Unit 1: North America Mr. Couvillion & Ms. Dyer

Where is North America? North America stretches from the cold arctic of northern Canada to the warm tropics of Mexico. At the center lies the 48 contiguous United States, which means they are all connected in one block. Hawaii the 49 th state is in the Pacific ocean, and Alaska the 50 th state lies off the coast of Canada.

Highlands, Plains, & Plateaus Land Elevation in North America generally rises from East to West, though the east has some highlands, or areas of hills and mountains. East of the rocky mountains lie the Great Plains. Plains are flat areas of land, which make up most of the center of North America. Plains also appear near coasts. Plateaus – Flat lands of high elevation – are located between mountains in the west U.S. and central Mexico.

Rivers and Lakes Major cities developed along the region’s numerous rivers, such as Cincinnati and the Ohio River, New Orleans on the Mississippi River, and Juarez on the Rio Grande. The St. Lawrence River provides a waterway from the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes. Combined, these 5 lakes form the largest body of fresh water in the world. Four of the lakes provide a physical boundary between the United States and Canada, just as the Rio Grande is a natural border between the United States and Mexico.

The Great Plains The Great Plains region runs through the center of the continent. The crops grown there feed the population of North America with enough left to export, or send to other countries for aid or profit.

Farming on the Great Plains The Great Plains are well suited to agriculture for two reasons. First, the soil is rich with nutrients, so it produces bountiful crops. Second, the climate on the Great Plains is temperate and the area usually has a plentiful amount of rain. Some years, rainfall is below normal for a long period of time, causing drought that can kill crops. In the 1930’s, for example, the region experienced a drought that lasted several years. Plowing of native prairie grasses that helped hold the soil contributed to soil erosion, and the Plains became known as the “Dust Bowl.” The persistent winds in the area stirred up great clouds of dry soil, or dust. Today these winds can be a source of power. Much of the original prairie land has been replaced by fields of wheat, corn, and other grains. These crops are grown on huge farms where planting and harvesting are done by machine. Such large, highly productive farms are typical of commercial agriculture, or the business of producing crops to sell. Rivers such as the Mississippi transport goods from the Great Plains to lowland areas. Grain from the Canadian plains is moved by rail to the Atlantic Ocean and by ship on the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River.

Energy Resources The Great Plains in the United States and Canada are home to major deposits of oil and natural gas. The main oil fields in the United States are found in the southern part of the Great Plains, from Kansas to Texas. Texas also has many offshore oil fields in the Gulf of Mexico. Commercial drilling in the Gulf of Mexico is risky. Oil deposits lie beneath the layers of salt that can shift and cause an underwater earthquake. In 2010, human error causes an explosion of a large deepwater drilling structure, resulting in a major oil spill. The spill harmed wildlife and threatened the economy of the region. Energy resources from the Great Plains are important to the United States, where more energy is used than it is produced. High winds in the plains may be utilized as an alternative energy source.

Western Mountains and Deserts Mountains and high plateaus cover much of the western United State and Canada. These landforms create natural barriers to western coastal regions and offer plentiful resources in some areas.

Landforms and Climate The main landform in the western part of the region is the cordillera. A cordillera is a system of several mountain ranges that often run parallel to one another. In North America, the Cordillera includes the Rocky Mountains and the Sierra Nevadas. In the United States, the area between the Rocky Mountains and Sierra Nevada Mountains is the Great Basin. A basin is a depression in the surface of the land. The Great Basin is a desert, a dry, often sandy area with little rainfall or plant life. The Great Basin is marked by smaller mountain ranges and canyons, which are deep, steep-sided valleys formed when rivers cut through soft rock. The best known canyon is the Grand Canyon in the southwestern United States. Formed over hundreds of millions of years, it is 277 miles in length and up to 18 miles wide. The great basin is mostly dry. Warm, moist air flows east from the Pacific Ocean toward the mountains of the cordillera. As this warm air rises up the mountains, it cools and releases moisture on the mountains’ western slopes. The air that eventually reaches the land east of the mountains is dry. This process is called the Rain Shadow Effect.

Resources and Conservation Varying climates contribute to a varied supply of resources. The great basin and the mountain ranges that surround it contain important mineral deposits. Areas of southwestern Canada hold reserved of natural gas. This area’s heavy rainfall and many lakes allow for the use of water power to provide electricity. Water for human use is in short supply in the southwestern United States. The population there has grown rapidly in recent years, and the demand for water has increased in an already dry area. A dam, which is a barrier that controls the flow of water, can help solve the problem of water shortage. However, dams can also cause problems such as excess soil erosion. The Hoover Dam on the Colorado River makes use of water power to supply electricity, irrigation, and drinking water to parts of Arizona, New Mexico, and southern California.

Mexico’s Mountains and Plateaus Central Mexico is made up mainly of mountains and plateaus. These landforms yield rich resources that contribute to Mexico’s economy

Landforms & Climates Mexico includes two peninsulas, narrow strips of land that extend out into a body of water: The Baja in western Mexico and the Yucatán in the southeast. Mexico is shaped like an upside down triangle with the mountains of the Sierra Madre running along each side. The Mexican Plateau lies between the two ranges of the Sierra Madres. Mexicans call the southern area of this plateau the Mesa Central, and the northern area the Mesa del Norte. A mesa – the Spanish word for “table” – is a high flat plateau. Mexico’s highest mountain, volcano Pico de Orizaba, rises at the southern edge of the plateau. Mexico City, the capital, is on the Mesa Central. The city is home to more than 20 million people, almost 20% of the population of Mexico. Some areas of the Mesa Central have been subject to volcanic activity, which results in rich, volcanic soil. This soil helps produce crops that are important to Mexico’s economy such as sugarcane, corn, and wheat. Northern Mexico sits in the temperate zone, and the southern half lies in the tropics. On the high Mesa Central, climate is modified, or made less extreme, by a higher elevation. Temperatures there are cooler than along lower coastal areas.

Resources and Agriculture Mexico’s mountains hold resources such as copper, silver, and zinc. However, the richest resource is the oil found in and around the Gulf of Mexico. Over three million barrels are produced each day. Agriculture is also important to the country. Farmers in the north grow cotton, wheat, and fruit, and also raise cattle. To the south, farms produce sugarcane, coffee, and tropical fruits. Many rural Mexicans live by subsistence farming, growing just enough food to feed their families. This type of farming occurs mostly in southern highlands.