Site and Situation

What is meant by site?

• Site is the actual location of a city.

What is meant by situation?

• Situation is another name for relative location– the location of a city with respect to other

geographic features, regions, resources, and transport routes.

Richmond, VA

Richmond, VA developed where the James River met the fall line. Ships could no longer go upstream so the city of Richmond was established.

Fall Line

• A cargo ship can travel up the James River to Richmond. It can not go any farther because Richmond is located on a fall line, a line of waterfalls that separate rivers of Western Virginia and Eastern Virginia

Omaha, NE

Sacramento, CA

Omaha, Nebraska and Sacramento, CA developed because they were on the Transcontinental Railroad.

Confluence Site

• Confluence sites: cities located where rivers meet

• Pittsburgh is an example of Confluence

Pittsburgh,PA

Pittsburgh, PA developed where three rivers converge.

Site

• Sites can be found where rivers narrow

• Quebec is an example where the river narrowed

Quebec City

Quebec City developed where the St. Lawrence River narrowed.

Harbor sites

• New York

• Boston

• Baltimore

New York City became a major city because it is located on a natural harbor.

Erie Canal

• Waterway in New York that runs about 363 miles

• Water route from the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes

Locks

• A lock is a device for raising and lowering boats between stretches of water of different levels on river and canal waterways