areas on a continent-by-continent basis Plate Tectonics Maps which focus on the landforms of the ocean floor Maps of the world’s Major Cities Completing most atlases is a set of comparative geographical tables, place index (Gazetteer) and list of sources. This lab will allow the student to become acquainted with a variety of maps and data in the atlas (Goode’s World Atlas 22nd edition). Using the atlas, answer the following questions. Note that the name in bold text corresponds to the name of the map you should locate in the atlas to help you answer the question. A. Thematic Maps (pp 18-84 22nd ed) 1. Temperature (hint: questions a-d all correspond to the same geographic region) a. Which country experiences the largest average annual temperature range? Hint: A political map may be useful. b. How many degrees of temperature range? _______°F _______°C c. What is the average January temperature for this area of largest normal annual temperature range? _______°F _______°C d. What is the average July temperature for this area of largest normal annual temperature range? _______°F _______°C e. Which general area of the world experiences the smallest average annual temperature range? D-1 2. Pressure, Winds and Seasonal Precipitation a. What is the predominant direction of the winds over the ocean at 10°N, 60°E in July? ________ in January? ________ (Hint: winds are given according to the direction they come from) b. What is the highest barometric pressure for the planet in January? _______ mb. In what region of the planet is this high pressure found? Give the continent and country. c. What is the barometric pressure in this general region in July?_______ mb. Is this relatively high or low pressure? ________ d. Given that there is high pressure in the above region in January and _____ pressure (the blank contains your answer from part ‘c’ above – put in high or low) in this region in July, make a generalized statement about the relationship between surface temperature and pressure associated with it. _______________________________ ___________________________________________________________________ e. Using the World Annual Precipitation and Ocean Current map, how much rainfall does the wettest part of the Amazon Rainforest region of South America receive each year? ________ in _______ cm 3. Ocean Currents a. Identify (give the name of) the ocean current that influences the weather of the west coast of the United States. b. Which direction does this current flow? c. What is the relative (warm or cold) temperature of this current? 4. Natural Vegetation, Soils, and Terrestrial Biomes a. Name two types of natural vegetation found in the central states of the United States. b. Which continent has the most Entisols [soil order (taxonomy) map]? c. Which major soil order (e.g. Aridisols) dominates the tropical regions of Africa and South America? _____________ Describe their suitability for agriculture. d. Mollisols are the dominant soil order of the Midwestern United States. Describe their suitability for agriculture. D-2 e. What two terrestrial biomes are dominant in Alaska? 5. Minerals and Energy a. Which country is the world’s leading producer of the precious metal - gold? b. What is the name of the leading copper producing location in the United States? c. Which country leads in hydroelectric capability? d. Which country in Asia is producing hydroelectric power at greater than 50% of its capability? 6. Demographics a. Name two countries with a population density exceeding 1,250 people per square mile? b. What is the estimated population for the United States in 2050? c. Of China, India, U.S., Russia or Japan, which country has the oldest population? d. Of the world’s 10 largest countries, which three have the highest literacy rates? e. Of the world’s 10 largest countries, which country has the highest birth rate per 1,000 population? f. Which continent has the greatest prevalence of tuberculosis? B. Regional Maps (pp 85-288 22nd ed) 1. Identify three types of natural hazards that affect the state of Louisiana. 2. What landform dominates the state of Florida? 3. Average annual solar radiation is lowest in which parts of the United States? 4. Which state in the U.S. has the highest average annual wind speed? 5. Identify three types of natural hazards that affect the west coast of South America? D-3 6. Has Britain ever experienced earthquake activity (natural hazard)? 7. What are the two dominant forms of vegetation in the British Isles? 8. What is the dominant type of energy producing plant in Italy? 9. Where is the rice production area in Europe? 10. How many tropical storm tracks approach or strike the Japanese islands each year? 11. During which season does Perth, Australia receive most of its precipitation? 12. Identify the dominant mineral resource on the island of Madagascar? C. World Information Tables and Comparisons (pp 289-300 22nd ed) 1. Lake Superior is the largest fresh water lake (surface area) in the world. How many square miles does it occupy? ___________sq. mi. 2. Mt. Whitney, CA is the highest elevation in the “contiguous” United States west of the Mississippi. What is its elevation? ____________ Mt. Mitchell is the highest peak (6,684 ft.) east of the Mississippi? In which state is it located? _________________ 3. What is the world’s longest river? ____________________________________ 4. Where is the lowest elevation on the Earth’s land surface? ______________________ D-4