Precedents to Geography ~ Part 1

Geography is the study of the earth, and it includes the studies of landforms, cultures, weather, and climate. Geography literally means “to write of the world,” and the Greeks included natural science into this field. Geography includes a little bit of science, history, and anthropology. I am excited to start writing over geography because it’s a very applicable topic. It is vital to history, ecology, businesses, and cultural studies because it concerns itself with location. From the question of location, other studies arise. Like many other studies, geography relies on the perspective of the student in order to yield accurate or inaccurate information. I wrote on alternate worldviews in my last article. Before the issue of cultures are raised, the geographer must study the locations. In this four-part series of precedents to geography, I will be discussing landforms, weather, natural resources, cultural bases, and maps.

Our first lesson as world travelers is the continents and bodies of water. This is a very familiar topic, and I hope that I will provide some statistics that will be new to you. There are seven continents (listed from largest to smallest in surface area): Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Europe, and Australia. History began in Asia, mainly the Middle East. What happened in Asia affected Africa and Europe which influenced the rest of the world. Historically, there are four oceans (The Southern Ocean was recognized by the U.S. in 2000): Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, and Arctic.  The deepest point on earth, the Mariana Trench, is located in the Pacific Ocean.


The parallels of latitude and longitude aid people in locating coordinate, or an exact location, on earth. Here’s a tip: if you have trouble remembering whether latitude or longitude run parallel with the equator, think of a ladder. The rungs of a ladder are horizontal so the lines of latitude run horizontally across the earth. This helped me, and I hope it helps you as well. The lines of latitude are shown to the right on the map. The equator separates the earth into a Northern and Southern Hemispheres. The lines of longitude, also called meridians, run up and down the earth. They divide the earth into the Eastern and Western Hemispheres. There are two prominent meridians: the prime meridian and the International Date Line. The prime meridian runs through Greenwich, England; and the International Date Line twists through the Pacific. They are both standards for time zones.

The earth yields natural resources and if you pay attention to history, most countries start wars for the sake of obtaining land containing useful resources. Renewable resources are replenished naturally on the earth. Water, air, trees, wind, and energy (solar, water, geothermal, nuclear, etc.) are classified as renewable resources. Nonrenewable resources are either replenished at unnoticeable rates or are not replenished. Minerals, coal, and oil are examples of nonrenewable resources. One controversial issue of our day is environmentalism. This movement deters man from “harming” the earth through its claims of ozone depletion and global warming. The Bible teaches good stewardship: using the earth for man’s benefit, yet still keeping it as well as possible. We should not be afraid of using the things God has provided for us. This doesn’t mean that we do not recycle or conserve at all, but only when efficient and possible.

The geography has to study cartography, the study of maps, as well. Observation, GPS, censuses, and surveys are means through which information is collected. The statistics are used to make estimates for a later time or the geographer converts the data into charts and maps. Different types of charts and maps are selected on the function that it needs to serve. Globes and maps are used to portray models of the earth so studying would be more efficient for sure. I will discuss five types of map projections, and the pictures will be displayed below. 

Mercator Projection

The Mercator projection is the traditional map that is featured in most books. Flemish cartographer and geographer, Gerardus Mercator, invented this map in 1569. It is also called a conformal map because the shapes of the landforms are fairly accurate; only the surface area and distances were distorted. Antarctica is not larger than Asia, and some maps even portray Greenland to be larger than Africa.



Mollweide Projection

The Mollweide projection does the exact opposite of the Mercator projection. The surface area is intact, but the shapes are inaccurate. Karl Brandan Mollweide was a mathematician and astronomer who invented this. These types of projections are used for observing the skies as well.

Robinson Projection 

The Robinson projection combined the best features of the Mercator and Mollweide projections. It was invented by Arthur H. Robinson in 1963. This is the 
accepted map for the National Geographic Society (NGS) because of its accuracy.




Azimuthal Projection

Equidistant Map

The Azimuthal projection corresponds with a compass, but 
distorts shape and size. Correct distance is shown by an equidistant map, such as a road map. The title, scale for distance, directional indicator (like a compass), and the key (or legend) display other information on the map. 

The verse for this week is Psalms 24:1. It says “The earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.” This wondrous world doesn’t belong to us; the Lord is its creator and owner. Because of this truth, we as stewards of His creation should use the earth carefully and correctly, as God would want us to.