Utah StudiesThe Geography of UtahStudents will understand the basics of Utah’s Geography

What is Geography?• The study of the Earth’s physical features and how people and

places affect each other.

•How does Utah’s geography affect its people?

Where is Utah located?Which of these is true?

• Utah is on planet Earth• Utah is in the Northwest Hemisphere.• Utah is in the western part of the United States• https://maps.google.com/?ll=46.00132,-102.62421&z=4&t=h

What are the physical features of Utah?

• These are Natural to the environment.Mountains

• Wasatch and Uintah Mountains• Tallest mountain in Utah?

• Kings Peak• What do people do there?

What are the physical features of Utah?

• Rivers• Colorado• Green River

• 730 Miles long

What are the physical features of Utah?

• Lakes• Great Salt Lake

• Largest saltwater lake in the western hemisphere• Bear Lake• Lake Powell• Utah Lake

How do physical features of our state affect the people?• People start communities where physical features provide

protection against enemies and weather.• What do people need to live?• How do physical features make life more enjoyable?

What are the land regions in Utah?• There are 3.• Rocky Mountain Region• Great Basin Region• Wide bowl shaped area of Earth surface

• Colorado Plateau Region• A high, wide, flat landform

a natural feature of the Earths surface

What do each of the land regions provide?•Snow•Recreation•Minerals

Physical features of Great Basin• Large and Arid• being without moisture; extremely dry

• Most of the large cities in Utah are on the edge• Salt Lake City

• Water flows from the mountains to our lakes.• These are called tributaries

Physical Features of the Colorado Plateau• What is a plateau?• Elevated large flat area of land

• Colorado plateau receives very little rain• Rivers flow from here to the Colorado river then to the Pacific

Ocean. These are called tributaries.• Water that flows into a larger river or lake

• Colorful rock formations• Zion’s, Bryce Canyon are all in this area.• Sedimentary rock: rock formed by the deposit of minerals or

organic matter• Mining for natural resources• Water, forests minerals, stone, soil that occur in nature and have

economic value.

How do people use land?• National government owns 60% of the land.• Why?

• State of Utah also owns a lot of land.• Government Land is called public land• State and National parks are public land.

Who Controls the public land?• The Bureau of Land Management (BLM)• Congress• They set aside wilderness areas to preserve the beauty of our

state.• Trust Lands• Money for schools• In the news?

What is Utah’s Climate like?• What does climate mean?• Climate is the weather pattern of place over a period of many

years.• What things affect the climate?• Distance from the equator• Elevation• Distance from the ocean• More extreme temperatures and weather

Why does it matter?

• Farmers use melted snow, water, to irrigate crops• Irrigation the artificial watering of land to help in the production

of crops

• Need it to feed domestic animals• Tamed and raised by humans

• Water keeps us alive• Fishing

What plants and animals live in Utah?

• There are a lot and it depends where you live.• What wildlife have you seen in Utah?• What does indigenous mean?Native or natural to the state