People and the Environment Chapter 1, Lesson 5

Lesson Objectives Explain how physical features affect human settlement patterns. Describe ways that people use the land and affect the environment.

Vocabulary Land use Natural resource Renewable resource Nonrenewable resource Modify Irrigation Efficiency

Patterns of Settlement 300 million people live throughout the United States in different areas. The physical features of an area, such as climate, soil, water, and landforms, can affect how people move, travel, and where they settle. Today, people live in areas that were once considered not desirable places to live because of inventions and irrigation. People live in cities that spread out over large areas, which are often found along transportation routes such as rivers, lakes, or a coast.

Patterns of Land Use Landforms, bodies of water, climate, and vegetation can influence land use, or how the land is used. In the United States, about half of the land is used for farmland, which makes up areas in the Coastal Plain, on the Interior Plains, and in valleys in the West. Much of the mining in the United States takes place in the mountain regions. Cities also take up large areas of the United States, where most of the land is used for housing, transportation, and business.

Natural Resources A natural resource is something found in nature that people can use. Natural resources include soil, plants, water, and minerals. There are two kinds of natural resources: Renewable resources – resources that can be made again by people or nature (water, trees, and sources of energy such as light and wind). Nonrenewable resources – resources that cannot be made again by people, or resources that would take thousands of years for nature to replace (ores, minerals, oils, and gas). People use nonrenewable resources to heat their homes and fuel their cars. Today, people have started to conserve, or save, the resources for future generations.

Changing the Environment Americans modify, or change, the land they live on. They modify the land so that they are able to live on it and meet their needs. Irrigation is the use of canals, ditches, or pipes to move water. Irrigation allows farmers to grow crops in dry areas, such as the Southwest. People cut down trees to make lumber and paper products and also to make room for settlement. Many people today understand they need to use natural resources carefully so the resources do not run out. Engineers have learned much about energy efficiency, or using less energy, to do the same tasks.

Changing the Environment