Geography notes
THE SEVEN CONTINENTS:
1. ASIA: the largest continent
2. AFRICA: the second-largest continent
3. NORTH AMERICA: USA, Mexico and Canada
4. SOUTH AMERICA: Brazil, Argentina
5. EUROPE: France, Germany and the United Kingdom
6. ANTARCTICA: the coldest continent, and covered in ice
7. AUSTRALIA/OCEANIA: the smallest continent
THE FIVE OCEANS:
1. PACIFIC OCEAN: largest and deepest
2. ATLANTIC OCEAN: separates the Americas from Europe and Africa
3. INDIAN OCEAN: between Africa, Asia and Australia
4. SOUTHERN OCEAN: surrounds Antarctica
5. ARTIC OCEAN: the smallest ocean around the North Pole
The North Pole The South Pole
Northern most point on Earth Southernmost point on Earth
In the Arctic Ocean (water) On Antarctica (land)
Very cold = -40 degrees Celsius or Even colder = -60 degrees Celsius or
lower lower
In summer there are 24 hours of In summer there are 24 hours of
daylight daylight
In winter there are 24 hours of In winter there are 24 hours of
darkness darkness
Polar bears, Arctic foxes or seals Penguins, seals and whales
THE COMPASS:
An instrument that is used to show direction
*The needle of the compass always points North
* Never Eat Sour Worms
Why do you think knowing compass directions is important when reading maps?
Knowing compass directions is important when reading maps because they help us
understand where places are. Firstly, compass directions help us know which way to travel.
For example, if the map says the school is north of the park, we know we must go north to
find it. Secondly, compass directions help us not get lost. For instance, if we know our house
is south of the shop, we can use the map to find our way back home. In conclusion, knowing
compass directions is important because they help us find places easily and travel in the right
direction.
THE WORLD MAP:
HEMISPHERE: half of a ball
HEMI: half
EQUATOR: an imaginary line that divides the Earth into the North and South
0 latitude
*The Hottest region because it receives
the most light
*40,075km
*Ecuador, Kenya, Indonesia and Brazil
Tropic of Cancer (23.5N)
*The farthest north where the sun
can shine overhead
*Marks the beginning of the
tropical zone in the Northern
Hemisphere
Tropic of Capricorn (23.5S)
*The farthest north where the sun
can shine overhead
*Marks the beginning of the
tropical zone in the Northern
Hemisphere
PRIME MERIDIAN: an imaginary vertical line that divides the Earth into the West and the
East (from the North Pole to the South Pole)
* 0 longitude
*The Prime Meridian passes through
Greenwich and London
*The Prime meridian helps us tell time
COUNTRIES AND BORDERS:
Border: A line dividing two countries or areas
Shown as a red line
South Africa as boarders with 6 main countries: Botswana, Lesotho, Mozambique,
Namibia, and Swaziland
Natural border: Natural features (such as a river or mountain) that act as a border
Coastline: land that follows the edge of the sea
Landlocked: a country that is surrounded by land, not having a coastline
Capital: the most important city in a country or region
South Africa’s are: Cape Town, Bloemfontein and Pretoria
A PHYSICAL MAP OF AFRICA:
Political Map: a map showing the borders between countries, as well as capital cities
Physical map: a map that shows the natural feature of an area, such as mountains and rivers
Natural features: landmarks in nature, such as mountains and rivers