Geography

1. Direction and the Compass Rose

A Compass Rose is a map symbol displaying directions and bearings.

• Cardinal Points: The 4 main directions:

  • North ($0^\circ$ or $360^\circ$)

  • East ($90^\circ$)

  • South ($180^\circ$)

  • West ($270^\circ$)

• Halfway Points: Directions midway between cardinal points:

  • North East (NE - $45^\circ$)

  • South East (SE - $135^\circ$)

  • South West (SW - $225^\circ$)

  • North West (NW - $315^\circ$)

• Quarter Points: Points midway between halfway and cardinal points (16 points total):

  • North Northeast (NNE - $22.5^\circ$)

  • East Northeast (ENE - $67.5^\circ$)

  • East Southeast (ESE - $112.5^\circ$)

  • South Southeast (SSE - $157.5^\circ$)

  • South Southwest (SSW - $202.5^\circ$)

  • West Southwest (WSW - $247.5^\circ$)

  • West Northwest (WNW - $292.5^\circ$)

  • North Northwest (NNW - $337.5^\circ$)

• Compass Bearings:

  • Expressed using the $360^\circ$ of a circle for precise directional measurement.

  • Always measured clockwise starting from North ($0^\circ$).

2. Map Scale and Distance Calculation

Map Scale is the ratio of map distance to real-world ground distance. It determines the detail and geographic coverage of a map.

• Scale Representations:

  • Ratio / Representative Fraction: E.g., $1 : 50,000$ means $1\,cm$ on the map equals $50,000\,cm$ ($500\,m$) on the ground.

  • Graphic / Ruler Scale: A visual bar line segment showing ground distance.

• Distance Calculation Steps:

  1. Measure distance between two points on the map.

  2. Multiply map measurement by the scale ratio factor to derive ground distance.

3. Relative vs. Absolute Location

• Relative Location: Location relative to another landmark.

  • Standard Statement Format: "[Place A] is located to the [direction] and is [distance in $km$ / $m$] of [Place B]."

• Absolute Location: Fixed position on Earth using precise geographic coordinates.

4. Latitude and Longitude Grid System

Lines of Latitude (Parallels)

• Run East–West, parallel to the Equator ($0^\circ$).

• Measure distance North ($0^\circ$ to $90^\circ N$) or South ($0^\circ$ to $-90^\circ$ / $90^\circ S$) of the Equator.

• Climate Zones:

  • Tropical Zone: Between Tropic of Cancer ($23.5^\circ N$) and Tropic of Capricorn ($23.5^\circ S$); warm, humid, maximum direct sunlight.

  • Temperate Zone: Between tropics and polar circles; experiences four distinct seasons.

  • Polar Zone: Beyond Arctic Circle ($66.5^\circ N$) and Antarctic Circle ($66.5^\circ S$); cold and snowy.

Lines of Longitude (Meridians)

• Run North–South from pole to pole; furthest apart at the Equator and converging at the poles.

• Measure distance East or West of the Prime Meridian ($0^\circ$), established in 1884 running through Greenwich, England.

• Extend from $0^\circ$ to $180^\circ E$ and $0^\circ$ to $-180^\circ W$ ($360^\circ$ total).

Coordinates and Angle Measurements

• Measured in degrees ($^\circ$), minutes ($'$ where $1^\circ = 60'$), and seconds ($''$ where $1' = 60''$).

• Reading Order: Latitude (North/South) first, then Longitude (East/West).

  • Example: $43^\circ 52' 48'' N$, $79^\circ 15' 02'' W$ or $(43.88005, -79.25052)$.

5. Time Zones and International Date Line

• Origin: Developed by Sir Sandford Fleming in the 1880s for railway schedule consistency.

• Calculations:

  • Earth's $360^\circ$ sphere / $24\,\text{hours}$ = $15^\circ$ of longitude per time zone ($1\,\text{hour}$ shift).

  • $1^\circ$ longitude = $4\,\text{minutes}$ time difference.

• International Date Line:

  • Located at $180^\circ$ longitude in the Pacific Ocean.

  • Traveling East across the line: GAIN a day.

  • Traveling West across the line: LOSE a day.

6. Canadian Capitals Quick Reference

• National Capital: Ottawa, Ontario