How Maps Group Places Into Regions
Imagine you had to describe the United States to a friend who has never seen it. You could name all 50 states one by one, but that would take forever. Instead, most people say things like "the South," "the Midwest," or "the West Coast." You just used regions to classify places into groups. Geographers do this on purpose. Classifying means sorting things into groups that share something in common. When you sort places by what they have in common, you turn a confusing pile of towns and states into a map you can actually understand.
What You'll Learn
By the end of this lesson you will be able to: - Explain what it means to classify places into regions. - Tell the difference between grouping by land, weather, and how people live. - Draw your own region map of your neighborhood or town.
Grouping by Land and Water
One way to classify places is by their physical features, meaning the land and water. Mountains, deserts, rivers, and coastlines all help us group places. For example, the Rocky Mountains stretch through states like Colorado, Wyoming, and Montana. We can group those areas into a "mountain region" because they share tall, rocky land. States along the Atlantic Ocean, like Florida and Georgia, can be grouped as a "coastal region" because they touch the same sea.
Grouping by Weather
Places can also be classified by climate, which is the usual weather over many years. Arizona is hot and dry, so it belongs in a desert region. Places near the Great Lakes get heavy snow in winter, so they share a cold, snowy climate. When you sort a map by climate, you can quickly guess what people might wear, what plants grow there, and even what sports they play.
Grouping by How People Live
Some regions are grouped by human features, meaning the ways people live. A place where most people farm is a rural region. A place packed with tall buildings, subways, and crowds is an urban region, like New York City. The same spot on Earth can belong to more than one region at once. Miami is in a coastal region (near the ocean), a warm climate region (it is hot), and an urban region (it is a big city). That is totally normal.
When you want to classify a place, ask three questions: What is the land like? What is the weather like? How do people live there? Your answers tell you which regions the place belongs to.
Match each place to the kind of region it fits best.
Terms
Definitions
Drag terms onto their definitions, or click a term then click a definition to match.
Why do geographers group places into regions instead of naming every single town?
Miami is near the ocean, is very hot, and is a big city. How many regions can it belong to?
Flashcards — click each card to reveal the answer
Map Your Own Regions
1. Draw a simple map of your neighborhood or town on a big sheet of paper. 2. Use one color to circle places with lots of trees or grass (a green region). 3. Use a second color to circle busy places like stores and roads (a busy region). 4. Use a third color to circle quiet places like homes and parks (a quiet region). 5. Write one sentence under your map explaining what each colored region has in common. Show your finished region map to a family member and explain how you classified each part.
Want to keep learning?
Sign up for free to access the full curriculum — all subjects, all ages.
Start Learning Free