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Waterforms of Pennsylvania
Lesson 3
5 Themes of Geography• 1. Location – location of city or your community• 2. Place – where something is in relation to its
surroundings ex. City in contrast to smaller communities
• 3. Human-Environment Interaction – how people depend on the environment or change land
• 4. Movement – connection between places and patterns of movement
• 5. Region – ex. Tourist, political, business, rural, urban, suburban, or even school district
5 Landform Regions of Pennsylvania
Rivers and Tributary Systems
• 45,000 miles of rivers, tributaries, and 256 lakes.• Tributary – smaller stream flowing into a larger
stream of lake• Reservoirs – an artificial lake where water is
stored and collected for water supply• 3 major river systems– Western Pa – 3 rivers– Susquehanna River– Delaware River
Western PA River Systems
• Allegheny River Headwaters– Begins in Pennsylvania, flows into New York, and
back into PA. Flows southward towards Pittsburgh
• Monongahela River– SW Pennsylvania, begins in West Virginia and
flows northward to Pittsburgh.– Youghiogheny River – starts in Maryland, flows
into the Monongahela. Wild river – white water rapids.
• Ohio River– Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers meet in
Pittsburgh to form a third river – Ohio River.
– Important in the development of PA and other states they were used as transportation routes for commerce (freight).
– Commerce – the exchange or buying and selling of commodities
– Freight – Cargo
Susquehanna River System
• Headwaters starts in New York, flowing southward through the entire state.– Headwaters – source of a stream– Source – the beginning of a stream of water
• Major tributaries:– West Branch of the Susquehanna– Juniata Rivers• Serves as a watershed for central PA• Watershed – geographic area or region into which all
the creeks and tributaries flow into a large river.
• Too shallow to allow travel.• Mouth of the Susquehanna River is
Chesapeake Bay– Mouth – part of a river where its water empties
into another body of water.
Delaware River System
• Begins in New York• Forms a natural border between
Pennsylvania and New Jersey• Two major tributaries:– Lehigh River– Schuylkill River
• Philadelphia is a major deep-water port located on the Delaware River– Large ocean ships use this port
Lakes and Wetlands
• More than 2,000 small lakes in PA• Only 76 of them exceed 20 acres in size• Natural lakes created by glacial forces –
created by force when glaciers once covered northern Pennsylvania, digging holes which later became lakes.
• Wetlands – lowland area, such as a marshy or swampy place, that holds moisture.
• Excellent habitat for wildlife.• 200,000 acres of wetlands in PA, mainly
located in the northeast and northwest.
• Reservoirs – An artificial lake where water is stored and collected for a water supply.– Helps keep water flowing at a steady pace during
drier times and prevents flooding after large storms or winter melt.
– Hydroelectric Power – producing electric by harnessing the power of flowing water
– Other uses include recreation – fishing, boating, swimming, and water-skiing, for Pennsylvanians and tourists.
Reservoirs and Dams