What Are Physical Features In Geography

Physical Feature Of South Asia

Australia, bordered by the Indian and Pacific Oceans, is cut off from Asia by the Arafura and Timor Seas. It is the smallest continent of the world. It is also the lowest, the flattest and the driest. The highest point on the Australian mainland is Mount Kosciuszko, New South Wales, at 2228 metres above sea level. The lowest point is the dry bed of Lake Eyre, South Australia, which is 15 metres below sea level. The mainland and Tasmania are enclosed by thousands of small islands and many larger ones. The mainland continents are divided into western plateau, eastern highlands and central lowlands. The areas have no boundaries. Much of the western plateau is relatively flat. There are many rugged areas near the coastal boundaries of the plateau including the Kimberley region and Hamersley ranges in Western Australia. The central lowland *stretches from the Gulf of Carpenteria through the great artesian basin to the Murray darling plains. Most of these areas are flat and low lying. The eastern highlands extending along most of the length of the east coast are characterized over much of their length by steep escarpment on the coastal side, a series of high plateaus and then most gentle sloping towards the inlands .

Elevation of Australia continent .Mean temperatures and rainfall .

Physical feature of Antarctica represented that it is surrounded by water .

What Are Physical Features Of The Canadian Shield

Swamps, lakes, hills, basins and mountain ranges create the suite of physical features in the Canadian Shield. The Canadian Shield covers a vast stretch of land, ranging from the Hudson Bay into eastern, central and northern parts of Canada. The Canadian Shield also includes the Great Lakes, extends north of the Arctic Circle and stretches into Greenland.

The Canadian Shield formed from glacial activity during the Pleistocene Epoch and gradual accretion and deposition of Precambrian rocks. The Canadian Shield contains the largest concentration of Precambrian rocks of all natural features on the planet. These rocks shaped the Canadian Shield by alternatively depositing in river basins and eroding. Some areas contain more rocky deposits than others. These areas include ancient mountain ranges and hills. While Precambrian rocks gave the Canadian Shield some structure, glaciers generated a more substantial impact. Glaciers descended over the region during the Pleistocene Epoch after moving southward from northern Canada. They sculpted the landscape by removing layers of rock deposits and giving round shapes to jagged rocky hills. Glaciers left some sedimentary deposit in the Canadian Shield but carried most organic material farther south. Glaciers formed troughs and basins in the process and filled lakes and swamps with water. The Canadian Shield varies in altitude and topography some spots rise just 100 feet above sea level, while others exceed 5,000 feet.

Climate And Topography Of South Africa

Europe is ranked as the second smallest continent in land area of the world. Europe and Asia actually both share the same land mass. This land mass is so big that geographers have divided it into two continents. Great Britain, Ireland and Iceland are island nations in the Atlantic Ocean that are considered part of Europe. According to Geographers, this area is known as Europe a “peninsula of peninsulas”. Salient physical features of this region include mountains, Bodies of Water .There are several mountain ranges in Europe. They include the Alps, Pyrenees, Apennines, and Balkans. These mountains shield borders between areas. Europe has many major bodies of water. In the north are the Baltic and North Seas. In the south, there are the Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea. Europe also has many major rivers, including the Danube, Rhine, Loire, Rhone, Elbe, Vistula, and Volga. Wind has great impact the climate of Europe. The climate and vegetation in this continent vary from the cold, barren, tundra and sub-arctic starches of Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Finland, to the warm shrub covered Mediterranean coasts of Italy, Spain and Greece.

Read Also: Def Of Abiotic

What Is A Physical Feature In Geography

Geographic physical features are naturally occurring features on the planet Earths topography, including landforms, bodies of water, terrains and ecosystems. In addition to physical features, geographic features may also be man-made or artificial and include engineered features and human settlements. A third category of geographic features is called cartographic features. It includes features that arent physical and dont technically exist but are widely accepted and designated for reasons such as research, navigation and reference.

Landforms

Landforms are physical features that a part of the Earths natural terrain. The four major landforms are mountains, plains, plateaus and hills. However, there are many other minors ones, including canyons, valleys, caves and buttes. Mt. Everest in Nepal is the highest landform on Earth. Its 29,035 feet tall,

according to National Geographic. The Mariana Trench in the Pacific Ocean is the deepest landform at nearly 7 miles below sea level.

Bodies of Water

Bodies of water are also physical features of geography, and they are considered landforms as well. They actually cover more of the planet than land does. About 71% of the Earths surface is some form of water,

Terrains

Ecosystems

Ecosystems may also be considered physical features in geography. An ecosystem is basically an area that is a sum of many parts, including animals, plants, organisms, weather, landscapes, landforms, bodies of water and terrain.

Engineered Features

Costa Rica Physical Features: Mountains And Volcanoes

Costa Rica has many different mountain ranges, surrounding the Valle Central. The most northern one is called Cordillera de Guanacaste and it consists of several volcanoes, some of which are still active. There are more Costa Rica mountains to to the southeast, called the Cordillera de Tilaran. Visitors flock to popular destinations there like the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve and the Arenal Volcano National Park. The Cordillera de Tilaran is in the mountainous central valley, the Cordillera Central, and includes the Poas, Irazu, Turrialba and Barva Volcanoes. Over half the population resides in the central valley. The mountains in the Cordillera de Talamanca to the South are taller and harder to traverse due to steep terrain. Many of the volcanoes of Costa Rica are active: including the Arenal Volcano , Irazu, Turrialba, and Poas.

Also Check: Eoc Fsa Warm Ups Algebra 1 Answers

Why Physical Geography Is Important

Knowing about the physical geography of Earth is important for every serious student studying the planet because the natural processes of Earth affect the distribution of resources and the conditions of the human settlement. Anyone studying processes involving Earth and its processes is working within the confines of its physical geography. These natural processes have resulted in a plethora of varied effects on human populations throughout the millennia.

What Are Physical Features On A Map

Physical features on a map are natural and man-made things that dont move. Their placement is very important because they can obscure other objects on a map.

Physical features are usually represented with different colors and symbols. Some common physical features used in maps are seas, lakes, deserts, cities, countries, and provinces. The land is the only physical feature that appears in all types of maps.

People often think that the physical features in geography are just about mapping out natural resources and topography. Geographers look at much more than this, from studying how people interact with their environment to understanding the significance of borders on a global scale. In order for us to have an environmentally sustainable future, we need geographers who can work together as teams across disciplines to find solutions.

Also Check: Eoc Fsa Practice Test Algebra 1 No Calculator Portion

What Are Physical Features In Geography Definition And Examples

Physical features in Geography is a broad field of study, so its hard to know where to start.

This guide will explain the different types of Physical features in geography. Well also cover what physical features are important to understand when studying geography.

You can use this guide as an introduction to the world of geography or dive right in with our detailed descriptions of each type of geography below. The choice is yours!

Contents

Geography As A Science

Geography is the spatial study of the earths physical and cultural environments. Geographers study the earths physical characteristics, its inhabitants and cultures, phenomena such as climate, and the earths place within the universe. Geography also examines the spatial relationships between all physical and cultural phenomena in the world. Furthermore, geographers also look at how the earth, its climate, and its landscapes are changing due to cultural intervention. Geography is a much broader field than many people realize. Most people think of area studies as the whole of geography. In reality, geography is the study of the earth, including how human activity has changed it. Geography involves studies that are much broader than merely understanding the shape of the earths landforms. Physical geography involves all the planets physical systems. Human geography incorporates studies of human culture, spatial relationships, interactions between humans and the environment, and many other research areas that involve the different subspecialties of geography. Students interested in a career in geography would be well served to learn geospatial techniques and gain skills and experience in GIS and remote sensing, as they are the areas within geography where employment opportunities have grown the most over the past few decades.

Recommended Reading: What Is Elastic Force In Physics

What Do Physical Features Mean

Physical Features are natural features on the Earths surface, such as water, lakes, mountains, and deserts.

The physical characteristics of a location constitute its natural environment, which is formed by geological, hydrological, atmospheric, and biological processes. Landforms, bodies of water, climate, soils, natural vegetation, and animal life are among them.

Physical features are including landforms, bodies of water, terrains, and ecosystems.

Diverse Costa Rica Geography

Costa Rica Geography is as diverse as it is beautiful. Costa Rica geographical features include over 200 active and extinct volcanoes, steep mountain slopes, endless tropical beaches with sands ranging in colors from sparkling white and pale rose to black. There are acres of primary and secondary rainforests, dry forests, mangroves and cloud forests, swamps, wetlands, raging rivers, lakes and thunderous waterfalls. In fact, there are only three climates on Earth that are not in Costa Rica: tundra, snow and desert .

You May Like: Theory Of Everything Geometry Dash 2

Mcq Questions For Class 9 Geography Chapter 2 Physical Features Of India With Answers

Check the below NCERT MCQ Questions for Class 9 Geography Chapter 2 Physical Features of India with Answers Pdf free download. MCQ Questions for Class 9 Social Science with Answers were prepared based on the latest exam pattern. We have Provided Physical Features of India Class 9 Geography MCQs Questions with Answers to help students understand the concept very well.

Q.1. Which river flows between Jhelum and Ravi?

Chenab

Historical Evolution Of The Discipline

From the birth of geography as a science during the Greek classical period and until the late nineteenth century with the birth of anthropogeography , geography was almost exclusively a natural science: the study of location and descriptive gazetteer of all places of the known world. Several works among the best known during this long period could be cited as an example, from Strabo , Eratosthenes or Dionisio Periegetes in the Ancient Age to the Alexander von Humboldt in the nineteenth century, in which geography is regarded as a physical and natural science, of course, through the work Summa de GeografÃa of from the early sixteenth century, which indicated for the first time the New World.

During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, a controversy exported from geology, between supporters of James Hutton and Georges Cuvier strongly influenced the field of geography, because geography at this time was a natural science.

The second important process is the theory of evolution by Darwin in mid-century which meant an important impetus in the development of Biogeography.

Read Also: Exponential Growth And Decay Common Core Algebra 1 Homework Answers

The Geology And Geography Of Costa Rica

The Costa Rica geography and geology are unique and largely responsible for the incredible biodiversity found here. In fact, it can be traced back to how and where Central America was formed. About 3 million years ago two tectonic plates pushed against each other. This built the bridge between North to South America. Because of its tropical location 10 degrees north of the equator, many of the native animal and plant species were able to survive the last ice age.

Geology

To understand why Costa Rica terrain is so rugged and mountainous, you must understand what happened millions of years ago. Costa Rica was formed as the Caribbean tectonic plate pushed up against the Cocos plate continually for about 50 million years forcing the Central America isthmus to be raised off the sea floor. This is why the active volcanoes in Costa Rica are found along the mountain range at the tectonic rift. This runs from South East to the North West. Costa Ricas high mountains were also a result of the many volcanoes. When these volcanoes erupted, they pushed two tectonic plates against each other, creating the high mountains surrounding the Valle Central nowadays.

Costa Rica came from a string of underwater volcanoes. Over years of erupting and growing in height and breadth, they eventually broke the sea surface and continued to expand.

Main Perspective Of Physical Geography

Geographic knowledge and studies often start with locational information. The location of a feature usually uses one of two methods: such as absolute location, which is articulated by a coordinate system , or relative location, which recognizes where a feature exists in relation to something else, usually a fairly well-known location.

Physical geographers are more concerned in exploring the environmental features and processes that merge to make a place unique, and they are also involved in the shared characteristics between places. Another feature of the characteristics of places is analysing the environmental benefits and challenges that exist in a place. When there is a need to know how features are arranged in space, geographers are generally engrossed in two spatial factors. Spatial distribution means the extent of the area or areas where a feature exists. Spatial pattern denotes to the arrangement of features in space that are regular or random, clustered together or broadly spaced.

It is well established that Earth’s features and landscapes are constantly changing in a spatial context. Weather maps demonstrate where and how weather elements change from day to day, over the seasons, and from year to year. Storms, earthquakes, landslides, and stream processes change the scenery. Coastlines may change position because of storm waves, tsunamis, or changes in sea level. Areas that were once forested have been clear-cut, changing the nature of the environment there.

You May Like: What Is The Molecular Geometry Of Ccl4

What Is Physical Geography

• M.A., Geography, California State University – Northridge
• B.A., Geography, University of California – Davis

The vast discipline of geography is divided into two major branches: 1) physical geography and 2) cultural or human geography. Physical geography encompasses the geographic tradition known as the Earth sciences tradition. Physical geographers look at the landscapes, surface processes, and climate of the earthall of the activity found in the four spheres of our planet.

Salient Features Of World’s Physical Geography

Earth is splendid terrestrial haven. It is imperative to know physical geography through its display of environmental diversity. In scientific studies, it is established that Geography is a word that originated from two Greek roots. Geo-denotes to “Earth,” and graphy stands for “picture or writing.” Geography is the study of earth as the home of present day human being .The main objective of geography is the assessment, and explanation of Earth, its variability from place to place, the way places and features transform over time, and the processes responsible for these variations and changes. Geography is termed as the spatial science because it incorporates recognizing, analysing, and explaining the variations, similarities, or differences in phenomena situated on the surface of Earth. Geography is unique among the sciences by virtue of its characterization and central purpose. It describes the values and attitudes towards environment and sharpen intellectual and practice skill.

Also Check: Geometry Dash Theory Of Everything

Research Examples Of Physical Geography

Students explore how specific features of physical geography affect nearby country borders. They conduct research on the North Sea, Scandinavia, the Strait of Gibraltar, and the Netherlands.

Grades

English Language Arts, Geography, Physical Geography

Contents

• CIA: The World FactbookNetherlands

1. Build background about how countries share geographical features such as oceans.

Remind students about their decision-making in Lesson 5, Activity 1 regarding ocean and sea borders. Ask: How do you think countries actually divide and share ocean resources? Explain to students that each country abides by an international agreement establishing an exclusive economic zone , an area extending 200 nautical miles off a countrys coast. According to this agreement, each country has the right to explore and exploit the living and nonliving things in its EEZ. Ask: How might sharing a geographical feature, like an ocean, or a natural resource within it create problems between the countries that share them? Students may mention disagreements surrounding environmental preservation, distribution of resources, commercial activity, residential and military occupation, and travel and tourism.

2. Have students compare and contrast possible conflicts around specific physical features.

3. Have students research case studies of countries’ disputes over physical geography.

Key Takeaways: Physical Geography

• Physical geography is the study of our planet and its systems .
• Understanding the climate and how it’s changing affect people now and can help plan for the future.
• Because the study of Earth is vast, numerous sub-branches of physical geography specialize in different areas, from the upper limits of the sky to the bottom of the ocean.

In contrast, cultural or human geography spends time studying why people locate where they do and how they adapt to and change the landscape in which they live. Someone studying cultural geography might also research how languages, religion, and other aspects of culture develop where people live how those aspects are transmitted to others as people move or how cultures change because of where they move.

Don’t Miss: Growth And Decay Worksheet Answers