BR: 3/8/17 What is similar / different about the U.S. and Canada?

World Geography Ch. 4.1 Part I: Major Landforms The U.S. and Canada are linked by borders, but in many other ways as well. One of those is major landforms

Compare & Contrast: Which country is larger? Which country is more densely populated? Why do you think there is such a big difference?

Natural Resources Canada and the U.S. are neighbors, and share many physical characteristics. Canada for its part is quite large, the second largest country in the world, after Russia. Meanwhile, the U.S. is the 3rd largest of them all. The populations of both are quite different however. Most of Canada is much colder and not very suitable for planting, living, etc., and so it has a much smaller population. As of 2017, it had 35 million people living there. The U.S. has 325 million.

Megalopolis The U.S. and Canada have a wide variety of landforms. The Northeastern part of North America has thin, rocky soil, which limits agriculture. Great harbors along the Atlantic however have led to many cities developing with shipping ports. The cities of Boston, Halifax, New York, etc., all lie very close to the Atlantic coast. These cities in the U.S. form a continuously connected area from the cities and their suburbs, merging together. This giant type of community is called a megalopolis. The Atlantic megalopolis is the center of trade, culture, and political power in the U.S., and the largest one. However, others are also emerging in the U.S. VID

What megalopolis regions do you see emerging in North America What megalopolis regions do you see emerging in North America? Is the Wasatch Front one? Explain:

Eastern Lowlands & Highlands The Atlantic Coastal Plains is the name for the flatlands running from Boston down to Florida, then around to Texas. To the east are the Appalachian Mtns. The Appalachian Mountains are a very old mountain range, much older than the Rocky Mountains for instance. Hence the reason they are much smaller, and more rounded, since they’ve been eroding away for millions of more years. VID The Appalachians have been important as the main source of coal in the region, which powered the Industrial Revolution in the late 1800s to the early 1900s. Its highest peak is Mt. Mitchell, in NC, at 6,684 ft.

Interior Lowlands Heading west, you’ll find many lowlands. To the north lies the Canadian Shield, an area of rocky hills, lakes, evergreen forests, etc., that wraps around Hudson Bay. It was heavily shaped by glaciers during the last Ice Age, and most good soil was literally scrapped off by glaciers / ice sheets. The stone has lots of minerals worth mining, though. South of this, and to the west of the Appalachians is the Central Lowlands Region. Lots of grassy hills, farmland, the Great Lakes, etc. That soil from the Canadian Shield ended up here.

The Great Plains To the West of those lie the Great Plains, stretching west away from the Mississippi River, rising in elevation gradually, till they meet the Rocky Mountains to the West. Most of this region is prairie, or rolling grassland hills with very fertile soil. This area provided the food required to sustain millions of buffalo, and the Native Americans who lived there. Today, many people ranch and raise cattle, as well as farm this area, with grains, etc. Underground are some resources as well, such as coal, oil, and natural gas.

Western Mountains To the West lie a cordillera, or a group of parallel mountain ranges. As two tectonic plates smashed into each other, they created them. On the eastern side are the Rocky Mountains, running from Alaska all the way south into Mexico. On the Western side, are several other mountain ranges. They include the Sierra Nevada Mountains (between Cali. & Nevada) the Cascades (thru Oregon & Washington) the Coast Ranges (west coast of Canada) and the Alaska Range and Brooks Range, which run through Alaska. The highest of these mountains is Mt. McKinley aka Denali, at over 20,000 ft, found in the Alaska Range VID

Plateaus, Canyons & Hawaii Between these ranges lie several plateaus and other flat regions, or basins. The two biggest ones include the Columbia Plateau, the Colorado Plateau, as well as the Great Basin. VID Also, this region is home to some fantastic valleys and canyons. The Grand Canyon is the most famous of these, but many of Utah’s National Parks also highlight some of these fantastic landforms as well. VID Much further west, we find the Hawaiian Islands, an archipelago or a group of 8 major islands, and 124 smaller ones, which is very unique. VID

HW: HW: Finish filling out the North America Physical Geography Map Worksheet, as given in class. Will be turned in with your guided notes at the end of the chapter.