Geography is…
the study of the earth in all its variety
Five Themes of Geography – link history with geography
Location – Where is it?
Absolute location – one exact spot on the earth
Relative location – where a place is compared to another place
Place – What is it like?
Features and characteristics that give a place its own qualities
Physical (landforms, climate, plants, animals, etc)
Cultural (language, religion, music, architecture, etc.)
Human Environment Interaction – How does the relationship between
people and their surroundings
influence the way they live?
Shows how people use the environment, and how their actions change
the environment
Movement – How do people in one area relate to people in other areas?
Study the movement of people, places, and ideas
Show how people get connected to others
Region – What common characteristics does an area share?
Physical similarities – mountains, forest, etc.
Cultural similarities - government, language, etc.
The Land
8 Physical Regions make up the U.S.
Coastal Plains - sea level –1000 ft above
Atlantic Coastal Plain
Borders the Atlantic from MA to FL
Excellent harbors, large cities (megalopolis)
Gulf Coastal Plain
Borders the Gulf of Mexico from FL to TX
Fed by the Mississippi River
Wider than the Atlantic Plain
Appalachian Highlands – 15,000 miles
Run from Canada to AL
Includes the oldest mountain range (Appalachian Mts.)
Descends from the Mts. to the Piedmont and to the Atlantic
Interior Plains – central U.S.
Central lowlands – forests, rivers, flatlands, hills
Largest group of freshwater lakes (Great Lakes)
Great Plains – western portion
High plateaus – good for fields and pastureland
Canadian Shield – north central U.S.
Rocky, hills, and lakes - MN, MI, WI, and Canada
Rocky Mountains – up to 14,000 ft. above sea level
AK – Mexico
Continental Divide–a ridge separating flowing waters in the U.S.
W. flow to Pacific – E. to Gulf of Mexico
Intermountain Region – west of Rockies
Basins, plateaus, & deserts – least populated
Includes the Grand Canyon and Death Valley
Pacific Coast
2 major mountain ranges - Sierra Nevada and Coast Ranges
western most edge – lowlands, fertile valleys
Alaska is part of this region
Islands, bays, and glaciers (frozen rivers of ice)
Largest mountain in U.S. Mount McKinley (20,320)
Climate – usual pattern of weather events that occur in an area over a long period
of time
Affected by the distance from equator, closeness to water, elevation, etc.
10 Climate regions in the U.S.
Midlatitude climates (Between the Equator and the North Pole)
1)Humid Continental – cold, wet winters; long hot summers
2)Humid Subtropical – mild, cool winters; hot, humid summers
3)Marine – mild year round with lots of rain
4)Mediterranean – warm dry summers, mild, rainy winters
Dry Climate
5)Desert – trapped hot, dry air from the Pacific Mountain Ranges
6)Steppe – very cold winters, hot, dry summers
High Latitude Climates
7)Tundra – bitter cold winters, summers barely above freezing
8)Subarctic – bitter cold winters slightly warmer summers
9)Highland – year round cool or cold temperatures
Tropical Climates
10)Tropical – humid, high rainfall, hot summers, warm winters
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