If you find it boring to learn about the natural resources and climate, you must understand that it is these resources in nature that let us live. The climatic conditions in different regions of the world support the plant and animal life of that region. The climatic conditions and the availability of natural resources in a particular region shape the life of its inhabitants. Geography influences the distribution of natural and man-made resources across the globe.The land area of the contiguous United States is 2,959,064 square miles (7,663,941 km2). Alaska, separated from the contiguous United States by Canada, is the largest state at 663,268 square miles (1,717,856 km2). Hawaii, occupying an archipelago in the central Pacific, southwest of North America, is 10,931 square miles (28,311 km2) in area.[160]The United States is the world's third or fourth largest nation by total area (land and water) , ranking behind Russia and Canada and just above or below China. The ranking varies depending on how two territories disputed by China and India are counted and how the total size of the United States is measured: calculations range from 3,676,486 square miles (9,522,055 km2) [161] to 3,717,813 square miles (9,629,091 km2) [162] to 3,794,101 square miles (9,826,676 km2).[4] Measured by only land area, the United States is third in size behind Russia and China, just ahead of Canada.[163]The coastal plain of the Atlantic seaboard gives way further inland to deciduous forests and the rolling hills of thePiedmont. The Appalachian Mountains divide the eastern seaboard from the Great Lakes and the grasslands of the Midwest. The Mississippi–Missouri River, the world's fourth longest river system, runs mainly north–south through the heart of the country. The flat, fertile prairie of the Great Plains stretches to the west, interrupted by a highland region in the southeast.The natural wealth of a region owes its existence to the region's geographical conditions. The geographical location of a region influences its climate, which in turn influences the life forms that can thrive in that region. Why does oil come from Saudi Arabia? Why are China and India the largest producers of rice? Why do camels populate the African terrains and polar bears inhabit the Arctic? Why does the deciduous forest biome inhabit parts of America, Asia, Europe, Africa and Australia? Why are rainforests found in the equatorial regions? It is all because of the diverse geographical conditions around the world.Geography is the study of the Earth, its landforms, features and inhabitants. It seems to have lost its importance in this new era of globalization. Recent surveys have brought about disturbing results about the level of knowledge about geography kids have. It is surprising to know that children today do not find it important to study geography.
