CHAPTER 2 Note-Taking Guide:

CHAPTER 2 Note-Taking Guide:
“Our Physical World”
1. The earth can be divided into four hemispheres, based on latitude and longitude. For each
hemisphere, explain the area that is covered. (p. 42)
a) Northern hemisphere: __from equator to North Pole__________________________
b) Southern hemisphere:___from equator to the South Pole__________________
c) Western hemisphere:____from Prime Meridian West to the International Date Line_____
d) Eastern hemisphere: _____from the Prime Meridian East to the International Date Line___
2. The earth can be organized into four additional spheres that interact and overlap with each other.
In the chart below, state the names of these spheres, and what components make up each sphere. (p.
42+43)
NAME OF SPHERE COMPONENTS
Atmosphere Air
Lithosphere Outer rock of the earth
Hydrosphere Water (includes frozen water)
Biosphere All living organisms & the environment that supports them
3. What does the term “natural environment” mean? (List the things it's made up of). (p.43)
All spheres EXCEPT humans
-land –soil –atmosphere - oceans - plants - animals
4. _71____% of the earth is covered with water, and about __29__% of the earth is covered with land.
The largest ocean is the __Pacific__ Ocean, which covers __31% of the world’s surface. (p. 44)
5. The two largest islands in the Indian Ocean are __Madagascar_ and _Sri Lanka_. (p.44)
6. List the six continents explained in the textbook in order of size, from largest to smallest.
1.__Eurasia ___ 4.____South America___
2._Africa__ 5.___Antactica ___
3.__North America___ 6.___Australia__
7. Climate and weather are also an important part of the natural environment. Read the definition
on page 56, and then record the meaning of each in your own words.
Climate is: __the average condition of the atmosphere over a long period of time_______
Weather is: _the condition of the atmosphere in the short term(days)__________
8. How does latitude affect the climate of an area? (p. 56) ___Low latitude areas(near equator)
receive more heat from the sun than high altitudes do which are colder_____________________

9. The continents are always experiencing changes. Everything on the surface of the earth changes
over time. Even landforms change slowly with time. There are 4 major types of landforms.
List the four major types of landforms and give an explanation of each. (p. 50)
NAME OF LANDFORM EXPLANATION
Mountains
Hills
Plateaus
Plains
Irregular surfaces at high elevations
Lower than mountains
Large, flat areas at higher elevations than the land surrounding it
Large regions of flat treeless land
10. Fresh water is the most important resource on the earth. Without it, no life would exist. So,
river and lakes are very important features of every continent. There are 6 reasons that people live
near rivers. They are: (p.54+55)
1) __provide food
2) ___provide good farming soils and water for irrigation
3) ___roadways, easy movement of people and goods
4) ___recreation, allows for fun and relaxation
5) They are a great source of power – hydro
6) They are the best way to get around, especially in hard terrain
11. According to the map on page 56, what type of climate region do we live in?
_____humid/cold__________________________________
12. The world is divided into five climate zones because of latitude, air masses, and pressure zones.
What are the five factors that affect the area within each climate zone? (p. 57)
-Ocean currents
-Prevailing winds
-Mountain barriers
-Altitude
-Distribution of sea and land (think about the difference between living in BC or MB)