Summary ESCI 1010 Chapter 1 Review

Chapter 1

 The science of geography
o Geography- from geo “earth” and graphien “to write”
o Geography is
 A method rather than a body of knowledge
 Holistic and integrative
 A spatial science
 Geography
o A science that studies the relationships among
 Natural systems
 Geographic areas
 Society
 Cultural activities
 And the interdependence of all these
 Over space
 Science
 Scientific method
o Be aware that we are taking scientific measure
 Latitudinal Geographic Zones
 Latitude
o Angular distance north or south of the equator as measured from the
center of the earth
 Longitude
o Angular distance east or west of a point on the Earth’s surface
 Maps, Scales, and Projections
o Map- a generalized view of an area, as seen from above and reduced in
size
o Scale- ration of map units to ground units
o Projection- process of transforming spherical Earth to a flat map
 Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
o Combine spatial and attribute data
o Maps can contain multiple data layers
 Physical features
 Cultural features
 A means of visualizing
o Spatially
 What is the impacted area and how are its boundaries defined?
 What are the characteristics of the impacted area and the
region?
 Quantify visually the assets, infrastructure, exposure, and
vulnerability of a plane