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Classical Liberal Arts Academy

World Geography I

Lesson 04.  The Earth, Part I

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1.  Lesson

Directions:  Read the following lesson carefully. 

We know that the Earth is a planet, shaped like a ball or sphere, but how large is it? Obviously this was a question that men must have always asked and you will probably be surprised to know that an ancient Greek mathematician named Eratosthenes was the first to figure it out.  Around 250 BC, Eratosthenes reasoned that measuring the angle of the sun at two different points on the Earth could help him calculate how large the Earth must be--and he was right!  See what a classical education can do?

Let's try to get an idea of the Earth's size.  If we were to begin at a point on the Earth's surface and from that point make a line straight through the center of the Earth to a point on the surface of the other side of the planet, that line (a diameter) would be about 8,000 miles long.  It would take us about 3 full days to drive a car (at 55 mph) to the center of the Earth--without stopping!

If we were to drive from one point on the earth all the way around the earth and back to that point, it would be about 25,000 miles.  At 55mph, it would take our car 19 full days to make the trip--again, without stopping.

So, the Earth is very, very large.  However, even though it is called "Earth", most of its surface is covered with water, so we couldn't drive around even if we wanted to.  Only one quarter of the Earth's surface is dry land.

Ancient wise men teach us that when God created the world, waters and darkness covered the Earth.  God commanded that the dry land appear and He called the dry land Erets in Hebrew.  In Greek the dry land is called Ge, in Latin Terra and Earth in English.

As the dry land appeared, the water gathered in to large bodies, which in Hebrew God called Yam.  Again, in English we call these Seas, and in Latin they are called Maria and in Greek Thalassas.

THE EARTH

When we look at the Earth, we see a number of common forms.  The first and greatest form is the Continent.  A continent  is a great body of land that is not divided into parts by water.  The word Continent comes from the Latin continere, which means "touching" or "holding together" and this describes the basic feature of the continent:  it is not divided by water.  Geographers name seven continents on earth:  Asia, Africa, Europe, North America, South America, Australia and Antarctica. We will study them in future lessons.

The land forms on Earth that are not parts of of continents are called Islands.  The meaning of the word island is a bit mysterious.  Some believe that it comes from an old English word ea-land, which means "watery land".  On the other hand, the Latin word for island is insula, and we don't have to think too hard to see how insula can become isla in Spanish and then island.  Either way, no one can be sure, but both make sense. 

On continents and islands we find other common land forms.  First, a peninsula is a part of land running out from a continent or island into the water.  The word peninsula is derived from the Latin words paene, which means "almost" and insula, which means "island".  Therefore, this fancy word means nothing more than "almost an island".  A piece of land that reaches out into the water, but is not large enough to be considered "almost an island" is called a cape, headland or promontory. These names all speak of the same thing:  cape comes from the Latin word caput which means "head" and the Latin word prominere means "to stick out"...like a head.  

Lastly, a narrow piece of land connecting two larger bodies is called an Isthmus.  We will look at all of these land forms in our Lesson Exercises below.

SUMMARY

Our planet is very large, but it is surprising to see how little of the earth is actually dry land.  In this lesson we have learned the  names of several basic forms of land we will see as we study our globes.  In our Lesson Exercises below, we are going to take a look at some examples of these forms using our globes and VirtualEarth.

Directions:  The following points must be learned by memory.

1.  What is the Diameter of the Earth?

The Diameter of the Earth is approximately 8,000 miles.

2.  What is the Circumference of the Earth?

The Circumference of the Earth is approximately 25,000 miles.

3.  What are the five major landforms found on Earth?

The five major landforms found on Earth are Continents, Islands, Peninsulas, Capes and Isthmi (or Isthmuses).

4.  What is a Continent?

A Continent is a great body of land that is not divided into parts by water

5.  How many Continents are on the Earth?

There are Seven Continents:  Asia, Africa, Europe, North America, South America, Australia and Antarctica.

6.  What is an Island?

An island is a body of land, smaller than a Continent and surrounded on all sides by water.

7.  What is a Peninsula?

A Peninsula is a body of land nearly surrounded on all sides by water.

8.  What is a Cape?

A Cape is a body of land, smaller than a Peninsula, that sticks out from a body of land into water.

9.  What is an Isthmus?

An Isthmus is a narrow piece of land connecting two larger bodies.

Directions:  View each of the following land forms on your globe first and then online.  The name of each location is a link to your online map.

1.  Continents (locations are approximate):

     a.  Africa:  From 40°N to 35°S Latitude, 50°E to 15°W Longitude.

     b.  South America:  From 12°N to 50°S Latitude, 30°W to 80°W Longitude.

2.  Islands (locations are approximate):

     a.  Madagascar:  From 15°S to 25°S, and about 45°E.

     b.  Borneo:  On the Equator between 105°E and 120°E longitude.

3.  Peninsulas (locations are approximate):

     a.  Italy:  From 40°N to 45°N, and 15°E to 20°E.

     b.  Florida:  From 30°N to just above the Tropic of Cancer, around 80°W.

4.  Capes (locations are approximate):

     a.  Cape of Good Hope (Southern tip of Africa):  From 35°S, and about 20°E.

     b.  Cape Horn (Southern tip of S. America):  Around 55°S, and 80°W.

5.  Isthmi (locations are approximate):

     a.  Isthmus of Panama:  Around 10°N, and 80°W.

     b.  Isthmus of Suez (Connects Africa to Asia):  Around 30°N, and 35°E.

Directions:  When you have completed all of your assignments above, complete your Lesson Examination.