Explore the Features of Your Community!

A community is a place where people live, work, and help each other every day. Your community has many special features that make it unique. You will find both natural features and human-made features all around you.

Learning about your community helps you understand the place where you live and belong. You can explore your community by looking at its land, water, buildings, and people. Start your journey by visiting Types of Communities to see how communities can be different from each other.

Natural features are things found in nature that people did not build. You might see rivers, lakes, forests, hills, mountains, valleys, and plains near your community.

A river is flowing water that moves across the land. A lake is a body of water surrounded by land on all sides. A forest is a large area full of trees. A hill is a raised area of land smaller than a mountain. A mountain rises very high above the ground and is made of rock. A valley is a low area of land between two hills or mountains. A plain is a large, flat area of land that stretches out wide.

You can learn more about the land around you by exploring Local Environment Natural Features and Human Structures.

Human-made features are things that people design and build. Roads, bridges, schools, hospitals, and stores are all human-made features.

A school is where you go to learn every day. A hospital is where doctors and nurses care for sick people. A post office is where mail and packages are sent and picked up. A grocery store is where families buy food and everyday items. A library is where people borrow and read many books. A city hall is where community leaders meet and make important rules. A bridge is built by people to cross over water. A park is an open outdoor space where families enjoy activities together.

Discover more about the places people use by visiting Community Places.

Community: A community is a place where people live, work, and share things together every day. Your neighborhood is part of your community.

Natural feature: A natural feature is something made by nature, not by people. Rivers, forests, and mountains are natural features.

Human-made feature: A human-made feature is something that people design and build. Roads, schools, and bridges are human-made features.

Landform: A landform is a natural shape of the land, such as hills, valleys, mountains, and plains.

River: A river is flowing water that moves across the land.

Lake: A lake is a body of water surrounded by land on all sides.

Forest: A forest is a large area of land covered with many trees.

Hill: A hill is a raised area of land that is smaller than a mountain.

Mountain: A mountain is a very tall natural landform made of rock that rises high above the ground.

Valley: A valley is a low area of land between two hills or mountains.

Plain: A plain is a large, flat area of land that stretches out wide in many directions.

Neighborhood: A neighborhood is a small area within a larger community where people live close to each other.

Map: A map is a drawing that shows what a place looks like when viewed from above.

Map symbol: A map symbol is a small picture that stands for a real place or thing on a map.

Compass rose: A compass rose is a symbol on a map that shows the four main directions: north, south, east, and west.

Map legend: A map legend is a box that explains what each symbol on a map means.

Location: Location means where a place can be found on the earth.

Local: Local means things that are nearby or in your own neighborhood and community.

Rural community: A rural community is a quiet area with open land, farms, and few buildings.

City: A city is a large community with many people and buildings.

Suburb: A suburb is a community that sits just outside a big city.

A map is a drawing that shows what a place looks like from above, like a bird flying overhead. You can use a map to find your way around your community.

Maps use symbols to show real places. A map legend tells you what each symbol means. A compass rose shows you the four main directions: north, south, east, and west. North is shown at the top of most maps. The sun rises in the east every morning, which helps you find directions too.

You will learn even more about maps by exploring Basic Mapping Concepts.

You can look around your neighborhood and find natural features like trees, hills, or a nearby river. Then look for human-made features like roads, buildings, and bridges.

Try drawing a simple map of your street. Use symbols to show your home, your school, and a park. Add a compass rose to show which way is north. This connects to what you will discover in People and Places and Caring for Our Surroundings.

You have already learned about Types of Communities, which showed you how communities can be rural, suburban, or urban. You also explored Community Places and Local Environment Natural Features and Human Structures. These topics help you understand the features of your community even better.

You can also connect this topic to Community Resources, Essential Community Services, and Roles of Community Workers to learn how people help each other every day.

This topic connects to many other exciting topics you will explore. You already learned about Community Places and Types of Communities before starting this topic. Those topics gave you a strong foundation for understanding community features.

As you keep learning, you will explore Basic Mapping Concepts to practice reading maps of your community. You will also discover People and Places to learn how people connect to the places around them. Caring for Our Surroundings will show you how to take care of your community's natural and human-made features.

You can explore how communities change over time through How Communities Change and Changes in Community Life. You will also learn to ask questions about your community in Asking About Community.

This topic prepares you for bigger geography ideas. You will soon explore Climate and Geography Impact, Types of Landforms Mountains Valleys and Plains, and Types of Water Bodies Oceans Lakes Rivers. You will also discover Where People Live and World Maps and Locations as you grow your geography skills.