Describing a Place (P. 146-153)

Geography Geography is the study of Earth’s features. All places on Earth have features, or things that are special about them. You can describe a place by telling about its physical features-its land, water, climate, and plant life.

Landforms Earth is made up of many kinds of places. One way to describe a place is to talk about the landforms, or kinds of lands it has. Landforms include mountains, valleys, plateaus, and plains. South America has one of the highest and longest mountain ranges on Earth

Valleys Valleys are lowlands that lie between mountain range. Valleys are often good places for communities because water runs down to them from mountains. Many valleys have rich soil, so they are good places to grow crops.

Plateaus Plateaus are landforms that have steep sides and a flat top. Plains Plains are also flat, but they do not drop off steeply. They may stretch for miles in every direction

If you were a farmer, where might you choose to live?

If you were a farmer, where might you choose to live? Near the valleys, where there is water and rich soil

Bodies of Water Earth has many bodies of water. The oceans are the largest. They cover the spaces between Earth’s continents. The continents have many smaller bodies of water. These include lakes, ponds, rivers, and streams.

What are the largest bodies of water?

What are the largest bodies of water? Oceans

Climate and Plant Life Climate and Plant Life are also physical features. Climate is the pattern of weather a place has over a long period of time. This pattern is affected by how close the place is to the equator and to large body of water. Climate includes how hot or cold the temperatures are and how much rain falls

Deserts Forests Deserts are places with very dry climate. Forests grow in places that get much more rain

The plant life in a place depends on the climate and the soil. With the right amount of rain and the right temperatures, plants can grow. Without water, the land is bare.

Climate also affects how long plants can grow each season. The time in which crops can grow is known as the growing season. In places with long cold winters, the growing season is short. Where winters are shorter and warmer, the growing season is longer

What is a climate of a place?

What is a climate of a place? Pattern of weather it has over a long period of time