---
title: "SSWG1: Physical Features and Settlement (Georgia Social Studies standard)"
code: SSWG1
cite_as: Georgia Standards of Excellence, Social Studies, SSWG1
subject: social_studies
grades:
  - high-school
language: en
canonical_url: https://georgiahomeroom.org/standards/code/SSWG1
md_url: https://georgiahomeroom.org/standards/code/SSWG1.md
alternate_language_url: https://georgiahomeroom.org/es/standards/code/SSWG1.md
source_url: https://case.georgiastandards.org/ims/case/v1p1/CFDocuments/a446e74c-463e-11e7-94f5-b49cee8b2d8c
source_last_changed: 2025-02-04
data_built: 2026-09-18
publisher: Georgia Homeroom, a free public-interest project of Georgia Civic Data. Not affiliated with or endorsed by the Georgia Department of Education or any school district.
up: https://georgiahomeroom.org/standards/social_studies/high-school.md
index: https://georgiahomeroom.org/standards/index.md
---

# SSWG1: Physical Features and Settlement

Explain why physical characteristics of place such as landforms, bodies of water, climate, and natural resources act as contributing factors to world settlement patterns.

- Subject: Social Studies
- Appears in: High School, https://georgiahomeroom.org/standards/social_studies/high-school.md

## Expectations

- **SSWG1.a**: Identify and describe climates and locations of major physical features of North America. Explain how these physical characteristics impact settlement patterns including, but not limited to, the Mississippi River System, the Appalachian and Rocky Mountains, and the Canadian Shield.
- **SSWG1.b**: Identify and describe climates and locations of major physical features of Central and South America. Explain how these physical characteristics impact settlement patterns including, but not limited to, the Andes Mountains, Amazon Basin, Atacama Desert, and the Pampas.
- **SSWG1.c**: Identify and describe climates and locations of major physical features of Europe. Explain how these physical characteristics impact settlement patterns including, but not limited to, the Alps, Pyrenees, and Ural Mountains, and the Rhine, Danube, and Seine Rivers.
- **SSWG1.d**: Identify and describe climates and locations of major physical features of Africa. Explain how these physical characteristics impact settlement patterns including, but not limited to, the Nile River Valley, the Sahara, the Kalahari Desert, the Sahel, and the Congo River Basin.
- **SSWG1.e**: Identify and describe climates and locations of major physical features of Central and Southwest Asia. Explain how these physical characteristics impact settlement patterns including, but not limited to, the Zagros Mountains, Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, Persian Gulf and the Caspian Sea.
- **SSWG1.f**: Identify and describe climates and locations of major physical features of South Asia, Southeastern Asia, and Eastern Asia. Explain how these physical characteristics impact settlement patterns including, but not limited to, the Himalayan Mountains and Tibetan Plateau, Gobi Desert, Ganges, Indus, Huang He, and Yangtze Rivers.
- **SSWG1.g**: Identify and describe climates and locations of major physical features of Oceania, including Australia, New Zealand, and Antarctica. Explain how these physical characteristics impact settlement patterns including, but not limited to, the Great Dividing Range and Great Victoria Desert.
- **SSWG1.h**: Describe the spatial distribution of natural resources, including, but not limited to, fuel and energy, agricultural, and mineral sources. Predict how distribution of natural resources continues to impact global settlement patterns.

## Georgia Milestones coverage

No Georgia Milestones blueprint cites this standard.

Source: Georgia Standards of Excellence, published by the Georgia Department of Education at case.georgiastandards.org.