THE HYPSOMETRIC MAP IN THE STUDY OF THE CONTINENTS

Abstract

In this proposal are indicated didactic activities to work with Graphic Semiology through altimetric maps which constitute the six (6) continents’ (Africa, Asia, Europe, Oceania, America and Antarctica) study basis, the activities having being developed specifically for each one of them. Not only being didactic activities through graphics or sketches but also, as suggested, through scale models. The base-maps present altimetry in an approximate range of 1000 meters quotas and its biggest presents an altitude of 4000 meters. Only the guiding quota was used, whose number can vary depending on the didactic aspects considered and to follow a roughly identical number to all of the bases. The color variable follows the altimetry’s and the presented area’s pattern of meaning in the graphic language.The option was to work with the variation of four (4) colors for the altimetry, plus the fifth one, the color black, for the continent’s political delimitation, in what was proposed by Jacques Bertin in 1980, through Graphic Semiology, in an orientation directed to researchers and users of graphic maps. The Activity Theory’s - from Alexei Leontive in 1983 and Vasyli Davydov in 1998 - attributes were also considered. The results presents, in base map mode, underscore the models altimetric constructions, of the continents, as a methodological possibility of geography teaching with various contents, a mode of teaching Geography through of hypsometric maps. This denotes consider the space represented in their significations.