Page 6 - Grade 12 Geography

Geography Grade 12

Chapter 1: Mapwork and Geographic Techniques

Outline
In this chapter we will cover the essential mapwork necessary to write Paper II of your Geography
NSC examination. All the mapwork we did in Grades 10 and 11 is the basis for your mapwork in
Matric. Remember that the second Geography Exam you write is the Mapwork Paper. This exam
consists of all the calculations and map skills that you have learnt over the last three years. This
includes map interpretation and analysis. In Matric, you should be quite familiar with and have used
atlases and maps to a large extent. In this chapter, we will look more specifically at the geographic
techniques related to the use of topographical maps and orthophotomaps. The spatial dimension of
Geography is very important and you may find it so interesting, that you would want to pursue a
career in cartography (the art of map making). In today’s digital age, more and more mapping is
utilising the technology of computers and satellite imagery. We will continue to develop your
Geographic Information Systems (GIS) skills.

Unit 1: Using an atlas…
Unit 2: Maps and photographs in Geography
 Magnetic declination and magnetic bearing
 Mapwork calculations
 Map analysis and interpretation
Unit 3: Map projections
Unit 4: Fieldwork in Geography
Unit 5: Geographical Information Systems

Overview

By the end of this chapter you will be able to:
 Use an atlas.
 Be familiar with and utilize topographical maps and orthophoto maps successfully.
 Do many different types of calculations – using various formulae and different information for the
maps.
 List and describe the various types of map projections.
 Define and do and fieldwork in Geography.
 Explain, describe, and use GIS.

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