What is geography?  Field of science dedicated to the study the earth:  Landscapes  Features  Inhabitants  Phenomena

What can a map tell us?  Political map  Boundaries  Locations

What can a map tell us?  Physical map  landforms  water

What can a map tell us?  Elevation map  Relative to sea level

What can a map tell us?  Population map  How many people live in a certain area  Population density measured per capita

What can a map tell us?  Climate map  weather patterns  temperature

What can a map tell us?  Natural resource map  Shows where certain types of natural resources can be found

How do we read maps?  Compass  Also known as cardinal directions  Instrument used to show directions  North, South  East, West

How do we read maps?  Map key  Also known as a legend  Uses symbols to identify locations of real things

How do we read maps?  Distance scale  Used to help calculate actual distance between locations on a small map

How do we read maps?  Map grid  Usually numbers and letters that divide a map into small sections that are easy to find

How do we read maps?  Latitude  Horizontal lines on a world map/globe  Also known as parallels  Run East/West across the world  Middle point called the equator

How do we read maps?  Longitude  Vertical lines on a world map or globe  Also known as meridians  Run North/South around the world  Middle point called “prime meridian”

How do we read maps?  Hemispheres  Equator runs East/West and splits Earth into Northern and Southern hemispheres  Prime meridian runs North/South and divides Earth into Eastern and Western hemispheres

What are land- forms?  Natural features of the of the earth’s surface

What kind of land- forms are there?  Mountains  High elevation  Top known as a peak  Usually formed through tectonic activity

What kind of land- forms are there?  Valleys  Depression between hills or mountains  Often caused by water erosion— river valleys

What kind of land- forms are there?  Plains  Flat area  Important for agriculture— usually fertile

What kind of land- forms are there?  Plateaus  Flat terrain that is raised above surrounding area  Also known as high plain  Often formed by volcanic activity

What kind of land- forms are there?  Glaciers  Dense ice  Flow very slowly  Created the great plains

What kind of land- forms are there?  Hills  Above surrounding terrain  Doesn’t have a high peak

What kind of land- forms are there?  Desert  Arid climate  Lacks vegetation and animal life  Not always sand dunes

What kind of land- forms are there?  Volcanoes  Surface of Earth breaks open, allows lava, ash, and gas to escape  170 active in USA

What kind of land- forms are there?  Wetlands  Saturated with water  Marshes, swamps, bogs  Lots of wildlife

What kind of land- forms are there?  Rivers  Water flowing towards body of water  Many flood in wet seasons

What kind of land- forms are there?  Lakes  Depression filled with water  Tectonics, landslides and ice dams, oxbows, craters, glacial activity

How is America divided up?  United States of America  States  Counties, parishes, boroughs  (Not CT, RI)  Townships

American Regions

Annual Precipitation

PhysicalEconomicVegetationNatural Disasters Northeastmountains forests coastline fishing shipping tourism thick forestsBlizzards, tornadoes, hurricanes Southeastwetlands gulf coast fishing shipping oil Cypress trees Palm trees hurricanes floods Midwestplains Great Lakes agriculturegrasslandstornadoes Southwestdeserts Grand Canyon oilcactus, succulents some tornadoes Westernmountains tundra rainforest fishing shipping tourism lumber Palm trees thick forests earthquakes tsunamis