Practical Lab 1 Manual (1)
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LIBS 1155 – Foundations of World Geography Instructor: Dr. Sergei Basik
Practical Lab 1: Manual
Practical Lab 1
Cartography in Regional Analysis
Manual
1.
Read the laboratory manual information before the start of the lab. 2.
Read the answer sheet and answer all the questions. 3.
Submit the answer sheet to the eConestoga drop-box (only PDF or Microsoft word doc/docx formats)
The Earth is spherical but not quite a perfect circle. In fact, it is a little wider in the middle due to its rotation and the resulting centrifugal forces. By understanding that the Earth is round, geographers can easily distinguish a specific location by utilizing a grid system, similar to using graph paper.
Geography is about spatial understanding, which requires an accurate grid system to determine absolute and relative location. Absolute location
is the exact x- and y- coordinates on the Earth. Relative location
is the location of something relative to other
entities. For example, when you use Google Maps, you put in an absolute location. But as you start driving, the device tells you to turn right or left relative to objects on the ground: "Turn left on exit Valencia Blvd" is relative to the other exit points. Or if you give directions to your house, you often use relative locations to help them understand how to get to your house. These lines that allow us to understand a location are called latitudes and longitudes. Lines of latitude
, also known as parallels
, are measured from the center of the Earth. These lines are angles measured at the equator
(0°) to the North Pole at 90°N, or to the South Pole at 90°S. The angles are measured as though a protractor was placed in the center of the Earth, and we are measuring an angle from the center of the Earth to the Earth’s crust. Lines of longitude
, otherwise known as meridians, are measured going east or west of the Prime Meridian
, which passes through the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, England. The reason the Prime Meridian passes through the Observatory in England is due to an international agreement in 1884, as technically the meridian is arbitrary and could have been anywhere in the world. Two longitudes (or meridians), connected on opposite sides of the globe, create a great circle. A single line of longitude does not make a circle on the globe—it is an arc of a great circle. The word meridian also implies Adopted from W. Ray (some figures; CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
)
, R. A. Dastrup (text /content CC BY 4.0
),
J. Patrich (some figures; CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
);
https://www.sco.wisc.edu/2022/01/21/how-big-is-a-degree/
LIBS 1155 – Foundations of World Geography Instructor: Dr. Sergei Basik
Practical Lab 1: Manual
that these lines are not parallel but instead intersect at both the north and south poles. The
Prime Meridian is the dividing longitude of the Eastern and Western hemispheres. The farthest one can travel either east or west is 180°
: (180°W + 180°E = 360°). The International Date Line
(IDL) is located at about 180° east (or west).
It is
halfway around the world
from the
prime meridian
(0° longitude)
Figure 1. provides an illustration of how we can pinpoint a location on Earth using latitude and longitude. The location marked with a dot is 40° north of the equator and is 60° degrees east of the Prime Meridian. So this location is at 40°N, 60°E.
Figure 1.: Latitude and Longitude Example. A basic diagram showing how both latitude and longitude are
measured from the center of the Earth towards the surface.
Both latitudes and longitudes can be identified as circles. Adopted from W. Ray (some figures; CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
)
, R. A. Dastrup (text /content CC BY 4.0
),
J. Patrich (some figures; CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
);
https://www.sco.wisc.edu/2022/01/21/how-big-is-a-degree/
LIBS 1155 – Foundations of World Geography Instructor: Dr. Sergei Basik
Practical Lab 1: Manual
Figure 2: Introductory diagram of latitude and longitude
Distance: The Length of a Degree
Because lines of latitude are parallel to one another, the measurable distance between them, from north to south, remains relatively constant. Due to Earth’s curvature, one degree of latitude is approximately 110.6 km at the equator, while at the poles one degree of latitude is approximately 111 km.
As the angular distance changes between the lines of longitude, the distance along a line of latitude will either increase or decrease (see Table 1. ). F
or instance, at the Equator, it will be 111.1 km. However, as you move north (or south), the distance shrinks
.
Table 1. Approximate length of a degree of longitude at different latitudes.
How would you calculate the distance in miles between two people on the same line of latitude? Here are the steps to follow: Step 1
First, find the sum of the total longitudinal distance between the points in degrees.
Step 2
Multiply that sum by the statute miles per degree at the shared line of latitude (always refer to Table 1.)
Sometimes it is easier to complete Step 1 by visualizing the degree distance between two points on the same latitude by plotting the two points on a graph. Figure 3 provides an example: if you want to calculate the distance between 90°W and 30°E, you can mark these on the graph. Once you plot the two locations, you are able to calculate the total longitudinal distance between the locations.
Adopted from W. Ray (some figures; CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
)
, R. A. Dastrup (text /content CC BY 4.0
),
J. Patrich (some figures; CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
);
https://www.sco.wisc.edu/2022/01/21/how-big-is-a-degree/
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LIBS 1155 – Foundations of World Geography Instructor: Dr. Sergei Basik
Practical Lab 1: Manual
Figure 3. Example of How to Calculate Longitudinal Distance.
The following Figure 4. provides a graph that you can use for the following type of questions: How many kilometers are between 60°N, 30°W and 60°N, 50°E? Show your work.
a.
First, determine the number of degrees of longitude between these two locations (use Figure 4): b.
Second, refer to Table 1 and multiply your answer for 5a by the longitudinal distance at 60°N.
This is a great practice as you will be using this graph again later in the lab.
Figure 4. Longitude Diagram to Visualize Degree Distance between Two Locations on the Same
Latitude.
Decimal Degrees and the DMS (Degrees, Minutes, Seconds) Format
Adopted from W. Ray (some figures; CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
)
, R. A. Dastrup (text /content CC BY 4.0
),
J. Patrich (some figures; CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
);
https://www.sco.wisc.edu/2022/01/21/how-big-is-a-degree/
LIBS 1155 – Foundations of World Geography Instructor: Dr. Sergei Basik
Practical Lab 1: Manual
The primary unit in which latitude and longitude are observed is degrees
. As learned earlier, the distance between these degrees can be quite large, which is why it is important that the subdivision of a degree be understood. There are two formats for subdividing a degree
: decimal degrees
and degrees-minutes-seconds
(
DMS
). In order to understand the DMS format
, you should know that °
is the abbreviation for degrees, ’ is the abbreviation for minutes, and
”
is the abbreviation for seconds. Each degree can be divided into 60 equal parts called a minute
.
Each minute can also be divided into 60 equal parts called seconds
. This can be noted as 1° = 60’ = 3600”. To review: ➢
there are 60 minutes in 1 degree.
➢
there are 60 seconds in 1 minute.
Also note that for DMS, degrees are shown first, then minutes, then seconds. So, 15 degrees, 32 minutes, and 11 seconds South would be written as 15° 32’ 11” S
Decimal degrees
are just that, the decimal version of latitude and longitude. For example, you know that there are 60 minutes in one degree. So, 30 minutes would be one-half of one degree. One-half is the same as 0.5. Therefore, you could identify a latitude as 60°30’ N or as 60.5° N. Let’s say we should convert the following location into decimal degrees: 60° 30’ 45” N. Only the conversion of the minutes and seconds needs to occur, and this can be done by taking the minutes and dividing them by 60, and taking the seconds and dividing them by 3600, then adding them together. (Hint: 1° = 60’ and 60’ = 3600”). Let’s look at this DMS to decimal conversion step-by-step:
Step 1
Using the location 60° 30’ 45” N, let’s first convert minutes into a decimal by dividing it by 60. For this problem, it would be 30/60 = 0.5.
Step 2
We need to convert seconds into a decimal as well, so divide the seconds by 3600. For this problem, it would be 45/3600 = 0.0125.
Step 3
Let’s put it together. Since there was no conversion to the degrees, that number stands alone, followed by a decimal point. The decimal portion is the sum of the conversions from steps 1 and 2. The answer is 60.5125° N (60 + 0.5 + 0.0125 = 60.5125).
Adopted from W. Ray (some figures; CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
)
, R. A. Dastrup (text /content CC BY 4.0
),
J. Patrich (some figures; CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
);
https://www.sco.wisc.edu/2022/01/21/how-big-is-a-degree/
LIBS 1155 – Foundations of World Geography Instructor: Dr. Sergei Basik
Practical Lab 1: Manual
For the spatial analysis of the region and practice through geographical nomenclature
, please use the following map (Figure 5) or refer to various sources (including the Internet). Figure 5. Latin America. Courtesy of the University of Texas Libraries, The University of Texas at
Austin
. Source: https://maps.lib.utexas.edu/maps/americas/latin_america_1990.jpg
Adopted from W. Ray (some figures; CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
)
, R. A. Dastrup (text /content CC BY 4.0
),
J. Patrich (some figures; CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
);
https://www.sco.wisc.edu/2022/01/21/how-big-is-a-degree/
Your preview ends here
Eager to read complete document? Join bartleby learn and gain access to the full version
- Access to all documents
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LIBS 1155 – Foundations of World Geography Instructor: Dr. Sergei Basik
Practical Lab 1: Manual
Adopted from W. Ray (some figures; CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
)
, R. A. Dastrup (text /content CC BY 4.0
),
J. Patrich (some figures; CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
);
https://www.sco.wisc.edu/2022/01/21/how-big-is-a-degree/