Themes of Geography Unit 2

Vocabulary: ​ ● Geography- the study of the physical features of the earth and its atmosphere, ​ ​ and of human activity as it affects and is affected by these, including the distribution of populations and resources, land use, and industries. ● Geographers- A geographer is a person whose area of study is geography, the ​ ​ study of Earth's natural environment and human society. ● Region- A region an area. A region is part of a country or the world having ​ ​ definable characteristics. ● Precipitation- rain, snow, sleet, or hail that falls to the ground. ​ ​ ● Great Plains- s the broad expanse of flat land (a plain), much of it covered in ​ ​ ​ ​ prairie, steppe, and grassland, that lies west of the Mississippi River tallgrass prairie in the United States and east of the Rocky Mountains in the U.S. and Canada. ● Dessert-is a landscape form or region that receives very little precipitation. ​ ​ ● Tundra- a vast, flat, treeless Arctic region of Europe, Asia, and North America in ​ ​ which the subsoil is permanently frozen. ● Forest- A growth of trees and other plants covering a large area. ​ ​ ● Grassland- a large open area of country covered with grass, especially one used ​ ​ for grazing. ● Landforms-a natural feature of the earth's surface. ​ ​ ○ The major types of landforms on earth include mountains, valleys, ​ ​ plateaus, glaciers, hills, loess, plains and desserts.

Facts to know about the United States ★ Michigan has the largest bodies of freshwater in the entire world! ○ There are 5 Great Lakes- Lake Huron, Lake Ontario, Lake Michigan, Lake Erie, Lake Superior. (you can remember them by H.O.M.E.S) ​ ★ Most people live in regions closest to the coastline(where there is access to water) so that people have better access to trades and raw material.

★ Know the cardinal directions: North, East, South, West, Northeast, Southeast, Southwest, Northwest

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★ ★ “Corn Belt” region includes the Midwestern states produce a lot of corn. ​ Because the midwestern region is dominated by farming and agriculture, it has a strong economic activity. ★ “Rust Belt”-refers to an area of the northern United States. The area is mostly ​ ​ the states near the Great Lakes. This area was once known for steel production. Rust Belt cities include Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and Youngstown, Ohio.

United States Map by Regions

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United States Landforms: Rocky Mountains, Appalachian Mountains, Great ​ ​ Basin, Great Plains, Great Lakes, Cascade Range, Colorado River, Mississippi River, Coastal Plain, Gulf of California

United States Map At Night ● The areas of light come from cities where most people live.

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● Geographers use many different natural characteristics such as landforms or ​ climate to divide United States map into regions. ● Regions can also be based on cultural characteristics like the kinds of work people ​ do.

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