US HISTORYTEACHER: _____________________________

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US HISTORY TEACHER ________________________
_____ NAME ___________________________________
PERIOD ___________ AMERICAN GEOGRAPHY
Map of the world showing the continents and the
oceans.
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STUDENT NOTES
GEOGRAPHY OF THE AMERICAS Understanding
geography is important to our understanding of
the past and present. -Geography is linked to
_________________. To understand history, you
must understand _________________. -All of
human history has taken place in our
_____________________________. GEORGRAPHY
__________________________________________________
__________________________ -Geography is the
__________________________ in which we live and
in which all past events have taken place.
ENVIRONMENT ___________________________________
_________________________________________ Geogra
phy includes 1.
Physical/Geographic Features 4. Natural
Resources 2. Weather
5. Human, Animal, Plant Life
3. Climate PHYSICAL FEATURES
(Geographical Features or Landforms)
____________________________________ ____________
__________________________________________________
_______________________________ NATURAL
RESOURCES _______________________________________
______________________________ WEATHER
__________________________________________________
_______________________________ CLIMATE
__________________________________________________
________________________________ -Made up of
temperature and precipitation (rain, snow, sleet,
hail)
The Erie Canal was built in New York. To
understand why it was built in its location, you
need to understand geography.
Rivers are physical or geographic features.
Plants and animals are part of the geography.
Gold and trees are examples of natural resources.

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5 THEMES OF GEOGRAPHY To study and understand
geography, we use the 5 Themes of Geography.
1. Location Tells where a place is. A.
Relative Location Tells where a place is in
relation to another place. B. Exact
(Absolute) Location Tells where a place is by
using Latitude and Longitude lines on
maps. LATITUDE _________________________________
__________________________________________________
______________________________________________ LO
NGITUDE _________________________________________
__________________________________________________
____________________________________
North
EQUATOR
South
West
East
When you take lines of latitude and lines of
longitude and put them together, you get a map
grid.
PRIME MERIDAN
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? The United States is part of ___________________
______________________. ? North America is one
of the ___________ continents on the Earth. 1.
_______________________________________ 2.
_______________________________________ 3.
_______________________________________ 4.
_______________________________________ 5.
______________________________________ 6.
______________________________________ 7
_______________________________________ ?America
s location is in the ___________________ and
_____________________ Hemispheres.
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1
5
4
2
6
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North America
North America
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• 2. Place Describes an areas physical and human
  features. It is the environment in which we
  live.
• A. Physical Features (Geographical Features or
  Landforms)

Rivers/Lakes
Animals
Trees/Forests
Rivers can be both a physical feature and a
natural resource.
B. Human Features Houses, transportation, jobs,
language, and religion.
Mountains
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3. Interaction Between People and Their
Environment People adapt to the
___________________ by changing the way they live
people change the environment by physically
changing it. -Everything that has happened in
human history and everything that will happen,
involves the physical environment.
People can clear land and plant crops, build
houses, and build roads.
-People change the way they live when the climate
(weather) changes.
SUMMER
WINTER
In the 1600s, the Pilgrims left England and
migrated to the New World. They did not plan on
going back.
4. Movement Movement of people, goods, and
ideas. -People move in order to get
resources. 5. Regions An area with certain
unifying characteristics. -Physical or human.
Mountain States
Midwest
?The United States is broken down into _________
general Political/Social Regions.
1. ___________________ 4. ___________________
2. ___________________ 5.
___________________ 3.
___________________ 6. ___________________
Northeast
West
New York is in the Northeast region of the US.
The states in this region have similar features.
Southeast
Southwest
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MAPS A representation of the features of the
Earth or part of the Earth. 1. TYPES OF MAPS
There are 2 main types of maps physical and
political maps. PHYSICAL MAP
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
________________________ POLITICAL MAP
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
_______________________
Physical Map
Political Map
2. PARTS OF A MAP All maps have 4 basic parts.
A. ________________________________
B. ________________________________
C. ________________________________ D.
________________________________ LABEL THE MAP
PARTS ON THE MAP TO THE RIGHT
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AMERICAN GEOGRAPHY The study of American
history often demands knowledge of American
geography. From the arrival of the first
Americans to the Battle of Saratoga during the
American Revolution to the recent population
shift to the Sunbelt States, geography has played
a very important role in the development and
history of the United States of America. WHAT
IS GEOGRAPHY? Before understanding American
history, you must first understand geography.
Geography is the study of the physical,
biological, and cultural features of the Earths
surface. Geography is basically the environment
in which we live. Our environment is the
surroundings in which we live. This includes the
landforms or geographic features or physical
features of an area, the climate of an area, the
temperature and weather of an area, natural
resources, vegetation and soil, sources of water,
and animal life. Natural resources are things
found in nature that can be used to produce goods
or services. Lumber, water, minerals, oil, and
soil are examples of natural resources.
Landforms, geographic features and physical
features are all the same thing. A landform
(geographic feature/physical feature) is a
feature of the earths surface. Another part of
geography is the weather and climate of an area.
Weather is the condition of the atmosphere in a
given place at a given time. In other words, it
is what it is doing outside right now. Climate
is the average weather of an area over a period
of 20-30 years. Understanding geography is
important to the study of history because
everything that has ever happened in the human
past has happened in the environment. Everything
that has happened in human history has been
influenced by the geography of that specific
area. This is known as Interaction Between the
Environment and Humans. As a human, we can
either change our environment or we change to fit
into it. For example, if we need to build a new
road and there is a forest in the way, what do we
do? If the temperature is 10 degrees outside and
we want to go out, what do we do? Sometimes, we
can change our environment to suite our needs.
Other times, we cannot. Then, we have to change
the way we behave. STOP
1 ________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
___________________________________________ AMERI
CAS SIZE The United States is a huge country
on the North American continent. Not counting
Alaska and Hawaii, the United States measures
about 2,500 miles east to west and 1,500 miles
north to south. The Continental United States is
bordered on the north by Canada, on the south by
Mexico and the Gulf of Mexico, on the east by the
Atlantic Ocean, and on the west by the Pacific
Ocean. In size, the United States is the 4th
largest nation in the world. More than 285
million Americans live on the more than 3.6
million square miles that our country
covers. Americas size has had many effects on
our history. For example, Americans are famous
for inventing machines that allow fewer workers
to do more work. One such invention was the
mechanical reaper. The reaper made it possible
for farmers to take full advantage of the vast
areas in America available for planting. Also,
the great size of America has led to many
inventions for speedy and cheap transportation.
The steamboat, faster trains, mass-produced cars,
and airplanes are just a few examples.
Americas size also partly explains our
heritage as a country that has become home for
people from all over the world. People have
always wanted to come here, and there has always
been plenty of room for them. Even today,
Americans live on only a small fraction (about
1/40th) of the land. STOP
2 ________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
___________________________________________
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AMERICAS LAND AND WATER Almost every landform,
or physical feature, or geographic feature, is to
be found somewhere in the United States.
Physical features and geographic features are the
same thing as landforms. These three words have
the same meaning. A landform is a feature of the
earths surface. Examples include bodies of
water, mountains, valleys, deserts, and plains.
Our rivers, lakes, and other bodies of water are
essential parts of our country. They supply
water for drinking and farming and, in some
cases, for running power plants. They are also
natural highways upon which enormous amounts of
goods are moved every year.
STOP 3 ___________________________________________
__________________________________________________
________________________________________________
AMERICAS LOCATION The United States is in the
Northern Hemisphere, the half of the earth north
of the equator. The United States is also in the
Western Hemisphere, the half of the earth west of
Europe and Africa. The United States, along with
Canada and Mexico, makes up North America. In
addition, Central America and South America are
part of the Western Hemisphere. Until about 500
years ago, mapmakers did not know that the
Western Hemisphere existed. For thousands of
years, the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans separated
the Western Hemisphere from the ancient
civilizations of Egypt, Greece, Rome, China,
India, and Western Europe. Today, of course,
ships and planes crisscross the oceans in a
matter of hours or days, and the United States
faces both east and west. It faces east
towards Europe and Africa and faces west towards
Asia. For much of their recorded history,
however, the North and South American continents
have faced east toward Europe. From about 1500
AD to 1800 AD, the European countries of England,
France, Spain, and Portugal controlled much of
the Western Hemisphere. Their effect on this
hemisphere is still felt today. The United
States began as a few small villages on the
Atlantic Coast, settled mainly by
English-speaking people. For the next 360 years
or so, our country generally grew in a westerly
direction toward the Pacific Ocean, toward the
setting sun, and toward Asia. This helps explain
why our national capital, Washington, D.C., is
closer to Great Britain than it is to Hawaii or
the western shores of Alaska. In fact, Alaska
and Hawaii are so far away from the rest of the
country that they usually must be presented as
insets on maps of the United States.
STOP 4 ______________________________________
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
___ SECTIONS AND REGIONS OF OUR COUNTRY
The United States has been broken down into
sections by the Bureau of the Census. There are
6 basic sections in the United States. These
include the Northeast, Southeast, Midwest,
Southwest, Mountain States, and West. Not only
can the United States be broken down into
sections, but it can be broken down into land
regions. There are 8 land regions in the United
States. These include the Pacific Coast,
Intermountain Region, Rocky Mountains, Interior
Plains, Appalachian Mountains, Canadian Shield,
Coastal Plains, and Hawaiian Islands.
STOP 5 _____________________________________
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
____
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DIRECTIONS Define the following terms by using
the above reading and then answer the questions
that follow. STOP 1Geography
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
________________________ STOP 1 Environment
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
______________________ STOP 1 Natural
Resource ________________________________________
__________________________________________________
____________________________ STOP 1
Landform/Physical Feature/Geographic Feature
__________________________________________________
____________________________________________ STOP
1 Weather _____________________________________
__________________________________________________
______________________________________ STOP 1
Climate _________________________________________
__________________________________________________
___________________________________ STOP 1 Why
is understanding geography important to the study
of history? ______________________________________
_________________________________________ _______
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
__________________________________ STOP 2 What
countries make up the continent of North America?
__________________________________________________
_____________________________________ ___________
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
______________________________ STOP 3 List
examples of different landforms found in upstate
New York. ________________________________________
________________________________________ ________
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
_________________________________ STOP 4 The
United States is located in which hemisphere(s)?
__________________________________________________
________________________________________ ________
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
_________________________________ STOP 5 How
many sections are there in the United States?
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________ ______
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
___________________________________
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MAP SKILLS WORKSHEET THE PARTS OF A
MAP DIRECTIONS The map below provides
information about the Yosemite National Park.
Study the map and answer the questions.
1. What is the title of the map?
_______________________________________________ _
__________________________________________________
______________________ 2. Draw the pattern that
is used to show the following information
a. Peak c. State Highway b.
Pass d. Camp 3. What is the part of the
map called that is used to find this
information? ____________________________________
_____________________________________ ___________
__________________________________________________
____________ 4. About how many miles is it from
Tioga Pass to Tuolumne Meadows?
________________________________________________
_________________________ _______________________
__________________________________________________
5. What is the part of the map called that you
used to determine this distance? ________________
__________________________________________________
_______ _________________________________________
________________________________
6. In what direction would you be traveling if
you went from Mono Pass to White Wolf Lodge?
__________________________________________________
____________ ____________________________________
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
_____ 7. What part of the map is used to tell
direction? _______________________________________
__________________________________________________
____________ ____________________________________
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
_____
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LATITUDE AND LONGITUDE
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LATITUDE AND LONGITUDE
Imagine that you are the captain of a U.S.
aircraft carrier in the Persian Gulf. You get a
message that an unidentified fighter plane is
headed your way. The planes current location is
28N latitude, 50E longitude. Where is
the plane? You would know if you understood
latitude and longitude. Mapmakers long ago came
up with this system of crisscrossing lines to
locate places on maps and globes. Latitude
North-South Distance Globe A shows a series of
lines circling Earth. The lines, called
parallels of Latitude, measure distance north and
south of the equator. Any place on the equator
is 0 latitude. Latitude increases as you travel
north or south to a maximum of 90 at each pole.
Any location north of the equator is north
latitude (N) any place south of the equator is
south latitude (S). Longitude East-West
Distance Globe B shows a series of lines running
from pole to pole. These are meridians of
longitude. They measure distance east or west of
the prime meridian, an imaginary line running
from pole to pole through Greenwich, England.
Any point on the prime meridian is 0.
Longitude increases as you travel east (E) or
west (W) until you reach 180. The 180 meridian
is in the Pacific Ocean, halfway around the globe
from the prime meridian. Global Grid Latitude
and Longitude Globe C shows latitude and
longitude combined to form a global grid.
Latitude is listed first, then longitude. For
example Aden is 15N, 45E.
DIRECTIONS Answer the following questions using
the globes and reading. 1. What is the name for
0 latitude line? ________________________________
__________________________________________________
_________________________ 2. What is the name
for 0 longitude line? __________________________
__________________________________________________
_____________________________ 3. To measure
distance north and south of the equator, you
would use lines of _______________________________
______________________________________________ 4.
To measure distance east and west of the Prime
Meridian, you would use lines of
__________________________________________________
_____________________ 5. If you were at 15S,
45W, on which continent would you be?
__________________________________________________
_____________________________________ 6. Look
at Globe C. What city is located at 15N, 45E?
__________________________________________________
____________________________________________ 7.
Look at Globe C. What city is located at 60N,
23E? ____________________________________________
__________________________________________________
8. Look at Globe C. What city is located at
55N, 0? ________________________________________
__________________________________________________
______
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HEMISPHERES WHERE ARE YOU?
Where do you live? a. Western Hemisphere?
b. Eastern Hemisphere? c. Northern
Hemisphere? d. Southern hemisphere?
Stumped? Geographers divide the globe into
hemispheres to locate places more easily. (Hemi
means half sphere means globe.) Here's how the
world is divided.
1. Northern/Southern We can also split the
globe in half along the equator. The equator
circles the Earth halfway between the North and
South poles. The Northern Hemisphere includes
everything north of the equator the Southern
Hemisphere includes everything south of the
equator.
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2. Western/Eastern We can divide the globe in
half from the North Pole to the South Pole,
giving us a Western Hemisphere and an Eastern
Hemisphere. Geographers usually divide the globe
at 20W and l60E so that most continents fall
into either one of these two hemispheres.
DIRECTIONS Answer the following questions based
on the globes and reading. 1. A line from the
North Pole to the South Pole divides Earth into
the ________________________ Hemisphere and
_______________________ Hemisphere. 2. Both
North and South America are in the
_______________________________ Hemisphere. 3.
Both Africa and Europe are in the
______________________________ Hemisphere. 4.
The equator divides the globe into the
__________________________________ and
_________________________________
hemispheres. 5. People in the U.S. live in the
_____________________________ and
_______________________________ hemispheres.
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MAP EXERCISE THE UNITED STATES IN THE
WORLD DIRECTIONS Use maps and additional
references to complete the following. 1. Label
the continents on the map. a. North America c.
Europe e. Africa g. Antarctica
b. South America d. Asia f.
Australia 2. Label the following lines on the
map Equator, Prime Meridian. 3. Label the
following oceans Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean,
Indian Ocean, and Arctic Ocean. 4. Create and
label a compass rose on the map with the
following directions North, South, East, and
West. 5. Label the United States of America,
Mexico, and Canada on the map.
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AMERICAN GEOGRAPHY TEST REVIEW SHEET DIRECTIONS
Complete the following review sheet to help
prepare for the unit test. PART 1 VOCABULARY
Write out the definitions for the following
terms. 1. GEOGRAPHY _________________________
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
2. LATITUDE __________________________________
__________________________________________________
___________________________________________ 3.
LONGITUDE _______________________________________
__________________________________________________
____________________________________ 4.
PHYSICAL FEATURES ______________________________
__________________________________________________
____________________________________ 5. NATURAL
RESOURCES _______________________________________
__________________________________________________
__________________________ 6. CLIMATE
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
____________________________ 7. WEATHER
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
___________________________ 8. ENVIRONMENT
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
______________________ PART 2 SHORT ANSWER
Answer the following questions to help understand
the ideas and concepts covered in this unit.
1. How are history and geography related to
each other? _____________________________________
__________________________________________________
_______ _________________________________________
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
2. What type of location do lines of latitude
and longitude show? ______________________________
__________________________________________________
________ 3. Explain the theme called
Interaction Between People and Their
Environment. ____________________________________
______________________________________ __________
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
_______________________________ 4. What are
some other names for physical features?
__________________________________________________
________________________________________________
5. List several examples of physical features.
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
___ 6. What hemisphere is North America located
in? ______________________________________________
__________________________________________________
____ 7. What nations/countries make up North
America? _________________________________________
__________________________________________________
_______ 8. List the main types of maps and what
they show? _______________________________________
__________________________________________________
_________ 9. List the 4 different parts of a
map and what they show to tell.
__________________________________________________
______________________________________
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