Earning a Living in Our World

FREEDOM FROM WANT

You know that all human beings need food to survive.People obtain food by farming,fishing,and hunting.Of these three ways of getting food,the important by far is farming.

FOOD FROM AROUND OUR COUNTRY

Let’s start with the main attraction of the feast -  the turkey.Turkeys are raised by the thousands on farms known as turkey farms.Th states that lead in the production of turkeys are North Carolina and Minnesota.The apples in the fairly cool areas.They might have come from the state of Virginia,Washinton,or Michigan.The pears more than likely were grown in Washington State or California.The grapes could have come from vineyards in California or New York.

Other foods on the table include sweet potatoes and cranberries.North Carolina is the state that leads in the growing of sweet potatoes.Cranberries grow in cool,wet,swampy regions.New Jersey and Massachusetts are two states that grow cranberries.As you can see,each part of our thanksgiving dinner comes from a different part of the United States.

KINDS OF FARMS

There are many different kinds of farms and farmers in our country and in the world.Some raise just enough food for their families to survive from year to year.Others operate giant farms and raise enough food to sell to people who do not farm.

USING NATURAL RESOURCES

The wood may come from trees that grow in our forests,and the steel was made from iron that was probably dug from a mountain area somewhere in the world.All over the world there are people who earn their living by gathering the different resources that everyone needs.These people are fishers and loggers,miners,and drillers of oil.

MAKING THINGS FOR A LIVING

Think for a minute of all the things you use today- the equipment you use,the car or bus that  you take.Most of the things that we use are manufactured in the United States or other parts of the world.Manufacture means to make something by hand or by machine.

RAW MATERIALS

All around the world,people use raw materials to manufacture goods.A raw material is a resource that is gathered and used to make a different kind of product.For,example,timber is a raw material.Standing trees that are to be cut and used for wood are often called timber.Most of the things we use are made by people who work in various industries.An industry is a kind of business that produces goods for a profit,or gain.For example,the furniture industry turns timber from our forests industry turns from our forests into the chairs,tables,and desks .

MOVEMENT

People use the natural resources of the world in different ways to make a living.All kinds of raw materials like timber and finished goods like furniture are moved daily to places where they are needed.People,too,move from place to place.They travel from home to school or work.Many people travel far distances,either for business or for enjoy-ment.The movement of people and goods is another important theme of geography.

PROVIDING SERVICES FOR PEOPLE

Many people do a special kind of work that helps to make life better for other people.The kind of work that helps people is called service.We all depend on services.Most services are provided by people living in towns and cities.Some service workers are teachers,and some are doctors and nurses.Others work as police officers or firefighers.The following story can give you an idea of how many people in one community perform services.