1.1 | Environment and Politics RECIPES pages 117 – 173 The United States 1.1 | Environment and Politics RECIPES pages 117 – 173

Environment Variety of landscapes (mountains, plains, river valleys, deserts, and tropics) Concentrations of cities Megalopolis Rocky v Appalachian Mountains Interior lowlands The Great Plains Western mountains and plateaus Sierra Nevada, Cascade Range, Alaska Range Canyons

Environment The Great Lakes, major rivers, and bays Natural resources The Continental Divide Natural resources The US has many resources: oil, natural gas, et cetera Demand of oil Iron and other minerals are abundant Hydroelectric, solar, and wind power Soil, timber, and fish California and the Great Plains Oregon and the Northwest Maine and New England

Environment The Pacific Coast The West The Great Plains The East Mild year-round temperatures and plenty of rain California has a Mediterranean climate Earthquakes The West Hot summers and mild winters Mountains block moist winds and create deserts The Great Plains Moisture from the Gulf and Arctic make for a humid climate Dust bowl and tornados The East Humid and rainy year-round, further south is warmer Tropics (Florida/Hawaii) and hurricanes

Politics First human migrations across the Bering Strait Thousands of Native American cultures First Europeans and the Great Plague 75-95% mortality rate Colonies, expansion, and the United States Representative democracy, federalism, and the Constitution Emerging world power WWI and WWII The Cold War and the rise of capitalism 9/11 and the Age of Terror American global presence