Context

Hydrography is a branch of Geography that studies the waters of the planet, encompassing rivers, seas, oceans, lakes, glaciers, groundwater, and atmospheric water. Life, as we know it, is impossible without the presence of water. Therefore, understanding the distribution, circulation, and properties of water on Earth is essential to comprehend numerous natural, socioeconomic, and cultural phenomena present in our daily lives.

Hydrography has an intimate connection with human history. The first civilizations emerged around great rivers such as the Nile, Tigris, and Euphrates, where agriculture was facilitated by access to water for irrigation. Currently, water resource management is a huge global challenge, as potable water is a finite resource and its distribution is unequal. Furthermore, human activities have had a significant impact on water quality.

To delve deeper into the subject, we suggest the following resources:

1. World Geographic Atlas - This tool from IBGE provides a series of thematic maps that can help in understanding the distribution of water worldwide.

2. Brazil School Portal - This portal features several articles on Hydrography, from the water cycle in nature to water resource management.

3. ANA Interactive Map - The National Water Agency provides an interactive map with detailed information on water resources in Brazil.

Practical Activity: Getting to Know the World's Hydrography

Project Objective

The objective of this project is for students to expand their knowledge of global hydrography by conducting research on the hydrography of different continents and analyzing their characteristics, how they affect the regions where they are located, and their connections to development and sustainability. In addition, students should also create a digital interactive map presenting the acquired information.

Detailed Project Description

The project will be carried out in groups of 3 to 5 students, lasting one month. Each group will be responsible for researching the hydrography of a continent, including rivers, lakes, oceans, aquifers, and glaciers.

Groups should research the role and impact of hydrography on the chosen continent, including its use in agriculture, water supply, energy, transportation, as well as possible environmental issues related to it.

The final product will be a digital interactive map showing the continent's hydrography, along with a report detailing the acquired information.

Required Materials

• Computers with internet access.
• Graphic editing programs such as Google Earth or similar.
• Research materials (books, scientific articles, reliable websites, etc).

Detailed Step-by-Step

1. Division of continents among groups.
2. Initial research to understand the hydrography of the assigned continent.
3. Specific research to understand the impacts and uses of hydrography on the continent.
4. Creation of the digital interactive map.
5. Elaboration of the report.

Project Deliverables

• Digital interactive map: Should clearly and detailedly show the hydrography of the chosen continent. It is important that, in addition to the main water bodies, the map also highlights locations with the greatest impacts or environmental issues related to hydrography.

• Report: Should follow the format described in the introduction of this project and complement the information presented in the map. It should contain an introduction contextualizing the continent's hydrography and the importance of water for life on the planet. Then, it should present the development, explaining in detail the continent's hydrography and the discoveries made during the research. The conclusion should bring back the main learning points of the project and the main lessons learned by the students. Finally, in the bibliography, students should list all sources used to conduct the research.