An overview of the Earth’s physical environment and natural systems. The different natural processes that create the distribution of lifeforms, climate patterns, temperatures, and landforms on our planet. Includes studying the Earth-Sun relationship, global temperatures and circulation, water and humidity, ecosystems, plate tectonics, and other processes that shape landforms on the surface of the Earth. Also includes how humans are affecting these systems, and some of the tools geographers use to understand these relationships (like maps, and geospatial technologies).