UNITED STATES GEOGRAPHY

•  The study of Earth’s land- forms and physical features, such as mountains, glaciers, lakes and rivers is called physical geography.  It is important for students to know about the physical geography of Earth because the seasons, the atmosphere, the natural processes that take place on the surface of

• Earth can affect where people can live. Geography is one of a combination of factors that has determined where people choose to settle, and how long they stay in a certain area.

• The physical features of a region are what make it rich or poor in resources. Within our nation, mountain ranges, such as the Sierra Nevadas, the Rocky Mountains, and the Appalachians have become natural borders for settlement areas. Fresh water sources such as the Mississippi River, the Colorado River, and the Great Lakes have also influenced where people have settled. Throughout history, people have settled near fresh water to ensure that daily needs for drinking and washing could be met, and there was an added bonus of using water as a travel route for people and goods.  Mountains and deserts have been settled by fewer people than the plains areas, but have valuable plant, animal, and mineral resources of their own. Earth is our home. The more that we can answer our questions about it, the more comfortable we can be at home.

Name:__________________________________

Answer the following questions based on the reading passage. Don’t forget to go back to the passage whenever necessary to find or confirm   your answers.

1)  Why is it important to learn about physical geography?

2)  What landforms have become natural borders for settlement in the United States?

3)  Why were the regions along the Mississippi and Colorado rivers popular places for settlements?  

4)  Why do you think less people settled in mountains and deserts than on the plains?

5)  If you could live anywhere in the U.S., where would you choose to live? Why?