Physical Geography Chapter 3: Physical Geography

Vocabulary: Lesson 2 1.physical features - a feature of a place’s land, water, climate, or plant life 2.mountain range - a large chain of mountains 3.valley - a lowland that lies between hills or mountains 4. plateau - A landform with steep sides and a flat top

5. vegetation - The plants that grow in a place 6. growing season - The time when plants can grow 7. erosion - The wearing away of Earth’s surface over a period of time 8. ecosystem - The plants, animals, land, water, and climate that make up an area

Vocabulary: Lesson 3 9. preserve: to save

Vocabulary: Lesson natural resource - something found from nature that people can use, such as trees, water, or soil 11. mineral - a kind of natural resource found in the ground, such as iron or gold 12. renewable - able to be made or grown again by nature or people 13. non-renewable - not able to be made again quickly by nature or people 14. fuel - a natural resource that is burned to make heat or energy

Physical features include land, water, climate and plant life. Physical Features Land Plant Life ClimateWater

Lesson 2: Land and Water 1. Communities have both land and water features. 2. Some examples of land features are: Plains – large area of flat land Mountain range – chain of mountains Valleys – low area between hills and mountains Plateau – steep sides that rise to a flat top Coast – land near an ocean

3. The largest body of water is called an ocean. All oceans are made of salt water. 4. The largest group of freshwater lakes in the world are the Great Lakes. 5. Many communities are built near bodies of water.

1. Climate is a place’s weather over time. It includes temperature and the amount of rain and snowfall. 2. Climate is affected by its location on the earth. 3. Sunlight hits the Earth at different angles. The equator gets direct sunlight making places there hot and wet. Climate

Plant Life 1.Plant life, or vegetation, is affected by climate. 2.Example: Cactus grow in hot, dry places. Palm trees grow in hot, wet places. 3. Climate is also affected by the growing season. 4. Places with short, warm winters have longer growing seasons.

Physical Processes 1.The Earth is always changing. These changes occur because of physical processes. 2.Some physical processes are slow and take millions of years. An example is erosion. 3.Water, wind and sand all cause erosion.

4. Some physical processes happen quickly, like earthquakes and volcanoes. 5. Physical processes affect ecosystems. 6. Plants and animals in ecosystems need each other to survive.

Lesson 3: Our Country’s Regions 1.The US is often divided into 5 regions. Regions of The U.S. NortheastSoutheastMidwestSouthwestWest

2. Our state, PA, is located in the Northeast Region. region 3. The features of a region include culture and economics. 4. Some communities are part of more than one kind of region.

Lesson 4: Natural Resources 1.A natural resource is something from nature that people use. 2.Examples of natural resources are: soil, trees, water, oil. 3.Some natural resources are found underground. These are called minerals. Examples are gold, salt and iron.

4. Natural resources are either renewable or nonrenewable. 5. Renewable resources are made again by nature or people. Examples are trees and animals. 6. Nonrenewable resources can’t be made again quickly by nature or people. Examples are minerals and fuels. 7. Natural resources can be living or nonliving. Living examples are plants and animals. Nonliving examples are soil, minerals and metals.