Science College, General Science Dept

Geography

What are the relationships of people and places?

We have already said that a place is special because of its temperature. The general temperature over a long period of time is its climate. The climate has determined the foods, plants, animals that live in an area.

People have adapted to many different living conditions and an example of this would be the choice of people to live in a very cold area like the Hudson Bay in Northern Canada. This area has nine months of freezing temperatures in the winter and three hot, humid months in the summer. But because of the abundance of wildlife and furs (eek!) it was an early settlement by Europeans in the Americas.

People also change their environment, and an example of this can be found in most homeowner’s yards in the United States. These residents usually try to shape their lawn by mowing and planting. At other times an area is not changed, so a mountain may be traveled around rather than over. Or if a family hasn’t carried enough bottled water with them when they go camping, they may choose to camp near a stream or some other source of water.

An application of this adaptation to the environment would explain why the Japanese eat so much sea food.

Previous | Next