C H A P T E R 1
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Location, Physical Features,
and Regions of Pennsylvania
L
ong ago, William Penn was
visiting
the
colony
of
Pennsylvania. He wrote to a
friend in England about how beautiful
it was to live in Pennsylvania. He said:
“Here the air is sweet and
clear. The waters are
generally good. And the
woods are adorned with
lovely flowers for colour
and variety. I am fully
satisfied with the country
and entertainment I get
in it.”
In our state, you can hike along
mountain trails covered with thick
forests, splash in cool streams, or swim
and fish in our lakes. You can visit old
forts, famous battlefields, large cities,
and museums filled with interesting
things from the past. You can visit
entertainment parks or a chocolate
factory.
All of these places are part of the
geography
of Pennsylvania.Geography
is the studyofwhere things are andwhy
they are there.We study geographywith
five ideas inmind. They are:
location:
Every place has a specific
location.
place
: Every place can be described
by its features.
relationships within places
: How
do people depend upon their
environment?Howhas landusechanged
from farm fields to shoppingmalls?
movement
: How are people,
products, and ideasmoved?
regions
: Places have something in
common, such as landforms, urban,
and rural regions.
The geography of Pennsylvania is not
the same across our state. We have
many differences in landforms, in
climate, innatural resources, in farming,
and inmanufacturing. As you read the
lessons in this chapter, you will learn
about our state’s location, physical
features andhow theywere formed, and
the landform regions.
What aspects of geography does
this picture show?
Chapter 1
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