Human and Physical Geography

Geography is the study of the Earth and everything on it — including the land, water, animals, people, and the things people build. Geographers divide features of the Earth into two main types: physical (natural) features and human-made features.

Physical Geography — Natural Features

• Physical geography studies the natural features of the Earth that were not made by humans.
• Mountains — large landforms that rise high above the surrounding land. Example: Mount Everest (Nepal/China), the Himalayas, the Alps.
• Rivers — large flowing bodies of water that run into seas or lakes. Example: the Amazon River, the Nile River.
• Plains — large flat areas of land. Example: the Great Plains of North America.
• Forests — large areas covered with trees and wildlife. Example: the Amazon Rainforest.
• Deserts — dry regions with very little rainfall. Example: the Sahara Desert.
• Oceans, lakes, and volcanoes are also physical features.

Human Geography — Human-Made Features

• Human geography studies features created or heavily changed by people.
• Cities and towns — settlements where many people live and work. Example: Tokyo, Cairo, New York.
• Roads and highways — transportation routes built by people. Example: a highway network.
• Farms and fields — land cleared and used by humans to grow food.
• Dams — large structures built across rivers to control water flow and generate electricity. Example: the Hoover Dam (USA), the Aswan Dam (Egypt).
• Borders — lines drawn on maps by governments to separate countries or regions.
• Airports, bridges, and ports are also human-made features.

How Humans Change the Landscape

• Deforestation — cutting down forests to make way for farms, roads, or buildings.
• Urbanization — the growth of towns and cities as more people move from rural areas.
• Irrigation — building canals and pipes to bring water to dry farmland.
• Mining — digging into the earth to extract minerals and coal, which changes the landscape.
• These changes can bring benefits (food, jobs, electricity) but can also damage ecosystems and wildlife habitats.