BR: 3/10/17 Copy the following map, & show where the following regions are: Appalachian Mountains Coastal Plains Rocky Mountains Canadian Shield Rio Grande

World Geography Ch. 4.1 Part II: Bodies of Water & Natural Resources The U.S. and Canada have many different natural resources. These include the many bodies of water we have, as well as other resources too.

Water and Rivers The U.S. and Canada have many different navigable waterways, like the Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, etc. Many were not so easily traveled, however. The Great Lakes, for example, though connected, and eventually emptying into the Atlantic via the St. Lawrence River, had many waterfalls, rapids, etc., that made going from the lakes to the ocean impossible. In the mid 1900s, that all changed with the St. Lawrence Seaway. A series of locks were built, to lower or raise the water. VID, TL VID

Rivers & Lakes While there are many great rivers and lakes in North America, one of the largest is the Mississippi. It flows over 2000 miles, beginning in Minnesota, and is over 1.5 miles wide at some points. It is extremely important due to the water it provides for farming, fishing, and especially shipping that occurs along it (like the St. Lawrence River), from places like St. Louis, all the way to the Atlantic and beyond. VID The Great Continental Divide cuts North America in half, leading some rivers to flow one way, and the rest another. That is why the Colorado River for example flows to the Pacific Ocean.

There are actually several continental divides, which are high areas that lead water to flow away toward the sea. The largest is the Great Divide. How does the Great Basin fit into this?

Natural Resources North America is very rich in natural resources, especially energy reserves, like coal, oil, natural gas, etc. The big rivers that exist in both countries also provide lots of resources, like water, food, and also hydroelectric power, using dams and turbines. The Niagara Falls has provided a good amount of such power for over 100 years, with several plants: VID, VID North America also has lots of mineral resources. Gold, copper, silver, iron, etc. can be found in the Rocky Mountains as well as the Canadian Shield, and also the Appalachian Mtns, but to a lesser degree. The U.S. & Canada also have large amounts of other resources, such as soil, timber, and many different fisheries, where people fish in the ocean. Areas like Central California, etc., provide crops all over the both countries. Timber is a major Canadian export as well.

HW: Natural Resource / Landform Project: Pick a landform / resource, research it, and create a pamphlet telling us more! Ideas: Major Rivers & Transportation / Hydroelectricity / Reservoirs, etc: Mississippi River, Colorado River, Columbia River, Missouri River, St. Lawrence, etc. Lakes / Oceans / Water as Resources: Great Lakes, the Great Salt Lake, the Grand Banks, the Ogallala Aquifer, etc. Mountains / Resources: Rocky Mtns, Appalachian Mtns, Canadian Shield, Timber, soil & Mineral resources (gold, silver, coal, oil, etc.)