Geography - Unit 1

Insolation

The measure of sunlight

Temperature, air pressure, Ocean currents,

What does insolation effect?

Albedo

Measurement of the reflection of potentially receivable insolation off a surface

Reflection

Potentially receivable insolation is sent back inro space or trophosphere

Reradiation

Earth absorbs short-wave energy and releases it back into the atmosphere in the form of long-wave radiation

Lapse Rate

Rate of changing in temperature with altitude overaging

Temperature inversion

When rapid reradiation causes the earth’s surface than at the surface itself (“

Valley Breeze

Warm air moves up slopes into mountain regions

Convectional Precipitation

Rising, heated moisture-laden air

Orographic Semester

Warm, moist air forced up a mountain where it cools and condenses at higher altitudes

Latitude, altitude

How is climate largely influenced by

Temperature, precipitation

How is climate typically classified by

Koppen-Geiger System of Climate Classification

Five main climate groups: Tropical, dry, temperate, continental, polar

Cumulus

• Fair weather

• Cotton ball-like in appearance

• “Stereotypical” clouds

Cumulonimbus Clouds

• Massive collection of cumulus clouds

• Can produce very strong storms

Stratus Clouds

• Associated with warm fronts

• Produce long, drawn-out periods of light precipitation

Cirrus Clouds

• High altitude

• Generally indicate fair weather

• Feathery-like

Lenticular Clouds

• Form as a result of orographic cooling

• Horizontally moving air hits a mountain

El Nino

• SE USA receives above normal rainfall

• Austrailia and Indonesia will recieve less rainfall

La nina

• Atmosphere cools in response to cool ocean surface (less water evaporates)

• Less precipitation than normal in areas that get more rainfall during El Ninos

Relative Location

Why has Europe been so successful over the years

Urban tradition, infrastructure, language, deforestation, local functional specialization

Legacy of the Roman Empire

Germany, France, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, Austria

7 Mainland Core Countries (Western Europe)

France

• Oldest country in Europe

• Economy dominated by new high-tech industry

Periphery

the outer limits or edge of an area or object

Switzerland, Austria

The two “Alpine States”

Austria

Monolingual, wide range of domestic raw material

Primate city

A country’s disproportionately largest city

Sweden, Norway, Finland, Estonia, Denmark, Iceland

Northern European countries (Nordic)

Sweden

• Largest country in the nordic region

• Moving from exporting raw goods to exporting finished goods

• Major reserves found in the North (Kiruna) mine

Norway

• Fjord

• Good connection to the sea (offshore fishing, fish farming)

• Abundant oil/natural gas

• Very low unemployment

Fjord

Long, narrow deep inlet of the sea between high cliffs, as in Norway and Iceland, typically formed by submergence of a glaciated valley.

Finland

• Almost as big as Germany in land size (far smaller population)

  • Capital city: Helsinki

Estonia

• Language is closely related to Finnish

• 25% of population is Russian

• Economically strong during Soviet era, faced economic hardships after 1991. Joining the EU in 2004 improved their economy.

Iceland

• Population almost entirely urban

• Economy based on the sea

  • Uses Geothermal energy resources

Denmark

6 million people… ranked 2nd in population behind Sweden in Nordic area

Mild, moist climate

Entrepot

A place, usually a port city, where goods are imported, stored, and transhipped

Break of Bulk

Point where goods must be moved from one kind of transport to another life: from a boat to trucks, or from a big boat to smaller boats etc.

Germany

• Strong nation-state; young country created in 1871

• Divided into 16 states (“Lander”)

• Reunified in 1990

• Most populated European country

France

• Much bigger in land area than Germany

• Paris is located on the Seine River - a Roman outpost from 2,000 years ago

• Economy dominated by high tech industry

Benelux

Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg

• 3 Cities anchor the trinagular core area: Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Hague

Conurbation

Huge Mult metropolitan complex formed by the coalescense of 2 or more major urban areas

Italy, Spain, Portugal, Greece, Malta

Mediterranean countries

Italy

• Most populated of the Mediterranean countries

  • Most economically advanced of the Medt. 5

Milan

Largest populated city in Italy

Spain

• ~ 50 million pop.

  • Organized into 17 regions called Autonomous Communities (ACs)

Catalonia

• Triangular AC in Spain

• Strong nationalism

  • One of the “driving motors” of Europe

Portugal 

• ~ 10 million people

• 48% urban population

• Most cities on or near Atlantic coast

  • Exports textiles, corks, wines, fishes

Libson, Porto

2 major cities of Portugal

Greece

• Eastern most Mediterranean country

• Includes ~ 2,000 islands

• Athens is primate city

• Remains the poorest nation in the EU

Crete

Greece’s largest island

Malta

Island nation located just south of Sicily

• Population ~ 400,000 people

• Culturally diverse

• World’s highest population density