Regions = places united by specific characteristics Formal Regions = a region defined by a common characteristic. Ex. New England, Silicon Valley in California, The Great Plains Functional Regions = a central point and the surrounding territories linked to it. Ex. City of Houston or Power Companies Perceptual Regions = a region defined by popular feelings and images rather than by objective data Ex. The Deep South, the Rust Belt, the Corn Belt, and the Sun Belt Cultural Regions = a region defined many factors such as government, social groups, economic systems, language, or religion Ex. The Middle East or Siberia in Russia

Map Types Physical – Shows land & water features Political – Shows political boundaries (man made) Thematic – Shows anything (weather map, natural resource map, road map, population map)