What do I need to know about physical geography?

Climate Characteristics Temperature Precipitation Seasons(hot/cold; wet/dry)

Climate Elements Influence of latitude (It gets colder

the farther north or south of the equator you go)

Influence of winds Influence of elevation (It gets

colder when you gain elevation) Proximity to water (water has a

moderating influence on climate – the summers are cooler and the winters warmer)

Mountains Rocky Mountains create rain

shadows on leeward slopes Himalayas block rain to create

steppes and deserts in Central Asia

World Climate Regions Low latitudes – tropical wet, tropical

wet and dry, arid, semiarid, highland Middle latitudes – semiarid, arid,

Mediterranean, humid continental, humid subtropical, marine west coast, highland

High latitudes – subarctic, tundra, icecap

Vegetation Regions Rain forest (Amazon rain forest

Brazil) Savanna (tropical grassland in Africa) Desert (Arid) Middle latitude forests Taiga (in subarctic climate, coniferous

trees) Tundra (cold grassland with some

bushes, lichens, and mosses located in northern Canada, Russia)

Weather Phenomena Monsoons – Seasonal wind that brings

rain to South and Southeast Asia. Causes flooding but provides water for crops

Typhoons – Same as hurricane in Pacific Ocean

Hurricanes – Atlantic Ocean Tornadoes – United States

Effects of Climate Crops – Different crops grow in

different climates Clothing Housing – log houses in areas with

many trees, adobe houses in dry areas, tiled roof in Mediterranean

Natural hazards – droughts, floods

Physical and Ecological Processes Earthquakes Floods Volcanoes Erosion

Human Impact on Environment

Water Diversion

Human Impact on Environment

Environmental Changes

Aral Sea – shrinking due to over irrigation, located in Central Asia

Colorado River – location of Hoover Dam, used for irrigation in Southwest U.S.

Aswan High Dam – located on Nile River, built to stop flooding of river and provide water for irrigation and hydroelectric power

Canals, reservoirs, irrigation

Changing Landscapes Agricultural terracing (China and

Southeast Asia) Polders (reclaimed land from the

sea in the Netherlands) Deforestation (Nepal, Brazil,

Malaysia) Desertification (expansion of arid

conditions into non-arid areas – basically the desert is getting bigger, big problem in North Africa near the Sahara and parts of Asia)

Acid rain (causes by air pollution/problem in Black Forest in Germany and Eastern North America

Pollution (air pollution in Mexico City, nuclear pollution near Chernobyl, oil spills

Influence of Technology

Agriculture (fertilizers, mechanization), people can grow more food now because of tractors and better growing practices

Energy usage (most countries use fossil fuels but some countries have nuclear power

Automobiles – the automobile has impacted the environment because people have to make roads, parking lots, and cities have grown with suburbs

Airplanes – airport expansion/noise

Environmental Impact on Humans Settlement patterns (some places are

too hot or cold) Housing materials Agricultural activity Types of recreation Transportation patterns

Picture of an arid climate zone (desert) Picture of agricultural terracing in Asia

Picture showing ship sitting on the bottom of the Aral Sea

Picture of Hoover Dam on the Colorado River

Map showing the direction of the seasonal wind to South and Southeast

Asia (monsoon)

Diagram showing how a polder is made in the Netherlands. Note the windmills, a

common cultural landscape in the Netherlands.

Picture of two cooling towers of a nuclear power plant