This chapter will present four lessons that review the geography of our
state. Geography is the study of the earth’s natural and human-made
features. It is also the study of where things are located and why they are
there. In order to understand the current happenings andmajor historical
developments in our state, we need to review the geography of our state.
Remember,
without geography, history would have no place to happen!
Geography is now studied with five themes inmind. They are the:
1 location of people, places, and structures on the earth—
for
example, the location of Pittsburgh, your community, the Liberty Bell, or
our Capitol building;
2 human and physical characteristics of places—
for example, the
different ethnic groups that live in our towns and cities, such as
Philadelphia, in contrast to small rural communities, and how these
places differ in their physical features;
3 relationshipswithin places—
for example, how people depend upon
their environment, how population densities differ based upon geographic
features, or how land use changes from farm fields to shoppingmalls;
4movement—
for example, how people, products, and ideas aremoved, or
how technology has affected our lives;
5 regions—
for example, places that have similar features, such as the
landforms, the settlement characteristics (urban, rural, suburban), and
the businesses and commerce (tourist, industrial, orchards/farming).
As you read through each lesson, think about how the writtenmaterial
connects to these geographic themes. Applying knowledge of these themes
helps us to better understand current developments within our state
(country and world) as well as the past history of our state.
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