Download unit 1: american geography

US HISTORY
TEACHER: _____________________________
NAME: ___________________________________ PERIOD: ___________
AMERICAN GEOGRAPHY
Map of the world showing the continents and the oceans.
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STUDENT NOTES:
GEOGRAPHY OF THE AMERICA’S:
*Understanding geography is important to our understanding of the past and present.
-Geography is linked to _________________. To understand history, you must understand _________________.
-All of human history has taken place in our _____________________________.
GEORGRAPHY: ____________________________________________________________________________
-Geography is the __________________________ in which we live and in which all past events have taken place.
ENVIRONMENT: ____________________________________________________________________________
*Geography includes:
1. Physical/Geographic Features
2. Weather
3. Climate
4. Natural Resources
5. Human, Animal, & Plant Life
PHYSICAL FEATURES: (Geographical Features or Landforms) ____________________________________
The Erie Canal was built in New York. To understand why it was
built in its location, you need to understand geography.
Rivers are physical or
geographic features.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
NATURAL RESOURCES: _____________________________________________________________________
WEATHER: _________________________________________________________________________________
CLIMATE: __________________________________________________________________________________
-Made up of temperature and precipitation (rain, snow, sleet, hail)
Gold and trees are examples of
natural resources.
Plants and animals are part of
the geography.
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5 THEMES OF GEOGRAPHY: To study and understand geography, we use the 5 Themes of Geography.
1. Location: Tells where a place is.
A. Relative Location: Tells where a place is in relation to another place.
B. Exact (Absolute) Location: Tells where a place is by using Latitude and Longitude lines on maps.
LATITUDE: _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
LONGITUDE: _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
North
EQUATOR
South
West
When you take lines of latitude and lines of
longitude and put them together, you get a
map grid.
East
PRIME
MERIDAN
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● The United States is part of ___________________ ______________________.
● North America is one of the ___________ continents on the Earth.
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1. _______________________________________
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2. _______________________________________
3. _______________________________________
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4. _______________________________________
5. ______________________________________
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6. ______________________________________
7 _______________________________________
●America’s location is in the ___________________ and _____________________
Hemisphere’s.
North America
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North
America
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2. Place: Describes an area’s physical and human features. It is the environment in which we live.
A. Physical Features: (Geographical Features or Landforms)
Rivers/Lakes
Animals
Trees/Forests
Rivers can be both a physical
feature and a natural resource.
B. Human Features: Houses, transportation, jobs, language, and religion.
Mountains
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3. Interaction Between People and Their Environment: People adapt to the ___________________
by changing the way they live & people change the environment by physically changing it.
People can clear land and plant crops, build
houses, and build roads.
-Everything that has happened in human history and everything that will happen, involves the physical
environment.
-People change the way they live when the climate (weather) changes.
SUMMER
WINTER
In the 1600’s, the Pilgrims left England and
migrated to the New World. They did not
plan on going back.
4. Movement: Movement of people, goods, and ideas.
-People move in order to get resources.
5. Regions: An area with certain unifying characteristics.
-Physical or human.
Mountain
States
●The United States is broken down into _________ general
Political/Social Regions.
1. ___________________
Midwest
Northeast
4. ___________________
West
2. ___________________
5. ___________________
3. ___________________
6. ___________________
New York is in the Northeast
region of the US. The states in
this region have similar features.
Southeast
Southwest
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MAPS: A representation of the features of the Earth or part of the Earth.
1. TYPES OF MAPS: There are 2 main types of maps; physical and political maps.
PHYSICAL MAP: ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _
POLITICAL MAP: ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Political Map
Physical Map
2. PARTS OF A MAP: All maps have 4 basic parts.
A. ________________________________
B. ________________________________
C. ________________________________
D. ________________________________
LABEL THE MAP PARTS ON THE MAP TO THE RIGHT:
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AMERICAN GEOGRAPHY:
The study of American history often demands knowledge of American geography. From the arrival of the first Americans to the Battle of Saratoga during the American
Revolution to the recent population shift to the Sunbelt States, geography has played a very important role in the development and history of the United States of America.
WHAT IS GEOGRAPHY?
Before understanding American history, you must first understand geography. Geography is the study of the physical, biological, and cultural features of the Earth’s surface.
Geography is basically the environment in which we live. Our environment is the surroundings in which we live. This includes the landforms or geographic features or
physical features of an area, the climate of an area, the temperature and weather of an area, natural resources, vegetation and soil, sources of water, and animal life. Natural
resources are things found in nature that can be used to produce goods or services. Lumber, water, minerals, oil, and soil are examples of natural resources. Landforms,
geographic features and physical features are all the same thing. A landform (geographic feature/physical feature) is a feature of the earth’s surface. Another part of
geography is the weather and climate of an area. Weather is the condition of the atmosphere in a given place at a given time. In other words, it is what it is doing outside right
now. Climate is the average weather of an area over a period of 20-30 years.
Understanding geography is important to the study of history because everything that has ever happened in the human past has happened in the environment. Everything that
has happened in human history has been influenced by the geography of that specific area. This is known as “Interaction Between the Environment and Humans.” As a
human, we can either change our environment or we change to fit into it. For example, if we need to build a new road and there is a forest in the way, what do we do? If the
temperature is 10 degrees outside and we want to go out, what do we do? Sometimes, we can change our environment to suite our needs. Other times, we cannot. Then, we
have to change the way we behave.
STOP 1
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AMERICA’S SIZE:
The United States is a huge country on the North American continent. Not counting Alaska and Hawaii, the United States measures about 2,500 miles east to west and 1,500
miles north to south. The Continental United States is bordered on the north by Canada, on the south by Mexico and the Gulf of Mexico, on the east by the Atlantic Ocean, and
on the west by the Pacific Ocean.
In size, the United States is the 4th largest nation in the world. More than 285 million Americans live on the more than 3.6 million square miles that our country covers.
America’s size has had many effects on our history. For example, Americans are famous for inventing machines that allow fewer workers to do more work. One such
invention was the mechanical reaper. The reaper made it possible for farmers to take full advantage of the vast areas in America available for planting. Also, the great size of
America has led to many inventions for speedy and cheap transportation. The steamboat, faster trains, mass-produced cars, and airplanes are just a few examples.
America’s size also partly explains our heritage as a country that has become home for people from all over the world. People have always wanted to come here, and there has
always been plenty of room for them. Even today, Americans live on only a small fraction (about 1/40th) of the land.
STOP 2
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AMERICA’S LAND AND WATER:
Almost every landform, or physical feature, or geographic feature, is to be found somewhere in the United States. Physical features and geographic features are the same thing
as landforms. These three words have the same meaning. A landform is a feature of the earth’s surface. Examples include bodies of water, mountains, valleys, deserts, and
plains. Our rivers, lakes, and other bodies of water are essential parts of our country. They supply water for drinking and farming and, in some cases, for running power
plants. They are also natural highways upon which enormous amounts of goods are moved every year.
STOP 3
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AMERICA’S LOCATION:
The United States is in the Northern Hemisphere, the half of the earth north of the equator. The United States is also in the Western Hemisphere, the half of the earth west of
Europe and Africa. The United States, along with Canada and Mexico, makes up North America. In addition, Central America and South America are part of the Western
Hemisphere. Until about 500 years ago, mapmakers did not know that the Western Hemisphere existed.
For thousands of years, the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans separated the Western Hemisphere from the ancient civilizations of Egypt, Greece, Rome, China, India, and Western
Europe. Today, of course, ships and planes crisscross the oceans in a matter of hours or days, and the United States “faces” both east and west. It faces east towards Europe
and Africa and faces west towards Asia.
For much of their recorded history, however, the North and South American continents have “faced” east toward Europe. From about 1500 AD to 1800 AD, the European
countries of England, France, Spain, and Portugal controlled much of the Western Hemisphere. Their effect on this hemisphere is still felt today.
The United States began as a few small villages on the Atlantic Coast, settled mainly by English-speaking people. For the next 360 years or so, our country generally grew in a
westerly direction – toward the Pacific Ocean, toward the setting sun, and toward Asia. This helps explain why our national capital, Washington, D.C., is closer to Great
Britain than it is to Hawaii or the western shores of Alaska. In fact, Alaska and Hawaii are so far away from the rest of the country that they usually must be presented as
insets on maps of the United States.
STOP 4
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SECTIONS AND REGIONS OF OUR COUNTRY:
The United States has been broken down into sections by the Bureau of the Census. There are 6 basic sections in the United States. These include the Northeast, Southeast,
Midwest, Southwest, Mountain States, and West. Not only can the United States be broken down into sections, but it can be broken down into land regions. There are 8 land
regions in the United States. These include the Pacific Coast, Intermountain Region, Rocky Mountains, Interior Plains, Appalachian Mountains, Canadian Shield, Coastal
Plains, and Hawaiian Islands.
STOP 5
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DIRECTIONS: Define the following terms by using the above reading and then answer the questions that follow.
STOP 1:Geography: ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
STOP 1: Environment: __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
STOP 1: Natural Resource: ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
STOP 1: Landform/Physical Feature/Geographic Feature: ______________________________________________________________________________________________
STOP 1: Weather: _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
STOP 1: Climate: ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
STOP 1: Why is understanding geography important to the study of history? _______________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
STOP 2: What countries make up the continent of North America? _______________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
STOP 3: List examples of different landforms found in upstate New York. ________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
STOP 4: The United States is located in which hemisphere(s)? __________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
STOP 5: How many sections are there in the United States? ____________________________________________________________________________________________
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MAP SKILLS WORKSHEET: THE PARTS OF A MAP
DIRECTIONS: The map below provides information about the Yosemite National Park. Study the map and answer the questions.
1. What is the title of the map? _______________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
2. Draw the pattern that is used to show the following information:
a. Peak:
c. State Highway:
b. Pass:
d. Camp:
3. What is the part of the map called that is used to find this information?
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
4. About how many miles is it from Tioga Pass to Tuolumne Meadows?
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
5. What is the part of the map called that you used to determine this distance?
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
6. In what direction would you be traveling if you went from Mono Pass to White Wolf Lodge? ______________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
7. What part of the map is used to tell direction? _____________________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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LATITUDE AND LONGITUDE:
A. LINES OF LATITUDE:
B. LINES OF LONGITUDE:
C. GLOBAL GRID: LATITUDE AND LONGITUDE
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LATITUDE AND LONGITUDE:
Imagine that you are the captain of a U.S. aircraft carrier in the Persian Gulf. You get a message that an unidentified fighter plane is headed your way. The plane’s current
location is 28°N latitude, 50°E longitude.
Where is the plane? You would know if you understood latitude and longitude. Mapmakers long ago came up with this system of crisscrossing lines to locate
places on maps and globes.
Latitude: North-South Distance
Globe A shows a series of lines circling Earth. The lines, called parallels of Latitude, measure distance north and south of the equator.
Any place on the equator is 0° latitude. Latitude increases as you travel north or south to a maximum of 90° at each pole. Any location north of the equator is north latitude
(N); any place south of the equator is south latitude (S).
Longitude: East-West Distance
Globe B shows a series of lines running from pole to pole. These are meridians of longitude. They measure distance east or west of the prime meridian, an imaginary line
running from pole to pole through Greenwich, England.
Any point on the prime meridian is 0°. Longitude increases as you travel east (E) or west (W) until you reach 180°. The 180° meridian is in the Pacific Ocean, halfway around
the globe from the prime meridian.
Global Grid: Latitude and Longitude
Globe C shows latitude and longitude combined to form a global grid. Latitude is listed first, then longitude. For example: Aden is 15°N, 45°E.
DIRECTIONS: Answer the following questions using the globes and reading.
1. What is the name for 0° latitude line? ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
2. What is the name for 0° longitude line? _________________________________________________________________________________________________________
3. To measure distance north and south of the equator, you would use lines of _____________________________________________________________________________
4. To measure distance east and west of the Prime Meridian, you would use lines of _______________________________________________________________________
5. If you were at 15°S, 45°W, on which continent would you be? _______________________________________________________________________________________
6. Look at Globe C. What city is located at 15°N, 45°E? ______________________________________________________________________________________________
7. Look at Globe C. What city is located at 60°N, 23°E? ______________________________________________________________________________________________
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8. Look at Globe C. What city is located at 55°N, 0°? ________________________________________________________________________________________________
HEMISPHERES: WHERE ARE YOU?
Where do you live?
a. Western Hemisphere?
b. Eastern Hemisphere?
c. Northern Hemisphere?
d. Southern hemisphere?
Stumped? Geographers divide the globe into hemispheres to locate places more easily. (Hemi means half; sphere means globe.) Here's how the world is divided.
1. Northern/Southern:
We can also split the globe in half along the equator. The equator circles the Earth halfway between the North and South poles. The Northern Hemisphere includes everything
north of the equator; the Southern Hemisphere includes everything south of the equator.
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2. Western/Eastern:
We can divide the globe in half from the North Pole to the South Pole, giving us a Western Hemisphere and an Eastern Hemisphere. Geographers usually divide the globe at
20°W and l60°E so that most continents fall into either one of these two hemispheres.
DIRECTIONS: Answer the following questions based on the globes and reading.
1. A line from the North Pole to the South Pole divides Earth into the ________________________ Hemisphere and _______________________ Hemisphere.
2. Both North and South America are in the _______________________________ Hemisphere.
3. Both Africa and Europe are in the ______________________________ Hemisphere.
4. The equator divides the globe into the __________________________________ and _________________________________ hemispheres.
5. People in the U.S. live in the _____________________________ and _______________________________ hemispheres.
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MAP EXERCISE: THE UNITED STATES IN THE WORLD
DIRECTIONS: Use maps and additional references to complete the following.
1. Label the continents on the map.
a. North America
c. Europe
b. South America
d. Asia
2. Label the following lines on the map: Equator, Prime Meridian.
3. Label the following oceans: Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, and Arctic Ocean.
4. Create and label a compass rose on the map with the following directions: North, South, East, and West.
5. Label the United States of America, Mexico, and Canada on the map.
e. Africa
f. Australia
g. Antarctica
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AMERICAN GEOGRAPHY TEST REVIEW SHEET:
DIRECTIONS: Complete the following review sheet to help prepare for the unit test.
PART 1: VOCABULARY: Write out the definitions for the following terms.
1. GEOGRAPHY: ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________
2. LATITUDE: _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
3. LONGITUDE: ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________
4. PHYSICAL FEATURES: ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
5. NATURAL RESOURCES: ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
6. CLIMATE: ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
7. WEATHER: ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________
8. ENVIRONMENT: __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
PART 2: SHORT ANSWER: Answer the following questions to help understand the ideas and concepts covered in this unit.
1. How are history and geography related to each other? ______________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
2. What type of location do lines of latitude and longitude show? ________________________________________________________________________________________
3. Explain the theme called “Interaction Between People and Their Environment.” __________________________________________________________________________
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4. What are some other names for physical features? __________________________________________________________________________________________________
5. List several examples of physical features. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________
6. What hemisphere is North America located in? ____________________________________________________________________________________________________
7. What nations/countries make up North America? __________________________________________________________________________________________________
8. List the main types of maps and what they show? __________________________________________________________________________________________________
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9. List the 4 different parts of a map and what they show to tell. ________________________________________________________________________________________
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