Aim #1: Physical Characteristics of the United States Do Now: Describe where the United States is located. What countries/features surround the United States? Homework: p. 12 #4

Do Now:

Geography The study of the Earth and its physical features.

Features of the United States Variation in Climate and Vegetation: Climate ranges from cold to mild to hot, can grow almost anything. Range and Abundance of Resources Fortunate Location: Oceans provide security and trade routes, friendly borders. Geographic Isolation Room to Grow: By world standards, the U.S. is lightly populated

Population Density How crowded a place is. Found by dividing the population of a place by its area, giving the number of people living in each square mile. Picture: United States at night- How can you tell where the most people live? Where is the U.S. lightly populated?

The Creation of U.S. Landforms Landforms: Natural features of the Earth’s surface. Caused By: Continental Drift: Continents float on immense plates of rock that gain or lose land when they collide. Volcanoes and Earthquakes: occur frequently along boundaries between shifting continental plates. Play key roles in shaping the land. Glaciers: Moving masses of snow and ice. Can slice mountains, fill valleys and create lakes. Erosion: Wearing away of land by wind, rain, or ice.

Geography Terms: 48 Contiguous States: Those that share an uninterrupted expanse of territory (48+2=50) Ice Age: When global temperatures dipped sharply and glaciers spread Plateau: Flat or gently rolling expanses at high altitudes Plain: Large area of level or gently rolling land Tributary: Smaller rivers that flow into a larger river Archipelago: Chain of islands Fossil Fuel: Energy sources that originated from a combination of ancient organisms and minerals ex- coal, petroleum and natural gas