Introduction to the Earth (Third Edition): National Key Textbook for Higher Education during the "Ninth Five-Year Plan"

Author: Jin Zuming
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2000-06-10
Features: Introduction to the Earth is a foundational introductory course for geography departments in teacher training universities. Its content covers basic knowledge about the planetary Earth. It differs from related follow-up courses in that Introduction to the Earth discusses the Earth as a whole, while other courses focus on specific Earth systems, such as the atmosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere, and biosphere. The content of Introduction to the Earth is divided into two aspects: astronomy of the Earth and geophysics of the Earth. The former primarily discusses Earth's motion (rotation and revolution) and its geographical significance (seasons, temperature zones, calendars, and time), as well as the relationship between Earth and the Moon (solar and lunar eclipses and astronomical tides), which is the key focus of this course. The latter briefly covers Earth's shape and size, internal and external structure, and its physical properties. The astronomy of the Earth also includes Earth's cosmic environment. From far to near, from large to small, this general knowledge of astronomy is summarized as stars and galaxies, the Sun and the solar system, and the Moon and the Earth-Moon system. Additionally, to facilitate geographic positioning and the representation of celestial movements—especially those of the Sun and the Moon—Introduction to the Earth first introduces geographic coordinates and celestial coordinates.