Download GEOGRAPHY

GEOGRAPHY
A sense of place,
people, and their
environments.
GEOGRAPHY
PART ONE:
Defining
Geography and
Determining
Regions
What is geography?
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It’s studying the Earth and
EVERYTHING on it…
Rivers, Lakes, and Oceans,
Mountains and Deserts,
Plains and Plateaus,
Natural Resources,
The Earth’s Climate, and
The people, too.
Let’s begin with…
REGIONS
Regions are specific geographical
areas that share one or more things
in common like…
•Climate
•Population
•Landforms
•Culture
•Economy
Regions can be defined by
the natural resources
found in an area.
Here are just a few:
• Vegetation and forested areas
• Coal, natural gas, and fossil fuels
• Fertile soil areas
• Wind energy resources
• Animal resources
On the US mainland, here is one way
regions are grouped according to location:
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New England States
Middle Atlantic States
Southeastern States
Midwestern States
Southwestern States
Rocky Mountain
States
• Pacific Coast States
Here’s a map that breaks regions up
a little differently…
What region do you live in?
Every region has
specific features which
help define it.
Let’s take a look at a few regions
defined by where the states are
located…
New England
• Located on the Northern Atlantic
Coast
(water is usually cold)
• Soil is rocky
• Summers are hot and humid,
winters are cold and snowy
• Some mountains
• Large fishing economy
• Local people are interested in the
outdoors, history, and the arts—
especially painting
• Maine, Vermont and New
Hampshire have smaller
populations than Massachusetts
and areas located to the south
The South
• Located on the Southern Atlantic
Coast and along the Gulf of Mexico
(water is usually warm)
• Climate is humid and warm the
majority of the year
• Fertile soil for farming tobacco, rice,
cotton and sugar cane— these used
to be the area’s main industries
• Today, large cities also are major
manufacturing areas as well
• Area is also known for its history,
tourism, music, and writing
• Large cities include Birmingham, AL;
Atlanta, GA; and Memphis, TN
The Midwest
• Mostly flat and located inland
• Area is larger than New England,
but less populated
• Temperate climate
(not too hot, not too cold)
• Summers are warm, cold winters
• Climate and soil are good for
growing corn, soybeans, and
wheat
• The Great Lakes and major rivers
provide transportation for crops
• Large cities include Chicago, IL;
Cleveland, OH; Minneapolis, MN;
and St. Louis, MO.
Checkpoint Time
Write your answers on lined paper.
Then we’ll check to see if you were correct.
Ready?
Here are your questions…
1. What is geography?
2. Name two ways regions can be defined.
3. Which region mentioned in this
PowerPoint would most likely bring
tourists who wanted to ski? Why?
4. Which region mentioned is larger in area
than New England, but smaller in
population?
ANSWERS – p.1
1. Geography is the study of WHAT?
Everything on Earth including water, landforms,
climate, people, & resources.
2. Name two ways regions can be defined.
Any two– location, climate, population, culture,
economy, landforms, resources, etc.
ANSWERS p.2
3. Which region mentioned in this PowerPoint
would most likely bring tourists who wanted to
ski?
The New England Region
4. Why?
It has mountains and cold, snowy winters
5. Which region mentioned is larger in area than
New England, but smaller in population?
The Midwest Region
Can you make some
predictions?
Based on the types of things discussed so far, can you
choose another region and determine…
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What type of landforms are found there?
What is the general climate for that region?
What type of economy might they have?
Is there any special feature of that region that makes
it unique?
USE THE NEXT SLIDE TO HELP…
Compare both maps below.
Remember:
*Landforms?
*Population?
*Climate?
*Economy?
Get a partner and write down your ideas.
GEOGRAPHY
PART TWO:
How Landforms
and Vegetation
Impact Climate
What gives a
region its climate?
In a moment,
turn to your neighbor
and brainstorm the answer.
(Be prepared to share your thoughts.)
You will have one minute after you
look at the hint on the next page.
Here’s the Hint…
(The hour glass on the next slide
will keep track of the time.) Get ready…
Note -- pictures not done to scale
1 minute sand timer
CLICK THE SPACEBAR OR MOUSE TO BEGIN AND END.
1 minute
End
The Earth is titled on its axis. This means
that heat rays from the Sun hit the Earth at
different latitudes.
In other words, certain parts of the Earth get
stronger and more sunlight than other areas.
For example,
Canada receives a lot of sunlight, however, it is
WEAK sunlight. Because of this, its winters are
long and harsh. In the summer, while Canada
can get up to 15 hours of sunlight,
the days still are cool.
On the other hand, the country of Honduras in
Central America has a very tropical climate
because it receives strong sunlight all year.
So what about the
United States?
The United States is located between both
Canada and Honduras. Its climate is what we
call temperate, it’s not too hot, not too cold.
Do LANDFORMS have an
impact on climate?
YES!
For example:
• Mountainous regions are usually
cooler and get more snow.
• Coastal regions – water helps keep
temperature in a “middle range.”
Summers and winters are usually
mild.
An area’s VEGETATION
(plant life) also affects
an area’s climate.
Plants need water to survive.
They also give off water.
• In tropical climates there’s lots
of vegetation, like in the rain
forest. When the plants give off
water, it is returned as rain.
• In a tundra climate (flat, treeless
land covered by snow most of the
year), there aren’t too many
plants, so there is less rain.
• In a desert climate cactus plants
retain their water, which is one
reason why a desert climate is so
dry.
Checkpoint Time
Write your answers on lined paper.
Then we’ll check to see if you were correct.
Ready?
Here are your questions…
1. What gives a region its climate?
2. What word would describe the type of
climate the United States experiences?
3. Which of the following regions do you
think would receive the most amount of
snowfall?
South
Rocky Mountains
Midwest
Pacific Coast
ANSWERS
1.
What gives a region its climate?
The tilt of the Earth’s axis, which allows different
parts of the Earth to receive different strengths of
sunlight
2.
What word would describe the type of climate the
United States experiences?
Temperate
3. Which of the following regions do you think would receive
the most amount of snowfall?
South
Midwest
Rocky Mountains
Pacific Coast
GEOGRAPHY
PART THREE:
People and their
environments
The ENVIRONMENT of a
region also affects how
people live in it.
What might you see people in a
COLD environment do?
Ideas: wear coats, stay inside for warmth,
chop wood for fireplaces
What might you see people in a
HOT, SUNNY environment do?
Ideas: go swimming, ride bikes,
stay inside with air conditioning
Let’s move our
focus to
something in
a region that
people might
change in
order to meet
the needs of
that area.
First, let’s look at an area of land
that is good for farming. We
call that area, ARABLE.
People would be able to live off of what they
grow, and could sell the extra, the
SURPLUS, to earn money.
Now let’s say the land is
NOT ARABLE.
What would need to be
CHANGED?
Take a moment and
brainstorm an
answer with your
neighbor.
ANSWER:
The food must come
from somewhere else
OR
changes must be made
to the land.
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POSSIBLE CHANGES…
Trucks can use the area’s highways to
transport needed resources to a region.
Land could be irrigated, bringing water
to it, making it possible for crops to grow
there.
The region’s navigable rivers could be
used to bring cargo ships filled with food
to an area.
Whenever an environment
is changed,
an impact occurs.
This impact can be
positive,
or
it can
be negative.
The GOOD (positive):
PEOPLE’S LIVES ARE
MADE EASIER.
The BAD (negative):
THE ENVIRONMENT IS
HARMED IN SOME WAY.
For example, building
HIGHWAY SYSTEMS…
• Positive Effect: This helped the nation’s economy
grow and allowed people and goods to get to their
destinations faster, easier, and safer. It linked cities
together. People could now live in suburbs, making it
possible for cities and towns to grow.
• Negative Effect: People began to rely on their own
automobiles instead of depending on mass
transportation (like buses). This increased traffic. More
vehicles produce more air pollution and could lead to
congested highways and traffic jams. Tearing down trees
to build the highway also eliminates an animal’s natural
habitat. Animals can lose their homes and/or their food.
Using IRRIGATION…
• Positive Effect: Dry areas could be
turned into farmland by building dams on
rivers and digging canals. This allowed
people to grow food and it created jobs.
• Negative Effect: Taking large
amounts of water from rivers and lakes
often harms the plants and animals in that
environment. In addition, if groundwater is
the source of the irrigation, it wouldn’t take
long for the water to be used up.
Building
CANAL SYSTEMS…
• Positive Effect: Canals are built to
make water transportation more
accessible. As a result, shipping in areas
such as the Great Lakes increased which
helped trade and industry grow.
• Negative Effect: Water systems, like
the Great Lakes, became threatened with
overcrowding and experienced more
pollution.
While some changes to a region
could be tremendously helpful
to the population in that area,
those same changes often
had harmful effects on the
environment.
Checkpoint Time
Write your answer on lined paper.
Then we’ll check to see if you were correct.
Ready?
There is only one question…
How can
introducing a new
species of plant or
animal to a region
be both beneficial
and harmful to the
environment?
Brainstorm ideas with a partner.
Video: Feral Hogs in Texas
Possible ANSWER:
• Beneficial: A new animal or plant introduced
to a region may like the new climate or new
type of soil there. This would allow it to thrive
in its relocated area. It may help solve an
area’s need to provide food.
(Example: The pioneers introduced cattle,
hogs, and wheat to the Great Plains Region.
All three did extremely well in this new area.)
ANSWER continued:
• Harmful: Introducing a new animal or plant may
hurt the wildlife already established in that
region.
(Example: Hogs that have escaped the farms have
become feral and are taking over the area. The
population of feral hogs has exploded. The hogs are
destroying farmland and causing problems for farmers.
Congratulations, you have
successfully finished the
geography lessons on
regions.