physical geography chapter 3: physical geography

Chapter 3: Physical GeographyPhysical Geography

Vocabulary: Lesson 2Vocabulary: Lesson 21.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 3Vocabulary: Lesson 3

9. preserve: to save

Vocabulary: Lesson 4Vocabulary: Lesson 410. 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 Physical features include land, water, climate and land, water, climate and

plant life.plant life.

Lesson 2: Land and Lesson 2: Land and WaterWater

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.

ClimateClimate

Plant LifePlant Life1. 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 ProcessesPhysical Processes1. 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 Lesson 3: Our Country’s RegionsRegions

1.The US is often divided into 5 regions.

2. Our state, PA, is located in the Northeast Region.

3. The features of a regionregion include culture and economics.

4. Some communities are part of more than one kind of region.

Lesson 4: Natural Lesson 4: Natural ResourcesResources

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.