The National Geography Standards
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Earth's human and physical environments are in a constant state of interaction. One particular type of interaction is how physical and ecological systems affect human beings and their activities. Geographers have rejected the notion that physical geography determines patterns of culture, but no one can deny that physical systems influence the way people live and the decisions they make. Yet, these relationships are always modified by the attitudes, objectives, and technical skills of the people themselves. |
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Sandbridge, Virginia Beach, Virginia - The physical environment of the coast draws people to it for aesthetics, recreation and sport. Beaches are considered to be high-amenity environments in which to live. Here in Virginia, people are drawn to the coast by the ocean, but that same ocean can also destroy the works of humankind. |
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Sandbridge, Virginia Beach, Virginia - Steel bulkheads cannot withstand the impact of storm waves riding high tides, particularly in the face of a constantly rising sea level. Under the impact of the northeastern storms that typify the north Atlantic coast, bulkheads such as these may last for only a few years. Hurricanes are also potential hazards along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts. |
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USGS Topographic Map of Sandbridge - Sandbridge truly is a "bridge of sand," a vulnerable barrier formation that has been turned into a residential neighborhood. The physical systems of the atmosphere and ocean periodically unleash their fury on Sandbridge, threatening the built environment. Source: U.S. Geological Survey, North Bay, Va., 7-1/2' quadrangle. |
Sample Questions from the National Geography Challenge 1996 (Grades 5-6) which illustrates . . .
STANDARD 15 -- ENVIRONMENTAL INFLUENCES
For almost a thousand years, the Dutch have been waging war against the sea. They have built dikes along the coast of their country to hold back the waters of the North Sea. Half the land from their country has been reclaimed from the oceans. It lies below sea level. This low lying land is called polder. For hundreds of years, the country's famous windmills have pumped salt water out of the polders to create useable land and freswater lakes from the sea bottom. Today, many of these windmills have been replaced with electric pumps.
Because of their location, the Dutch have been subject to what kind of natural disaster?