Minnesota, Land of 10,000 lakes(and many more).

Minnesota is  known as The Land of 10,000 Lakes. Actually, according the official count, there are over 11,000 lakes. Basically, Minnesota's geography gives lends its nickname. Geography is also the determining factor for how Minnesota got its name. Minnesota's name comes from the Dakota word meaning "land of sky-tinted waters", referring to the lakes. 

In short, if you want to go fishing, Minnesota would be a great place to do, with ample fishing opportunities everywhere. 

               Lake Vermilion in Saint Louis County,Minnesota. Source: Star-Tribune

How Minnesota got those lakes has everything to do with geology. Much of Canada and the Midwestern USA had been covered in an ice sheet 1 million years ago. It was the Last Ice Age, however, that would be a major influence on Minnesota's geography. The constant movement of glaciers, scraping at the soil and rocks, and the glaciers retreating and melting, this helped to form the lakes in Minnesota. 

                  Map of North American glaciation, Shane A. Lyle Kansas Geological Survey

And that is how we have the Land of 10,000(and many more) Lakes.

The American City of Bridges.

Located at the confluence of the Ohio, Monongahela, and Allegheny rivers, is the city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.

It is know as the Steel City. There is another name for Pittsburgh, the city of bridges. One distinction that Pittsburgh has is this: There are 446 bridges in this city.

Roberto Clemente Bridge, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA

There is a geographic importance to these bridges. Think of Pittsburgh from a topographic and physical nature, and then look at it on a map.

This is a hilly city, characteristic of being in the Western Allegheny Plateau eco-region. There are also three rivers going through Pittsburgh. And now look at Pittsburgh on a map. The rivers, hills, and ravines give Pittsburgh a dissected character. The three rivers(for which the former Three Rivers Stadium was named) divided the city into three major parts. There is also Brunot Island in the Ohio River. The Lincoln-Lemington-Belmar section is on both sides of the Allegheny River.

This is where these bridges come into importance. With such a fragmented geography, there is a major necessity to connect the three parts of Pittsburgh. One has to be able to get to all parts of the city. There would be immense isolation without these bridges. Hills, rivers, and other geographic features in the Pittsburgh area render difficulty in the transfer of information, ideas, goods, and other things, in today's era. In earlier times, boat travel might have been the thing to use. However, for a city like Pittsburgh, access to people, goods, and services is a necessity. Bridges make traveling through Pittsburgh easier.









http://www.tripadvisor.com/Tourism-g53449-Pittsburgh_Pennsylvania-Vacations.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Roberto_Clemente_bridge.jpg

What geography has done for Mombasa, Kenya.

Along the southern coast of Kenya lies the second largest city in Kenya. A city that dates back to 900 AD.This has historically been a hub for trade, being located along the Indian Ocean. Mombasa has done trade with Persia, India, China, and other places in the east. Major trade items included ivory, gold, and spices.

Because of its location, many empires have wanted control of Mombasa. It has been ruled under different empires throughout its history. It was a strategic location.

However, Mombasa didn't just become a port as a part of some random coincidence. Good ports need good deep water harbors. Mombasa has that. There is a reason this has happened. There is a physical phenomenon called ria. Kilindini Harbor is Mombasa's port. Ria makes this possible. A ria is a deep water channel formed when sea levels rose and covered up a river valley. This has produced a natural harbor, making Mombasa a major port city in East Africa, and a major trading hub in its early days. 

Map of Mombasa.

Minneapolis: City of Water.

Water has been an important factor in how many cities have formed. The city of Minneapolis is one particular case to analyze. One must look at historical geography to understand how physical geography has had an impact on economic geography.

The city of Minneapolis was built in 1856 as a town. Fort Snelling nearby had attracted people before. The city was incorporated in 1867. What made Minneapolis grow was its water resources.  Industry grew around St. Anthony Falls, the highest waterfall along the Mississippi river.

Map showing St. Anthony Falls is located

Picture of St. Anthony  Falls, 1860.


This waterfall provided a very important source of hydropower. With plenty of timber in Minnesota, sawmills operated from water power. With railroad service, grain and other goods would be shipped into Minneapolis. Flour mills would flourish in Minneapolis. One flour mill made enough flour to make 12 million loaves of bread per day. Companies like Pillsbury and General Mills would form. Minneapolis would get a nickname from this, "the mill city".

Water played a very important part in Minneapolis' history. It was with water that hydropower was used to power the mills, and helped Minneapolis grow.

Minneapolis is also home to 6 lakes. It has developed the nickname "city of lakes" for this very reason. The cities lakes are very important sources of recreation for many residents. Activities such as fishing, swimming, ice skating, and boating are among the forms of recreation that residents can do at these lakes.These lakes formed as a result of glaciers melting and retreating. The melting and retreating of glaciers left behind lakes in Minneapolis, as well as the rest of Minnesota. It also carved out how the Mississippi river would flow through the rocks and soil. Minneapolis' name comes from the Dakota work "mni" and the Greek word "polis", literally translating to Water City.

Minneapolis can be thought of as the Water City. Water has played an important role for the Twin Cities. This aspect of physical geography has historically been important to the economy, and helped the city grow.

Sources: http://www1.umn.edu/marp/dig/site3.html
http://www.fromsitetostory.org/tcm/tcmintro.asp
http://www.fromsitetostory.org/sources/papers/mnarch49/49a-concl.asp