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Social Studies Alive
Chapter 3 – Study Guide
What is the Geography of Our Community?
Physical Geography – the physical features, climate, and natural resources
of a place
Physical Feature–A natural feature of Earth’s surface such as mountain,
plain, lake, river
Climate – the weather in a place, measured over time
Region – an area with certain features in common
Natural Resource – a useful item that comes from nature, such as wood
from trees
A special-purpose map – a map that focuses on one topic
An island – a piece of land surrounded by water
Cardinal Directions – North, South, East, West
Intermediate Directions – Northeast, Southeast, Northwest, Southwest
Roseburg, Oregon is in the Northwest region of the US. Physical
features of Roseburg include mountains, trees, and rivers. The
climate is gentle and mild. Winters are cool and rainy, summers
are warm and dry. Forests are the most important natural
resource.
Las Cruces, New Mexico is in the Southwest region of the US.
Three important physical features are the desert, mountains,
and a river. Las Cruces has a desert climate that is hot and dry
with very little rain. The most important natural resource in Las
Cruces is water.
Gloucester, Massachusetts is in the Northeast region of the US.
The ocean is the most important physical feature. The weather
changes from season to season in Gloucester. Summers are warm
and sunny, winters are cold and snowy, and spring and fall are
cool and rainy. Fish and other seafood are the most important
natural resource.