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The earth has many different and unique physical features. Physical
features are the natural (not human-made) details of the world such as
mountains, deserts, or oceans. The characteristics of natural features can
vary depending on their relative location. For example, mountain ranges in
North America can look very different from each other. They also look
different than mountain ranges in other parts of the world.
Certain physical features tend to appear near each other. For instance, you
cannot have an island without a body of water. Grasslands tend to be
found on the edge of deserts. Rivers tend to flow to or from other bodies of
water. Knowing the relative locations and characteristics of natural or
physical features can help us better
navigate our world.
Maps can help us see how certain physical features are related to one
another. A geographer can use maps to locate different physical features
of the earth, including their relative locations to other natural features.
Consider the maps below. Can there be a mountain without a volcano?
Can there be a volcano without a mountain? How would you describe the
connection between volcanoes and mountains?
Figure 4:
Mountains of the World; Source: http://www.staff.amu.edu.pl/~zbzw/glob/glob20aa.htm
Let’s look at an example. The Great Figure 8: Map of the Great Lakes Region
Source:
Lakes is a region. The characteristic that https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Map_o
all the places in this region share is that f_USA_highlighting_Great_Lakes_region.png
By
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Western Eastern
Hemisphere Hemisphere