A brief introduction of earth planet which explains the famous landscapes and defines the aspects of geography
Introduction Of Geography
Definition
Geography is a Greek Word (Geo= Earth, Graphy=Writing). Geography is the study of Earth, its Landforms, Atmosphere, Interrelation between a man with his environment, Population, and distribution of the things on the earth. Geography is the study of Landscapes, which includes both Natural and Cultural landscapes.
Physical Geography
In physical geography, we study the four aspects such as:
Atmosphere
Lithosphere
Hydrosphere
Biosphere
Human Geography
The study of how man interacts with his environment through the activities like hunting, fishing, agriculture, lumbering, mining, manufacturing, industries, transport, trade, and services. It is also concerned with the distribution of nations, population, settlement, and civilizations. In Cultural geography, we study social interaction, so cultural geography primarily entails the study of social science. In cultural geography, we study:
Population
Economic Activities
Language
Religion
Political System
Settlements
Food
BioGeography
In biogeography, we study the whole life which exists on earth, including Animals, Birds, Insects, Plants, and Man himself.
Cartography
This is a science of Mapmaking, Interpretation of the map. Physical geography is divided into more branches which are given below;
Geo Morphology
Climatology
Oceanography
Biogeography
Geographers study how things differ from Place to Place. The Distributional and Locational relationships of things around the world. (What is sometimes called the “Spatial” aspects of things). Geography, on the other hand, is much broader in scope than most other disciplines, “borrowing” its objects of study from related fields.
Geographers, too, are interested in Rocks and Economic systems and Population, especially in describing and understanding their location and distribution. We sometimes say that geography asks fundamental questions. “ Why, What is, Where, and so What ? ”.
The Earth From Space
Our earth is a third planet of the solar system which revolves around the sun and rotates into its axis.
Revolution
Earth revolves around the Sun and completes 1 year in 365 days. The Revolution of the earth caused the change of the seasons.
Perihelion
Its revolution around the sun is somewhat Closer to the sun and this position is known as Perihelion. In this position, the earth and the sun are 915 lakh miles apart. The perihelion position lasts for 178 days, during this period the North hemisphere enjoys the Winter while there is Summer in the Southern hemisphere.
Equinox
Equi =Equal, NOx =Night. Equinox means the Time when all places on the earth have an equal duration of day and night. Each year on 21 March, the Spring equinox, the sun shines directly In the equator in the Southern hemisphere. Again on 23 September, the autumn equinox, the sun shines directly on the equator in the Northern hemisphere.
Solstice
Sol means the Sun. The solstice marks the Longest days and nights in the Northern and Southern hemispheres. 21 June is the Summer Solstice (longest day). 21 December marks the Winter Solstice (longest night).
Leap Year
Every fourth year, one day is added to make up for the ⅟4 days; this is called Leap year and has 366 days. Leap year day is added in February.
Rotation
Earth rotates on its axis and completes 24 hours and it caused the Day and Night. Earth spin in its axis about 23.5⁰. As a result of the rotation, the earth has become flattened at the Poles. While it has bulged out at the Equator. The rotation on the axis increases in speed away from the Poles. At the poles, the speed of rotation is 0 while on the equator it moves at a rate of 1,038 meters per hour. This inclination of the earth’s axis is responsible for Seasons, length of Day and Night, and change of Temperature.
Different parts of the Northern and Southern hemispheres will receive a varying amount of Sunlight. It rotates at a speed of 30 kilometers per second or (1600 km)per minute. Earth depends on the light of the sun because earth is a Non-Luminious body (opaque). If the earth did not rotate on its axis, one half would be always in constant Light while the other half would remain shut off (without light) and it would be constant night there. The sun faces only one-half of the at a time but by rotation, the earth is continually presenting a New face towards the sun. Therefore, while it is a day in one sphere, it's night in the other one and vice-versa.
Axis
The imaginary line running through the Poles is called Axis.
Dawn and Dusk
As the earth moves from west to east, the dark half gradually faces the sun. This movement produces Dawn and Dusk, the period of diffused light between day and night.
Dawn
The part of the day when the sunsets in the west and there is some light is called dawn.
Dusk
When in the part of the east is some light is called dusk. Another word used for dusk is “Twilight”. Japan is called the dawn city of the world because of the First sunrise and sunset.
Latitude and Longitude
The imaginary lines running through the Globe or flat world map are called the Latitude and Longitude. These lines run North and South, East and West. To understand the relation between different places on the earth and their exact location, to understand their position, their distance, and also their exact direction. The distance from one degree to another is 111km/69 miles. If we know about the latitude and longitude we find any place can be easy. For example, we have 23.35⁰ to 37.o5⁰ N and 60.50⁰ to 77.50⁰ E. It shows the location of Pakistan.
Latitude
Those lines running through the Equator to poles are called “The parallels or lines of latitude”. The starting point of latitude is the Equator which divides the earth into two hemispheres are: The northern and southern hemispheres. Latitudes are measured in degrees because the earth is a circle and as such it consists of 360⁰.
Important Parallels Of Latitude
Besides the Equator (0⁰), The North Pole is (90⁰ N) and the South pole is (90⁰ S). There are Four important parallels of Latitudes. Tropic of cancer (23⅟2⁰ N) in the northern hemisphere. Tropic of Capricorn (23⅟2⁰ S) in the Southern hemisphere. The Arctic circle at (66⅟2⁰ N) in the North of the Equator. The antarctic circle at (66⅟2⁰ S) in the South of the Equator.
Latitudinal Heat Zones
Torrid Zone
The midday sun is exactly overhead at least once a year on all Latitudes in between the Tropic of cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn. This zone receives maximum heat. The midday sun never shines overhead on any latitude beyond the Tropic of cancer and Tropic of Capricorn.
Temperate Zone
The angle of the sun's rays goes on decreasing towards the poles. Areas bound by the Tropics and the Arctic and the Antarctic circle in the North and South hemisphere. This zone experiences moderate temperature. Tropic cancer passes through the 8 Indian states.
Frigid Zone
Areas lie between the Arctic circle and the Antarctic circle in the North and South hemisphere. This zone is very cold. It is because here the sun does not rise much above the horizon, its rays are always Slanting.
Longitude
The imaginary lines running to the East and West are called the Longitude. The starting point of Longitude is called the Prime Meridian. The Royal Astronomical Observatory at Greenwich near London was chosen as the (0⁰) meridian in 1884 by International agreement. They are a series of semi-circles that run from pole to pole passing through the equator. This is the prime meridian (o⁰) from which all other meridians radiate eastward and westward up to 180⁰.
As the parallels of Latitude become shorter poleward, so the meridians of Longitude which coverage at the poles enclose a narrow space. They determine Local Time in rotation to GMT or Greenwich Mean Time which is sometimes referred to as World Time.
Longitude and Time
Since the earth makes one complete revolution of 360⁰ in One day or 24 hours, it passes through 15⁰ in One hour or 1⁰ in 4 minutes. The earth rotates from west to east so every 15⁰ we go westward, Local Time is advanced by 1 hour. Conversely, if we go westward Local Time is retarded by 1 hour. Places East of Greenwich see the sun earlier and gain time, whereas Places west of Greenwich see the sun later and lose time. Hence one who travels east to west has continued to adjust his watch by one minute after every 17⅟2 miles.
In certain countries of the world, where the longitudinal extent is so large that there is often a difference of Four to Five hours between one part and the other, the land surface is divided into Time Zones. The whole Globe has been divided into 24 such Time Zones so that the time in each zone differs from the other by only one hour. Thus in each zone there prevails one Standard Time which is known as “Zone Time”.
The International Date Line
IDL is an imaginary line located at 180⁰ apart from GMT. This line separates days of the week in the western and eastern hemispheres. If there is Sunday in the eastern hemisphere, then there will be Monday in the western hemisphere. IDL is not a straight line, it is a line that curves from country to ensure that a specific country has the same time and day in the entire region. Traveling around the world from east to west a day seems to have been last, while on traveling from west to the east one seems to gain an extra day.
The fact is that when it is Noon on Monday at Greenwich, the time at 180⁰E meridian is Midnight at 12:am on Monday. The next morning is Tuesday. The International Date Line drew in a Zigzag manner because a group of islands (Polynesia, Melanesia, and Micronesia) falls on either of the datelines. If the dateline was straight, then the region of the same Island country or Island group would fall under different Time Zones.
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