Physical and Human Characteristics in Geography

Physical Characteristics

• Physical characteristics are natural features of the land, including landforms, rivers, coasts, bays, mountains, canyons, valleys, and lakes.
• The United States has a rugged terrain with many mountains, including the Rocky Mountains, Appalachian Mountains, Cascades, Alaska Range, and Sierra Nevada mountains.
• The largest mountain in the United States is Mount McKinley in Alaska, while the largest mountain in the contiguous United States is Mount Whitney in California.
• Notable valleys and canyons include Death Valley, the Grand Canyon, and Napa Valley.
• Rivers and lakes are crucial for human life, providing drinking water, water for farming, and fertile land.
• The Missouri and Mississippi Rivers are the largest and most important rivers in the U.S., with the Missouri being the longest river at 2,341 miles.
• Other notable rivers include the Rio Grande, the Colorado River, and the Yukon.
• The United States has the Great Lakes in the Northeast, which contain 21% of the world's fresh water, as well as the Great Salt Lake in Utah and Crater Lake.

Human Characteristics

• Human characteristics are features of a geographical area caused by humans, including cities, towns, dams, roads, and communication links.
• The largest cities in the United States are New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, and Philadelphia, with many of these cities located near bodies of water.
• River cities include New York, New Orleans, Washington, DC, and Philadelphia, while coastal cities include Los Angeles, New York, San Diego, and San Francisco.
• Water is important for population growth, as it provides fertile land, transportation, and drinking water.
• Other major U.S. cities include Phoenix, San Antonio, San Diego, and Dallas.