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Unit 2: The World in Spatial Terms (Lessons 4-5) Physical Characteristics of Place The earth has many different and unique physical features. Physical features are the natural (not human-made) details of the world such as mountains, deserts, or oceans. The characteristics of natural features can vary depending on their relative location. For example, mountain ranges in North America can look very different from each other; they also look different than mountain ranges in other parts of the world. Figure 1: Rocky Mountain Figure 2: Appalachian Mountains Certain physical features tend to appear near each other. For instance, you cannot have an island without a body of water. Grasslands tend to be found on the edge of deserts. Rivers tend to flow to or from other bodies of water. Knowing the relative locations and characteristics of natural or physical features can help us better navigate our world. Look at the illustration to the right. Which natural features are familiar to you? Which are new? Figure 3 Michigan Citizenship Collaborative Curriculum Copyright © 2010-2014 by Oakland Schools Page 1 of 7 Representing Physical Features Maps can help us see how certain physical features are related to one another. A geographer can use maps to locate different physical features of the earth, including their relative locations to other natural features. Consider the maps below. Can there be a mountain without a volcano? Can there be a volcano without a mountain? How would you describe the connection between volcanoes and mountains? Figure 4: Mountains of the World Figure 5: Volcanoes of the World Some physical features tend to be found near each other. However, latitude also plays a role in where some physical features are found. What physical features are likely found near the equator? What physical features are not? In looking at the map in Figure 6 below, it is not a surprise to see Michigan Citizenship Collaborative Curriculum Copyright © 2010-2014 by Oakland Schools Page 2 of 7 a cluster of tropical rainforests near the equator. Ways to Regionalize the Earth Geographers find patterns on Earth and ask questions about them. However, the earth is a large place to investigate. Oftentimes, geographers use these patterns to carve out smaller places to study. Figure 6: Map of Tropical Rainforests Patterns can be identified by using either human or natural characteristics. By finding at least one human or natural feature that several places share, geographers create regions. A region is an area of the earth that shares at least one common characteristic – either natural or human. Regions can be big or small. Let’s look at an example. The Great Lakes is a region. The characteristic that all the places in this region share is that they abut or touch the Great Lakes. The common characteristic is a natural feature – a Great Lake. How many states are in the Great Lakes region? How many countries? Figure 8: Map of the Great Lakes Region The types of vegetation or the climate of an area can also be used to create regions. Can you use the name of the following natural features to identify a region based on them? • Gulf Coast • Pacific Ocean • Mississippi River Michigan Citizenship Collaborative Curriculum Copyright © 2010-2014 by Oakland Schools Page 3 of 7 Regions can be created based on human characteristics too. Human characteristics reflect common historical, economic, cultural or political features. These may include the country of Japan, the European Union, or the Middle East. Each of these areas shares some common characteristic that distinguishes them from other places. Read and complete the graphic below. By _______ Figure 9 Michigan Citizenship Collaborative Curriculum Copyright © 2010-2014 by Oakland Schools Page 4 of 7 The United States can be seen as one region. It is a country which is a political region. Yet, the United States can also be subdivided into many different types of regions. Can you name the common characteristic used to define the regions in the maps below? Figure 11: ________________________________ Figure 10: _________________________________ Figure 12: _______________________________ Michigan Citizenship Collaborative Curriculum Copyright © 2010-2014 by Oakland Schools Page 5 of 7 Using a smaller spatial scale, we can look at even larger regions. Landmasses can be divided into regions by hemispheres or continents. A hemisphere allows for geographers to look at only half of the globe. While the Eastern and Western Hemispheres are divided by the Prime Meridian and International Dateline, the Northern and Southern Hemispheres are divided by the equator. These regions are determined by their placement on the planet. Figure 14: Northern and Southern Hemispheres Figure 13: Eastern and Western Hemispheres Landmasses do not always fit perfectly into only one hemisphere. Remember, lines of latitude and longitude are a human creation. This grid system enables geographers to more precisely locate places on the planet. While all countries lie in at least two hemispheres, some countries lie in more than two. There are twelve countries that straddle the equator and are found in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. Figure 15 Michigan Citizenship Collaborative Curriculum Copyright © 2010-2014 by Oakland Schools Page 6 of 7 Similarly, there are countries whose territories are on both sides the Prime Meridian. For example, France and Spain in Europe along with Mali and Togo in Africa have the unique privilege of being in both the Western and Eastern Hemispheres. Figure 16: Countries in the Western and Eastern Hemispheres There is just one country in the Figure 17: Kiribati is in world that is located in all four all four hemispheres. hemispheres. The country of Kiribati, which lies in the Pacific Ocean near Australia and New Zealand, is not only divided by the equator, but also by the one hundred and eighty degree line of longitude (the International Dateline). Due to these divisions, Kiribati is found in all four hemispheres. Another way geographers regionalize the earth is by focusing on the landmasses themselves. Traditionally, we define a continent as a large, unbroken land mass surrounded by water. Today, we identify seven continents of the world as North America, South America, Asia, Europe, Africa, Antarctica, and Australia (or Oceania). However, not all of these continents fit the traditional definition. Can you think of a continent that is not surrounded entirely by water or a continent that is not “an unbroken landmass”? Figure 18: Continents of the world Michigan Citizenship Collaborative Curriculum Copyright © 2010-2014 by Oakland Schools Page 7 of 7