landforms and vegetation in these regions.
Name
Earth's Regions
By Trista L. Pollard
Our rotating sphere changes everyday. Its
physical features change when volcanoes
erupt and earthquakes rumble. People
remove trees and soil to add new buildings
and structures. Geographers need to learn
about these changes. They also need to learn
about changes in Earth's past.
Earth is extremely large. Studying its
features can be overwhelming. So to make it
easier, geographers divide the Earth into
regions. Regions are areas that share
common features. These features can be
landforms, climate, economy, vegetation, or people. The states or
countries within these regions are also located in the same area.
Geographers create these regions based on the information they want
to study.
If geographers want to learn about your state, they would divide it
into regions. They might look at your state's industry and
agriculture. Industry is the manufacturing or making of goods. It
is also the supplying of services. Services are those duties that are
done for other people. The northern part of your state may have
technology companies. These companies may sell computers or
provide services for the Internet. This area could be a separate
region from the other areas in your state. Geographers would study
why the companies moved to this area. They would study the
natural resources that are used in this region. They would also
study the people who live and work in this region.
The vegetation or trees and grass in a state can vary. One part of
your state may have thick forests and another part may have flat land
and grass. Geographers could divide your state into regions based
on its vegetation. With the vegetation, there are also different
landforms in your state. There may be a region of your state that has
many mountains. You might even live in an area with coastal plains.
Geographers can learn more about your state by focusing on the
Climate regions are located all around the world. Climate is the
weather that occurs in a place over a long period of time.
Rainforests and deserts are examples of climate regions. The
animals and plants that live in these regions have to adapt to the
climate. The landforms in that region are also related to the climate.
Mountain regions tend to have cooler climates because of their
higher elevation. The trees, plants, and grass in this region survive
in that cooler climate. That's right, climate, landforms, and
vegetation are related. As you move from lowland to higher land,
the climate becomes colder. Landforms like streams and lakes are
found in the mountains.
Regions can also be created based on the language and culture of
people. The West Indies or Caribbean Islands are a region. They are
located between North America and South America. In this region
there is a mixture of languages - English, Dutch, Spanish, and
French. There are also regional dialects or languages spoken by the
native people of the islands. These are called patois or a language
that mixes African and English languages. These native people have
Native American and African ancestors. When people from England,
France, Spain, and Holland came to the Caribbean, they brought
their languages. Geographers can study the languages and the
cultures of the people in the Caribbean Islands. They can also learn
about the history of the islands and how people live today.
You will be studying the United States regions. These regions
have many features in common. They are also located in the same
general area. You will learn about their geography, economy,
history, climate, and people.
 4. How is your school considered a region?
Name

Earth's Regions

Questions
1. Why do geographers create regions on Earth? 5. True/False: Geographers define regions using a few specific
topics.
A. False
B. True

6. What information can geographers learn from climate regions?

2. In an industry region, what information would geographers

study?

Take a look at your state. What regions are located in your state?
Choose one of those regions. Design a travel brochure that discusses
the landforms, climate, vegetation, economy, and people of that
region. Be creative.
3. Based on context clues, what does the word economy mean?
 You are a geographer studying one of the regions in the world. What
Name region are you studying? What information are you learning about?
Write a journal entry to your fellow geographers about the region you
have studied.