Geography Review: Map Reading and Filling Exercises - Volume 1

Author: Quan Zi Zheng, Editor-in-Chief / Chengdu Map Publishing House
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-01-01
Features: Many students have reflected: Geography is hard! And it is for a reason, because the Earth is so vast—its radius reaches 6,370 kilometers, its equatorial circumference is 40,000 kilometers, and its surface area spans 510 million square kilometers. In comparison, humans are tiny; what we see with the naked eye is merely a fraction of the Earth. Learning about such vast and complex geography is like "moving mountains and filling seas," and it's unclear where to begin. Actually, readers don't need to worry. We can use two tools:
(1) A globe—to solve spatial and spherical geographic knowledge;
(2) Maps—to solve planar geographic knowledge, [plus a star map—to address high school geography's celestial knowledge]. If we firmly grasp map knowledge, we will find the key to entry and the core of learning. That way, we can achieve "geographic knowledge mapped out, fearless of traveling the world," and you will gain lifelong geography skills. What's to fear about the college entrance exam then!
When you stand in an open field and observe your surroundings, you will see "a round sky and a square earth"—just as the ancients described: "The sky is like a dome, covering the wilds" (see the right image). In fact, this can be seen as a three-dimensional map. The east is where the sun rises (represented by the English word "EAST," with the initial "E"), and the west is where the moon sets (represented by "WEST," with the initial "W")—this is actually the result of the Earth's west-to-east rotation. Adding "north" (represented by "NORTH," with the initial "N") and "south" (represented by "SOUTH," with the initial "S") allows us to identify directions—"north above, south below, west to the left, east to the right"—to determine the spatial relationships of geographic features.
When the observer climbs a mountain peak or rides a helicopter to a higher vantage point ("gazing far from a height"), the observed scope changes with the viewpoint. For different scopes of "round sky and square earth maps," the concept of scale must be introduced. Scale is the ratio of distance on a map to actual distance. The larger the denominator of the scale, the broader the map's scope, while the precision decreases accordingly. The numerous geographic features observed—such as high mountains, rivers, railways, villages, etc.—are simplified and placed in their corresponding positions on the map, forming symbols or annotations.
In summary, mastering the three elements of a map: direction, scale, legend, and annotations, is the foundation of understanding maps. And mastering maps is the foundation of learning geography. The Loess Plateau and the Tibetan Plateau, the taiga and the southern coastal regions—contain similarities and differences in geographic features. The Loess Plateau and the Tibetan Plateau are both plateaus, representing their commonality; however, their elevations differ—the Tibetan Plateau is the "roof of the world," highlighting their difference. The taiga and the southern coastal regions are both in humid zones, with natural zones belonging to forest zones, representing their commonality. However, the northern taiga forms due to winter temperatures below 0°C, with forests being coniferous or mixed coniferous-deciduous. The southern coastal regions are warm year-round, with flowers blooming all seasons, and forests belonging to tropical and subtropical trees, showing their difference. The similarities and differences in natural conditions across different regions are called regionalism, which profoundly influences all aspects of human life, such as agriculture, industry, transportation, and settlements.
In short, grasping the similarities and differences of different geographic features is the core of learning geography. "Mountains don't move, but water does; water doesn't move, but people do." From a cognitive perspective, this advocates dynamic thinking. Humans are mobile and can find the best perspective to observe the grandeur of mountains and the beauty of water. Similarly, when facing static geographic knowledge in textbooks, which may be challenging to learn, dynamic thinking can be introduced to find the best perspective to study it. For example:
(1) Using a timeline to trace the past and look to the future. Why is Mount Hua in the West so steep? "It is said that there has been a path on Mount Hua since ancient times." In fact, tectonic movements occurred in this area in the past, and Mount Hua is located on the uplifted side of a fault. This allows predictions of future tectonic movements in the region. Since the fault zone is prone to earthquakes, it is a high seismic area. In terms of human activity, Mount Hua is part of the Qinling Mountains. One side of the Qinling Mountains is rising, while the Weihe Plain is sinking, making it very difficult to build the Baocheng Railway, which must cross the Qinling Mountains.
(2) Using a spatial axis to weave threads through pearls. Taking the Yangtze River as an example, its upper reaches cut through gorges, linking "pearls" such as Tiger Leaping Gorge and the Three Gorges. The middle and lower reaches connect "pearls" like Dongting Lake and Poyang Lake. The transition zone from the upper mountainous areas to the middle and lower plain areas (or a converted position) has strong erosion forces (forming gorges with abundant hydropower) but also carries a lot of sediment. The Three Gorges is located in the transition zone from the upper reaches to the middle and lower reaches. Building a dam here has the advantage of creating a large reservoir but the disadvantage of sediment deposition, which is closely related to its location.
(3) Using a cognitive axis to find the best perspective. Due to the vast differences in geographic features, we must use cognitive methods to find the best perspective to observe and identify the intrinsic connections or differences. Climate zones, zonal and azonal patterns of natural belts, and non-zonal phenomena are all caused by the differences in geographic features and are the result of observing from different perspectives.
In summary, correct cognitive methods are key to learning geography. Maps are the foundation of geographic learning, regionalism (i.e., connections and differences, changes) is the core of geographic learning, and correct thinking with the best perspective is the key to learning geography. Therefore, geographic learning can be summarized in one sentence: "Using maps well → grasps the foundation; mastering regionalism → grasps the core; learning to think → finds the key to learning geography," which in turn supports your geographic ability like the sun, allowing you to succeed in all endeavors.
To help readers systematically master middle school geography knowledge and learning patterns, the author and Chengdu Map Publishing House have jointly launched the following series of review books to prepare everyone for the college entrance exam and excel in it. They also contribute to the improvement of comprehensive quality and participation in various endeavors.
The "3X" College Entrance Exam Geography Overview Map ("Overview Map"): Three large, full-color world and China maps, along with categorized knowledge tables, containing rich college entrance exam geography information.
Middle School Geography Review Map-Filling Training Compilation (Volumes 1 and 2) (Briefly referred to as "Map-Filling Compilation"): The Map-Filling Compilation (Volume 1) includes four parts of college entrance exam geography review: (1) Earth Basics, (2) World Geography, (3) China Geography, and (4) Grade 11 Electives. The Map-Filling Compilation (Volume 2) includes Grade 10 required geography, Grade 12 elective geography, and college entrance exam comprehensive geography papers.