A | B |
geography | the study of people and places on Earth |
continent | a large mass of land on Earth’s surface |
equator | an equal distance from the two poles North and South |
hemisphere | a half sphere, or globe |
california’s location | on the Pacific Ocean, north of Mexico, south of Oregon, and west of Nevada and Arizona |
Geographers ask 4 questions | Where is it? What is it like there? Why is it there? How has it changed? |
landform | a shape or feature on Earth’s surface, such as a mountain or a valley |
delta | a wide, flat, area of land near the mouth of a river |
environment | everything that surrounds and affects living things |
California's two major mountain ranges | Coast Ranges and Sierra Nevada |
Where are most Californian towns? | in the low part of the Coast Ranges |
What created many of California’s mountains? | volcanoes |
What reshaped California's landforms and the course of rivers? | earthquakes |
Which fault runs through parts of California? | San Andreas Fault |
What did erosion help to create in California? | valleys and mountain passes |
How does California’s land and water affect people? | it affect where people live and what they do |
What are the names of the two largest lakes in the high Sierra Nevada called? | Lake Tahoe and Mono Lake |
climate | the usual weather of a place over time |
region | is made up of places that have certain features that are alike |
wetland | low area that has water on or near the surface of the land |
desert | a region that gets little rain |
Three things affect climate. | distance from the equator, distance from the ocean, and elevation |
California’s four main regions | the coast, the mountains, the Central Valley, and the desert |
California’s largest city | Los Angeles |
Which region are California’s largest cities found? | coast region |
What is the name of the state’s highest peak called in the Sierra Nevada?. | Mount Whitney |
Where does California water come from? | The northern mountains get snow which provides our water. |
Where is California’s largest wetland? | the delta where Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers meet east of San Francisco |
What is most of the Central Valley today? | farmland |
What is California’s largest desert? | Mojave Desert |
What is the lowest land in the United States? | Death Valley |
natural resource | anything from nature that people use |
renewable resources | can be replaced after people use them |
nonrenewable resources | things that nature cannot replace or renew once they are used |
flow resource | something such as wind or sunshine that must be used when and where it is available |