Regional Geography 105
Map and Homework Assignments
The following is a list of the Map and Homework Assignments. This material will be handed out in class.
Map Identification Quizzes
1. Europe Map Identification
2. North Americas Map Identification
3. Latin America Map Identification
4. North Africa and Southwest Asia Map Identification
5. Sub-Saharan Africa Map Identification
6. Asia and Oceania Map Identification
1. Metric System and Map Location Systems
2. The Human Development Index
3. Primate Cities and Boundaries
Working on Map Identification
The purpose of the map practice assignments is to help you to become more familiar with the countries of the world, and to prepare you for the map identification quizzes (see the Syllabus 001 or Syllabus 002 for the dates when these quizzes will be given). Map assignment practice materials are in the GEOG 105 Homework and Map Assignments packet available from the campus bookstore. Addition interactive map identification practice activities can be found on the Study Material web page.
For the map identification, a good, up-to-date atlas is necessary. There are many online map sites that you may find useful. None are as good as a well constructed, printed atlas, but for the purpose of country identification an atlas is not absolutely necessary.
Working on Homework Assignments
The purpose of the homework assignments is to explore the mathematical and analytical aspects of geography, and help you to develop these skills. Homework assignments are in the GEOG 105 Homework and Map Assignments packet available from the campus bookstore.
Additional information related to the homework assignments can be found on the Links page. There are a lot of sources of information on the internet, but this list of links will help you to narrow that search. Pay particular attention to the links under the following headings: Almanacs, Dictionaries, Maps, and Population and Statistics.
Additionally, don't forget the power and ease of looking for the answers in a good book. A current edition of a printed atlas, almanac and encyclopedia can be invaluable. The disadvantace of these sources is that the information is static and limited by the date of publication. Changing political situations and growing populations are but two of the ways that this information can become quickly outdated.
If you don't know the meaning of a word or phrase - use a dictionary.
In all cases, if you are having real difficulty with a particular problem, ask me, the instructor. I won't tell you the answer, but I will clarify what is being asked, show you how to do a calculation, help you to understand what you need to do, or send you in the right direction or to a source that will allow you to find the answer.
1. Red Ink: Do not use red, pink or purple ink pen to complete the map or homework assignments. The instructor uses red ink to correct the assignments. Red ink assignments will have 5 points subtracted from the score.
2. Handwriting: Some students either have terrible handwriting skills or write the answers so quickly that the handwriting is very sloppy or illegible. Please write your answers legibly. Answers that cannot be clearly read by the instructor will be marked as wrong.
3. Abbreviations: Do not abbreviate country names. Spell them out completely. For example, "Lux." is not acceptable for "Luxembourg". Abbreviated country names will be marked as wrong.
4. Presentation Format: Assignment are to be returned in their original format. All pages must be returned in their original page number order and attached by a single staple in the upper left hand corner (do not fold, crimp or tear the paper in an attempt to attach the papers together). A stapler will not be available in class on the due date. Assignments that fail to meet this format will have 5 points subtracted from the score.
Reading Material Related To Homework Assignments
Metric Information and Conversions - National Institute of Standards and Technology
The United States and the Metric System - National Institute of Standards and Technology
Think-Metric web site.
Bartlett's Guide to SI Units - Biomedical Sciences, University of Aberdeen
U.S. Metric Association web site.
Longitude and Latitude
GEOG: Latitude and Longitude - course notes
Latitude and Longitude - by David J. Leveson
Unit 014: Latitude and Longitude- NCGIA Core Curriculum in Geographic Information Science
Round Earth, Flat Maps - National Geographic Society web page.
Latitude/Longitude Plotting - Mobile Aeronautics Education Laboratory
Lost at Sea - The Search For Longitude - NOVA Transcript
Human Development Index - UN Human Development Program
"The Law of the Primate City" - by Mark Jefferson, Geographical Review, 1939, v. 29, n. 2.
|Click on the JSTOR link. You will first need to enter information for BHC student access. Follow the directions for logging in on that web page. Once in the the JSTOR web page, click on the Advanced Search link. Enter "Law of the Primate City" in the first search box. Select Item Title in the pull down menu to the right of the search box. Click Search. Select the article "The Law of the Primate City".|
Suggestions on the Terminology of Political Boundaries - by Richrad Hartshorne, CoursePack.
• Population: A Lively Introduction - by Joseph A. McFalls, Jr., a Population Reference Bureau Population Bulletin publication.
• Age-Sex Pyramids - by Matt Rosenberg