California's Regions
What are the four natural regions of California?
The mountain, valley, coastal, and desert regions.
What are the four cardinal directions?
North, south, east, and west.
What are the lines that run east to west around Earth called?
Lines of latitude, also called parallels.
What imaginary line divides Earth into the Northern and Southern Hemispheres?
The equator.
What is California's capital city?
Sacramento.
Which California region includes the Sierra Nevada mountains?
The mountain region.
If north is at the top of a map, which direction is to the right?
East.
What is the name of the line at 0° latitude?
The equator.
What imaginary line divides Earth into the Eastern and Western Hemispheres?
The prime meridian.
What is population density?
A measure of how many people live in a given area, such as a square mile.
Which natural region is known for having some of the world's best farmland?
The valley region, especially the Central Valley.
What are the four intermediate directions?
Northeast, southeast, northwest, and southwest.
What are the lines that run from the North Pole to the South Pole called?
Lines of longitude, also called meridians.
Which two hemispheres is California located in?
The Northern Hemisphere and Western Hemisphere.
Why have many people throughout history chosen to settle near oceans and rivers?
Oceans and rivers make it easier to move people and goods, which helps businesses and settlements grow.
Which region is sunny and dry and includes the Mojave Desert?
The desert region.
What map tool tells you what colors and symbols on a map mean?
The map key, or legend.
What is the name of the line at 0° longitude?
The prime meridian.
Which climate zone is California located in?
The North Temperate Zone.
Which California region has many large cities because of its location near the Pacific Ocean?
The coastal region.
Which natural region would you most likely find the Pacific Ocean, beaches, and large bays?
The coastal region.
What is the difference between relative location and absolute location?
Relative location describes where something is in relation to other places. Absolute location gives the exact location of a place, such as with an address or latitude and longitude.
Santa Cruz is located at approximately 37°N, 122°W. What does the 37°N tell you?
It tells you that Santa Cruz is 37 degrees north of the equator.
How does elevation affect temperature?
The higher the elevation, the colder the temperature. Mountains are often colder because they have higher elevations.
Why are there fewer cities and lower population density in California's mountains and deserts?
These areas have physical features and climates that can make them harder places to live, so fewer people choose to settle there.