Unit 3: Human and Physical Systems

Part B- Human Environment Interaction

Lessons 1-4
Video- Geography: Movement and Human-
Environment Interaction
Geography: Movement and Human-Environment Inter
action
Human Environment Interaction
Lesson 1- Geographic Factors
Geographic Factors
Geographic factors affect human settlement. 
Human settlement and cultural development are
shaped by geographic features like mountains, deserts,
and water. 
Other factors that affect cultural development are
climate, location, topography, water resources, and
natural resources.
Climate
The climate of a region affects where people settle
and how they survive. 
People build their homes and grow food differently
in dry, hot regions than in cooler, wet regions. 
Sudden changes in climate can bring events such as
floods, droughts, and famine.
How Climate Impacts People
People do not live on the continent of Antarctica
because its climate is too cold.
Mexico has a warm, dry climate. 
People who visit there will want to wear light-weight
clothing.
People in hot, dry climates, such as a desert, have to
make houses out of whatever they can find. 
Native Americans who lived in the dry Southwest built
their houses out of mud or clay. 
The mud and clay was easy to find in the dry region.
Location
Location: where the region is affects how the culture
develops and how history unfolds. 
Secluded islands have less cultural and historical
influences than a land-locked country. 
Location also affects what areas of a region get settled
first.
 Typically, those lands closest to water are settled first, and then
the culture expands outwards.
How Location Impacts People
Food 
People who live by the sea may eat more fish than
people who live inland.
People who live inland often farm. 
Different kinds of plants and animals are natural to
different areas. 
People have to learn to plant crops that will grow in
their area.
How Location Impacts People
Clothing
People who live in the North wear warmer clothes with
a lot of layers, while people who live in the South wear
lighter clothes. 
The climate of a location helps people decide what to
wear to be comfortable.
How Location Impacts People
Shelter
People use different materials to build their homes in
different locations.
People near oceans sometimes put their houses on poles
to protect from flooding.
People in colder climates have thicker walls than
people who live in warm climates.
How Location Impacts People
Transportation
People use different ways to get around in different
locations.
 Ancient people used boats to travel around and trade with other
countries. 
 In the Pacific Ocean, small island countries also use boats to go
from island to island. 
 In the United States, people use cars, trucks, and airplanes for
transportation.
How Location Impacts People
Recreation
People do different things for fun in different
locations. 
 In the mountains, people ski on the snow. 
 On the coast, people play in the ocean and build sandcastles. 
 In the forest, people can hike and explore. 
Location helps decide what you do for fun.
Topography
Topography: the physical layout of a region. 
The locations of mountains, valleys, and deserts
affect where people settle and how they travel. 
Mountains and deserts also give natural barriers to
other cultures, keeping people from traveling through or
over them without technologically advanced
transportation.
Water
Water: cultures have been settling near water for
centuries. 
Water allows for transportation, leading to trading and
exchanging of cultural ideas and objects.
Lakes and rivers also provide water for drinking and
for growing crops.
Natural Resources
Natural resources: people grow and create different
products based on the natural resources available to
them. 
One culture may develop and trade timber; another
might sell oil. 
The natural resources that are available affect how a
culture survives and thrives.
Human Environment Interaction
Lesson 2- Types of Systems
Types of Systems
Physical and human systems have shaped the way
that human societies develop. 
Physical systems are natural characteristics such as
rivers and mountains. 
Human systems are manmade characteristics such as
political boundaries and trade routes.
Patterns of Migration
After the last ice age, glaciers retreated in northern
Europe. 
Animal herds moved north because the climate was
now warmer. 
Hunter-gatherers followed these herds, migrating north
themselves.
Pigs and camels were first domesticated in the
Middle East. 
When the climate dried and made farming and grazing
very hard, migration spread the animals to Africa and
Asia.
Patterns of Migration
Early humans arrived in Australia about 40,000–
45,000 years ago. 
They migrated through a land bridge from Southeast
Asia.
Physical Environment and Natural
Resources
In Ancient Egypt, the Nile River flooded each year in
June. 
This flooding left nutrient-rich soil on the land. 
After the water levels decreased, the Egyptians would
plant their crops in the moist soil.
Physical Environment and Natural
Resources
Greece is made up of many islands and peninsulas. 
The mainland of Greece is very mountainous and is
very difficult to travel over land. 
Because many of the Greek cities were on or near the
sea, the Greeks used sailing as their primary way to
travel and to ship goods.
Physical Environment and Natural
Resources
Mesopotamia was very dry, but the people who lived
there were able to build canals to bring water from
the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers to irrigate their
cropland.
One of the ways in which the Mesopotamians used the
nearby rivers was for transportation. 
 By using the sail, Mesopotamians were able to trade over long
distances.
Physical Environment and Natural
Resources
The domestication of oxen was a major achievement of
the Mesopotamians. 
 Oxen were needed to provide the power to use plows. 
 By being able to plow their fields, the Mesopotamians were able
to have very productive farmland.
Cultural Diffusion and Economic
Interdependence
The Silk Road was a trade route that connected China to
civilizations further west.
It was used to trade silk, spices, gold, ivory, exotic animals,
and other goods. 
It also spread beliefs between civilizations. 
The Silk Road brought profits to the traders who used it,
while towns and cities along the Silk Road made money
from the traders. 
Because of the importance of trade with Europe, the Chinese
needed a powerful empire to protect the Silk Road. 
The Silk Road remained prominent until improved ships
allowed the silk trade to continue by sea.
Cultural Diffusion and Economic
Interdependence
The Persians made many improvements to their
empire in the form of canals, roads, and ports. 
Because of these improvements, trade grew throughout
the Near East region, making Persia a great trading
center.
Cultural Diffusion and Economic
Interdependence
Phoenicia's economy was based on trade, which spread
throughout the Mediterranean between 1200 BC and
900 BC. 
The Phoenicians developed the first written alphabet,
which the Greeks adopted through trading with them.
Cultural Diffusion and Economic
Interdependence
The Mediterranean Sea was important to many
groups of people after the Phoenicians. 
It connected sailors and merchants from southern
Europe, northern Africa, and the Middle East. 
Great powers such as the Roman Empire and the
Ottoman Empire also expanded through the
Mediterranean.
Cultural Diffusion and Economic
Interdependence
After the Crusades of the 11th to 13th centuries, trade
increased between the Muslim Middle East and
Christian Europe. 
The riches of new trade sources led to towns expanding.
Establishing and Maintaining Political
Boundaries
Civilizations have created structures to establish or
defend their own political boundaries. 
One example of this is the Great Wall of China, which
was built between 220 and 206 B.C. to defend China's
northern border from invaders.
Establishing and Maintaining Political
Boundaries
Ancient civilizations often used their military power
in order to expand their political boundaries. 
Ancient civilizations would need to have a strong
military in order to maintain control of their empires.
Establishing and Maintaining Political
Boundaries
Bodies of water have also separated groups of
people throughout history. 
Many early civilizations and modern countries have had
their boundaries influenced by rivers or oceans. 
Early cultures in Japan and Britain were able to stay
isolated from their neighbors for generations because
they lived on islands.
Other Human Systems
Ancient Egypt had a centralized government that
controlled almost all aspects of public life. 
When they were not farming, Egyptians were required
to build major projects for the pharaoh, who had
absolute power over their lives. 
Under the pharaoh, nobles and priests directed most
government affairs.
Types of Human Environment
Interaction
Lesson 3
Human Environment Interaction
Civilizations change because of many different
reasons. 
They can change negatively because of warfare,
environmental changes, overpopulation,
disease, or political collapse.
Sometimes these changes, along with new ideas, can
bring positive changes to civilizations.
Warfare
Warfare can lower the population of a civilization. 
It can cause hardships like a low food supply, or can
result in the takeover of one civilization by another.
Civilizations have been completely wiped out because
of warfare. 
The ancient civilization of the Indus Valley, for
example, survived for thousands of years before
suddenly vanishing. 
Other civilizations cropped up around the same time the
Indus Valley civilization disappeared. 
 It is easy to assume they were attacked and destroyed. 
Warfare
Ancient Egypt is another example of a civilization
disappearing because of warfare. 
The ancient Egyptians were conquered by the early
Roman Empire in 30 BC.
Environmental Change
Environmental changes can come in many forms. 
Ice Ages create a unique climate, for example. 
Certain animals can thrive in the colder temperatures of
the Ice Age. 
When the Ice Age comes to an end, however, these same
animals will mostly likely die, forcing a civilization that
hunts the animals to find other things to eat. 
Environmental Change
Earthquakes or volcanoes can cause massive changes
to the environment, as well. 
They cause physical destruction and can mean a lower
population because of deaths.
Overpopulation
Overpopulation means an area that has too many
people living there. 
This can mean that people do not have enough space to
live, the area cannot produce enough food for all the
people to eat, or there is not enough water to drink.
Overpopulation
Overpopulation usually happens when more people
are being born than are dying. 
Many times overpopulation can lead to the collapse of a
civilization because people die of disease and
starvation.
Disease
Diseases t hreaten all civilizations. 
Sometimes a disease will hurt a civilization simply
because the people have no immunity to the disease. 
This can lead to a much smaller population or even
wipe out a civilization completely because they are not
prepared to handle the disease. 
Disease
The Black Death is an example of such a disease. 
It killed as many as 100 million people in the 1400s. 
The Black Death is believed to have decreased the
population of Europe by up to 60%. 
Disease
Another example is the impact of diseases brought by
European explorers on natives in the Americas. 
The Native American populations were greatly reduced
because they had no immunity to European diseases like
smallpox.
Political Collapse
Political collapse occurs when a government has lost
power. 
At times people have overthrown governments by
revolutions because they were unhappy. 
Other times governments have simply declined in
power gradually. 
Political Collapse
Ancient Rome, for example, was a great empire which
lasted for many centuries. 
Eventually, however, the power of the government
declined, so the civilization declined as well.
Unreliable Food Source
Civilizations rely on certain types of food in order to
survive. 
When a food source becomes unreliable, a civilization
must make adjustments. 
They can move in search of other things to eat, or they
may adopt an agricultural society so they have more
control over their source of food. 
 In either case, the civilization must adapt or they will not be able
to survive.
New Ideas
New ideas can often improve how a civilization lives
and works. 
New ideas can include technological advancements
and inventions. 
New ideas can also mean new techniques in different
areas like art, architecture, literature, and labor. 
New Ideas
The Renaissance of the 14th-17th centuries is a good
example of how new ideas can change a civilization. 
Beginning in Italy and later spreading throughout much
of Europe, the Renaissance brought about changes in art,
politics, science, religion, and education. 
The Renaissance is probably most well known for great
works of art by men such as Leonardo da Vinci and
Michelangelo.
Human Environment Interaction
Lesson 4- Example: The Middle East
Human Environment Interaction-
The Middle East
The Middle East is an area of the world with large
amounts of oil reserves. 
However, the region's harsh, desert climate makes
fresh water scarce. 
Industrialization and oil extraction have had
damaging effects on the environment.
Geography and Climate
The Middle East has a variety of geographic features,
including mountains, plains, plateaus, and coastlines. 
Some parts of Lebanon and Israel enjoy a temperate,
Mediterranean climate. 
Much of the region, however, is dominated by
desert terrain and dry climate. 
Most people do not live in these desert areas, living
instead living in cities that are built near sources of
water.
Water
Middle Eastern climate is so dry that fresh water has
become a precious natural resource. 
Water is needed not only for drinking but also for
agriculture, which is still a major industry in most
Middle Eastern nations.
Water
Droughts and human development have had
negative effects on the few freshwater sources located
in the Middle East. 
The Dead Sea, which is between Israel and Jordan, is
shrinking due to overuse. 
Some countries build dams to harvest the fresh water
of rivers, but this also decreases the amount of water that
will reach further down the river into other countries. 
Droughts and farming are causing deserts to actually
expand into land that had once been fertile, a process
known as desertification.
Water
Desalination is the process of removing salt from
water to make it drinkable.
The process is very expensive and few Middle Eastern
countries can afford to invest in it. 
Due to Saudi Arabia's wealth from oil sales, it is one of
few Middle Eastern countries that can afford the process.
Other Natural Resources
Despite the region's harsh climate, it has some of the
richest natural resources in the world. 
The Persian Gulf has historically been a source of fish
and pearls, which the people who live there use for
trade. 
In modern times, discoveries of petroleum (oil) have
brought economic booms to the Middle Eastern nations
that have access to them. 
 Oil is perhaps the most valuable export of several Middle
Eastern countries, and countries with access to oil in the Persian
Gulf have become wealthy.
Pollution
Some nations in the Middle East are changing to
industrial-based economies at a faster pace than they
change their laws to regulate industry. 
When this happens, factories do not have restrictions on
air, soil, or water quality, and their production can have
damaging effects on the environment.
    
Pollution
More commonly, environment in the Middle East is
damaged through oil extraction. 
Accidental oil spills can destroy both ecosystems and
environmental industries like fishing or tourism. 
Sometimes political conflict can destroy the
environment. 
This occurred in the Gulf War in 1991, when Iraq
burned Kuwait's oil wells and dumped more oil into the
Persian Gulf, an event from which the soldiers and the
Gulf environment are still suffering.