Physical Geography and Mapmaking
vocabulary
map – a drawing of the earth’s surface on a flat paper
globe – a model of the earth that shows geographic information
compass rose – a symbol used on maps to show directions
human geographic characteristics – the qualities that describe the people living in a place
climate – a pattern of weather over time in a particular area
landforms – physical geographic features on the surface of the earth
natural disaster – a natural event that causes damage or loss of lives
adapt – making adjustments because of existing conditions
modify – making changes to the existing conditions
United States Climate Region Map
Pacific Northwest
Mount Hood/Mirror Lake, Oregon
Shoshone Falls, Idaho
Boise, Idaho
Mount St. Helens, Washington
Southwest
Lake Tahoe, California/Nevada
Mojave Trails, California
White Sands, New Mexico
Bryce Canyon Arches, Utah
Joshua Tree National Park, California
Grand Canyon, Arizona
Horseshoe Bend (Grand Canyon), Arizona
northern plains
Custer State Park, South Dakota
Uncle Tom's Trail Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Native Prairie in East Central North Dakota
Panorama Point, Nebraska
Rocky Mountains National Park, Colorado
southern plains
Mount Sunflower, Kansas
Texas Hill Country
Lubbock County (Texas)
Concho River near San Angelo, Texas
Gulf Coast near Corpus Christi, Texas
Flint Hills, Kansas
Southwestern Oklahoma
Red Dirt of Oklahoma
Franklin Mountains (Texas)
Gulf Coast Prairie (Texas)
Midwest
Itasca State Park, Minnesota
Dillard Mill, Missouri
Quarry Park in Marion, Ohio
Ash Cave at Hocking Hills State Park in Logan, Ohio
Madison, Wisconsin
Fall Leaves in Brown County, Indiana
Walker, Indiana
Northeast
Cape Cod, Massachusetts
Acadia National Park in Maine
Rural Pennsylvania
Allegheny Mountains, West Virginia
Adirondack Mountains in New York
Lake Placid, New York
Swamp in West Virginia
Southeast
Smoky Mountains National Park in South Carolina
Newfound Gap Mountain Pass Appalachian Mountains in Tennessee
Hot Springs, Arkansas
Lee County, Virginia
Cypress Dome Swamp at Everglades National Park in Florida
Read All About it!
INDIVIDUALS CHANGE COMMUNITIES BY:
- taking on leadership roles in the community
- volunteering in the community
- modifying the environment of the community
- creating businesses in the community
- introducing new ideas, traditions, and customs
- promoting ideas for government, conservation, and ecology
- making new scientific discoveries
COMMUNITIES ARE PHYSICALLY CHANGED BY:
- natural disasters
- invasions
- conflicts
- economic decline
- economic growth
- creating buildings, roads, and power supplies
- modifications of the environment
LANDFORMS - features on Earth's surface like:
- plains
- mountains
- valley
- volcanoes
- deltas
- islands
- canyons
NATURAL RESOURCES - any physical material that occurs naturally as part of Earth, and which people need and value.
- air
- land
- water
- trees
- crops
- metals
- oil
- coal
NATURAL HAZARDS - events which happen in the physical environment. They are not necessarily predictable and are characterized by the damage they cause to property and people.
- hurricanes
- earthquakes
- tornadoes
- tsunamis
- droughts
- volcanoes
- fires
- floods
- insect infestations
EFFECTS OF PHYSICAL PROCESSES ON THE LANDSCAPE:
- Volcanoes – many mountains and islands have been created because of volcanic eruptions.
- Hurricanes – erosion affects islands and coastal regions. Forests are leveled to the ground and salt water intrusiveness destroys much of the fresh-water living things, particularly in the wetlands.
- Earthquakes – fault valleys and troughs might be created. Streams may change their course.
EFFECTS OF HUMAN PROCESSES IN SHAPING THE LANDSCAPE:
- Building New Homes – changes contour of the land, changes to the flow of water (e.g., impervious cover, landscaping), addition of non-native plants that change watering requirements, stresses to water tables with additional users
- Conservation – replacing non-native plants with plants native to the region, minimizing lawn to conserve water, planting more trees, creating green zones
- Pollution – oil spills pollute water and ground, use of fossil fuels leads to increased air pollution, waste disposal leads to materials added to landfills
- Other Examples - clearing land, building roads and houses, channeling water with dams, planting non-native plants, and removing native plants, controlling fires, bringing in non-native animal species (cattle and the rise of prickly pear), conserving resources, using technology to measure and control air and water pollution