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Physical Geography
Physical geography is the study of the earth's surface. It includes landforms,
climate, plant and animal life, and natural resources. Physical geography also
studies the boundaries of continents, countries, states, and cities.
Maps are an important part of physical geography. Some maps include all
landmasses and bodies of water on Earth. Others show individual continents or
countries. Some maps show the detail of specific areas, such as cities or individual
streets.
There are also maps that show topography. Topography is the height of the land's
surface. Topographical maps include natural and man-made features, such as
mountains and buildings. Maps can also show rainfall or climate.
Some lines on maps mark regions. Regions usually have borders. They also have
things in common. They may have the same language, government, or type of
land.
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Many regions have boundaries. Sometimes a government sets these boundaries.
Other times they are set by physical features, such as oceans or mountains.
Examples of regions are continents, countries, and cities.
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Some regions are groupings of individual areas that have something in common.
In the United States, the South is one example. This region includes the southern
states of the United States.
Landforms and weather are part of physical geography. Physical geographers
study heights of landforms, amounts of rainfall, types of plant life, and the ways
landforms were created. They also study bodies of water, wind and water currents,
soil and erosion, ecosystems, and climate. All of these are part of physical
geography.
"Physical Geography." Kids InfoBits Presents: Geography. Gale, 2012. Reproduced in
KidsInfoBits. Detroit: Gale, 2013. http://galenet.gale.es.vrc.scoolaid.net/servlet/KidsInfoBits
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