THE UNITED STATES & CANADA Physical Geography Landforms and Resources Climate and Vegetation Sub-Regions

KEY FACTS ABOUT NORTH AMERICA Together, Canada and the US represent 1/8 of the world’s total landmass Canada is the second largest country in the world behind Russia The US is the world’s third largest country (behind Russia and Canada) Canada and the US both have abundant natural resources (oil, soil, fresh water, minerals, ports, coal)

LANDFORMS

MAJOR MOUNTAIN RANGES Rocky Mountains stretch from New Mexico to Alaska for 3000 miles Appalachian Mountains stretch from Alabama to Newfoundland for 1600 miles Rockies are larger because the Rockies are younger (erosion has taken a toll on the Appalachians) Continental Divide- the highest point of the Rockies- determines whether rivers will flow east or west Sierra Nevada, Cascades, and Coast Ranges are all found in the far west (Pacific coastline)

The Rockies

APPALACHIAN MOUNTAINS

MAJOR WATERWAYS Mississippi-Ohio River system runs from Minnesota to Louisiana with tributaries going east-west Great Lakes include Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, and Superior Mackenzie River: in northern Canada, flows from the Great Bear Lake to the Arctic Ocean Columbia, Colorado, and Rio Grande are also key rivers in the US

MISSISSIPPI-OHIO RIVER SYSTEM

THE GREAT LAKES

Mackenzie River

ST. LAWRENCE RIVER Canada’s St. Lawrence River includes the man-made St. Lawrence Seaway, which uses a series of canal locks to enable huge cargo ships to travel along the river to the Great Lakes (this really helps trade- one of the busiest shipping route in the world)

St. Lawrence Seaway

EASTERN LOWLANDS Most of the eastern seaboard (Atlantic coastline) is fairly flat with a low elevation Excellent harbors

INTERIOR LOWLANDS Includes the Great Plains, the Canadian Shield, and the Interior Plains Created by glaciation over the last ice age

WESTERN MOUNTAINS, PLATEAUS, and BASINS The Rocky Mountains are about 80 million years old and have many jagged, “rocky” peaks that rise to heights of 14,000 feet in places The western section of the US has many plateaus and basins (lowland deserts)

OCEANS and WATERWAYS The Atlantic Ocean in the east The Pacific Ocean in the west Arctic Ocean in the north Gulf of Mexico in the south Great Lakes St. Lawrence River/Seaway Mackenzie River Mississippi-Ohio-Missouri River system is the continent’s longest and busiest river system

Atlantic Ocean

GULF of MEXICO

PACIFIC OCEAN

Arctic Ocean

land & forests Fertile soil in the Great Plains (Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, etc.) makes the US one of the world’s leading producers of food “The World’s Breadbasket” Canada also has millions of acres (1/2 the country) of forests used for the lumber industry

Canadian Forest

Great Plains “America’s Breadbasket”

FERTILE SOIL: Natural Resource

CLIMATE & VEGETATION

CANADA’S CLIMATE Canada is much colder than many parts of the US, due to it’s higher latitude and proximity to the Arctic Circle Much of Canada has a SUBARCTIC climate Far northern Canada has a TUNDRA climate In the south they have HUMID CONTINENTAL, SEMIARID, HIGHLAND, and MARINE WEST COAST

Canada’s Climate Zones

Montreal Canada

US CLIMATE The United States has a wide variety of climates including: – Humid Continental – Humid Subtropical – Tropical Wet (and Tropical Wet/Dry) – Semiarid – Desert – Highland – Mediterranean – Marine West Coast – Subarctic (Alaska, Aleutian Islands) – Tundra (Alaska)