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

VIDEOS to Learn more About it!