Name, Location, Climate, Landforms, and Regions of Pennsylvania Lesson 1

5 Themes of Geography 1. L ocation – location of city or your community 2. P lace – where something is in relation to its surroundings ex. City in contrast to smaller communities 3. Human-Environment I nteraction – how people depend on the environment or change land 4. M ovement – connection between places and patterns of movement 5. R egion – ex. Tourist, political, business, rural, urban, suburban, or even school district

Vocabulary – 3 minutes to copy into your notes, leave spaces between words Commonwealth Square mile Panhandle Humid continental Region Landforms Hills Ridge Valley Plateau

1681 – name of state provided by William Penn and the King of England. – Penn wanted to call colony “Sylvania” (woods) – King added Penn in honor of William’s father Penn’s woods Commonwealth – founded for the common good or wealth of its people – Pennsylvania is one of only four states that carry title – Massachusetts, Virginia, and Kentucky

View with surrounding states and waterways

Location Pennsylvania is 45,333 square miles – Square mile – a distance calculated by multiplying one mile in width by one mile in length 302 miles wide and 158 miles length – Panhandle – A narrow projection of a larger territory

Climate Humid continental – type of climate that offers four distinct seasons – winter, spring, summer, fall Adequate rainfall and is suitable for farming Average temperatures – July – 76 ̊ in southeast, 68 ̊ along Lake Erie – December – 31 ̊ in southeast, 24 ̊ along Lake Erie – Record high – 111 ̊ Record low ̊

Landforms and Regions 5 distinctive geographic regions – Regions – Areas which have at least one characteristic – Each region has common landforms and elevations – Landform – land surfaces with natural features such as plains, hills, valleys, mountains, plateaus.

5 Landform Regions of Pennsylvania

← ATLANTIC COASTAL PLAIN

Atlantic Coastal Plain Along Eastern Coast of United States Elevation ranges from 26 feet above sea level to sea level Contains the city of Philadelphia

PIEDMONT

Piedmont Southeast region between Philadelphia and Harrisburg Reaches elevation of 600 feet above sea level Includes some of the most fertile soil in the United States Allentown, Reading, Lancaster, York Farms, fields, and forests

RIDGE AND VALLEY

Ridge and Valley Hills – land with a rounded elevation Ridges – a range of hills or mountains Valleys – long depressions between ranges of hills or mountains Contains the Appalachian Mountains – mountain chain that runs from Georgia to Maine Ridges and valleys have individual names

Mt. Davis – state’s highest elevation at 3,213 feet above sea level, located in southern Somerset County Pennsylvania mountains are low in elevation to other parts of the country

ALLEGHENY PLATEAU

Allegheny Plateau Covers 60% of Pennsylvania Plateau – an elevated section of land that is relatively level in elevation – Elevations range from 700 to 2,500 feet Pocono Mountains – formed by glacial forces

←ERIE PLAIN

Erie Plain Northwest corner of state along Lake Erie – Only 4 miles wide, stretching from shoreline Soil is rich in sand and silt Erie – Pennsylvania’s third largest city

Review Questions Answer questions 1-7 on page 6