Unit 1: Physical Geography Notes

Transcription

1 - How has the physical world impacted settlement patterns? o Major factors in the decision-making process of o Before the boom controlling the physical environment was not possible on a large scale - Physical features & climates o Create and opportunities over time o For all regions the rougher the terrain and the drier the climate the more it is to settle North America - Mississippi River System o This vast river system s watershed takes up almost of the United States o It has been and continues to be vital for of goods, irrigation, drinking water and electricity o in the watershed was aided and hampered by the river system o 3 major rivers of the system: River River River (fed by the Arkansas and Red Rivers) o Each have countless o American Indians and European settlers all found the Mississippi River watershed to be life o The soil is rich and great for growing crops in the river valleys due to occasional o Transportation of people and goods was made due to the connectedness of the river system - Appalachian Mountains o Part of the 1 st American o Several peaks over 6,500 feet an intense challenge to o The Cumberland Gap is a pass through the mountains which offered a much more attainable to the west - Rocky Mountains o Begins in New Mexico and extends through western Canada into Alaska o the continents watersheds o most of western North America from the eastern two-thirds - Canadian Shield o Much of the eastern half of is part of the Canadian Shield o Characterized by the large amounts of igneous and metamorphic rock throughout the

2 - North American Climate o As as its physical features o Combining the physical features and climate of an area, it s much easier to settlement patterns o The the natural environment, both climate and physical landscape, the more difficult it is to thrive or even survive Central South America - Andes Mountains o Stretch the length of South America from the Southern tip of Chile to Columbia in the north (LONGEST mountain range in the world) o Highest peak reaches almost 23,000 feet o Isolates the west coast of South America from the rest of the - Amazon Basin o Almost million square miles (just under the size of the entire contiguous 48 states in the United States) o Includes all the rivers, streams and creeks that eventually flow into the River o Located in and in parts of Columbia, Peru and Bolivia o The amount of biodiversity this basin accounts for is almost o Historically settlement was reserved to populated communities who lived off the forest and rivers o With the advent of chainsaws and bulldozers, much of the Amazon Basin has been impacted by human development - Atacama Desert o desert that is not polar on earth o Rain may not fall for o It is a that sits to the west of the Andes and east of the Pacific o It is located primarily in, but also is inside parts of Bolivia, Peru and Argentina - Pampas o Primarily located in but is partly located in Uruguay and Brazil o Vast plain dominated by 300,000 square miles o Separated into a more region to the west and humid region with more precipitation in the east Europe - Alps

3 Africa o range that runs from Monaco in the west to Slovenia in the east o Can be found in parts of France, Germany, Switzerland, Italy and o Mont on the border between Italy and France is the tallest peak in the mountain range just under 16,000 feet - Pyrenees Mountains o Range forms a border between France and Spain o The micro-state of sits within the Pyrenees between France and Spain o Just over 11,000 feet the mountain called is the tallest in the chain - Ural Mountains o Mountain range runs north and south from northern Kazakhstan, through the of Russia to the Arctic Ocean o The Urals effectively Europe and Asia - Rhine River o The Rhine River s source is in the in Switzerland o Runs north becoming the border between Switzerland and Lichtenstein Switzerland and Germany Southwestern Germany and France o Becomes a delta within the Netherlands and finally dumps into the Sea - Danube River o Originates in southern o Flows primarily east through southern Germany, Austria, becomes the border between Slovakia and Hungary, through Hungary, becomes the border of Croatia and Serbia, through Serbia, becomes the border between Bulgaria and Romania, forms the border between the Ukraine and Romania o Ending in the Sea - Seine River o Begins just east of, France from the confluence of two other rivers o Meanders northwestward through northern France before ending in the Chanel - Nile River Valley o Begins at the of the White and Blue Nile Rivers o Runs for over 4,000 miles through Sudan and Egypt o Creating the Nile River Delta in northern o The water from the Nile eventually ends up in the Sea o Abundance of fresh water flowing through the Saharan Desert makes abundant life

4 - Sahara Desert o Dominates Northern Africa taking up an area of over million square miles o Similar in size to all of o Located in the following countries: Egypt, Sudan, Libya, Chad, Tunisia, Niger, Mali, Algeria, Mauritania, Morocco & Western Sahara o Dominated by vast areas of o The sand from the Sahara can sometimes end up in North and South America if patterns allow - Kalahari Desert o Located in Botswana, South Africa and Namibia o Different than the Sahara because it is not as dry and supports a savannah - Congo River Basin o 2 nd in size, only behind the Basin o Drains from the East African Rift to the Ocean o Includes all or parts of countries in Sub-Saharan Africa including the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Congo, Cameroon, Tanzania and Zambia o The Congo River itself is 2 nd to the in length of all African rivers Central and Southwest Asia - Zagros Mountains o Runs through Iran, Iraq and Turkey o Largest mountain range in the, just under 1,000 miles long o Highest peaks are over feet high - Tigris and Euphrates Rivers o Known historically as the Crescent o These two waterways begin in and go through Syria and Iraq o They combine in southeastern Iraq to create the Shatt al-arab before flowing into the Gulf - Persian Gulf o Connected to the Gulf of Oman and Arabian Sea by the Strait of o Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates all have on the Gulf o Dimensions: Over square miles miles long Between and miles wide - Caspian Sea o Classified as the largest in the world o Inside a basin without any

5 o Sits between Europe and and is bordered by Russia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan South Asia, Southeastern Asia & Eastern Asia - Himalayan Mountains o Highest and most mountains in the world o The Himalayas provide a between the Indian sub-continent and Asia Proper o The Himalayas contain dozens of peaks over 20,000 feet with Mount at just under 29,000 feet (tallest mountain on earth) - Tibetan Plateau o Sits of the Himalayas and extends well into western China o Has numerous glaciers and is a reliable source of in the region - Gobi Desert o Located in the north of China and southern o High elevation with an area of around 500,000 square miles - Ganges River o Begins in the Himalayas and flows southeast through northeast India before crossing into Bangladesh where it becomes a delta as it empties into the Bay of o The has a length of just over 1,500 miles - Indus River o A length of around miles o Begins in the Tibetan Plateau in China and flows west into northern India before turning south-southwest into o The Indus flows the length of Pakistan before draining into the Sea - Huang He River o Also known as the River o Begins in the Bayan Har Mountains in central China and flows primarily east into the Sea of China s east coast - Yangtze River o Begins in the Mountains, southwest of the Huang He s source o Flows almost 4,000 miles east into the China Sea o longest river in the world behind the Amazon (1 st ) and the Nile (2 nd ) Oceania - Great Dividing Range o Spanning for over miles o Extends along the whole east coast of o longest mountain range in the world

6 o Its peaks are not as striking as other world mountain ranges, with maximum heights just over feet o Effectively separates the populated east coast of Australia from the Outback covering the vast of the country - Great Victorian Desert o About square miles in size o desert in Australia taking up much of south central and southwest Australia o Very sparsely - Great Barrier Reef o reef in the world at over 130,000 square miles in size o Spans miles from north to south off Australia s east coast o The diversity and abundance is much like the rainforests of the Congo River Basin and Amazon Basin except under the Spatial Distribution - Massive in settlement patterns - The world s spatial distribution of natural resources are very specific to - Potential future issues: o Distribution, abundance and accessibility of natural - Why? o is expected to possibly double in the next 50 years o As more countries develop, they will have a greater need and want for o change may change suitability for crops - Energy Needs o Mineral deposits could become more and more as demand increases o If energy resources, mineral deposits, and agricultural output all are stressed and become scarce the remaining wilderness left on the earth will be threatened by natural resource - Settlement Patterns o Global settlement will be determined by how natural resources are o The key will be energy and water conservation