Physical Geography of U.S. and Canada

Landforms of the U.S. 5 Different Regions From East to West Coastal Plains Appalachian Mountains Interior Plains Mountains and Basins Pacific Coast

What does Coastal mean? Coastal Plains Two areas The flat or gently sloping land near a shore. Two areas Atlantic Coastal Plain Gulf Coastal Plain

What is a Megalopolis? A continuous line of Settlement

Appalachian Mountains Over 1,500 miles long From eastern Canada to Alabama Mountains are about 300million years old. (**Notice their shape.)

Appalachian Trail In 1937 became a National Scenic Trail Piedmont area is very fertile, good for farming. In 1937 became a National Scenic Trail

Interior Plains 500 miles wide, from Appalachian Mts. To the Rocky Mts.

Interior Plains Central Lowlands Great Plains Eastern plains Flatlands, grassy hills, and thick forests Soil is rich in nutrients Western plains Grassy Pastures, Prairie lands

Mountains and Basins Rocky Mountains Longest mountain range in North America Extends from Alaska to Mexico Formed from Tectonic Plates

Mountains and Basins Basins West of the Rocky Mts. Three large plateaus Columbia Great Basin Colorado What is a Plateau?

Mountains and Basins The Great Salt Lake Plateaus Why is it called the Great Salt Lake?

The Pacific Coast

The Pacific Coast Two mountain ranges Cascade Range Sierra Nevada Nevada means “snow capped” East of the mountain ranges are fertile lands, great for farming

Alaska and Hawaii Alaska Hawaii Mountain ranges surround most of the state Mt. McKinley, the tallest mountain in the U.S. 20,320 feet Borders the Arctic Ocean Made up of 8 large islands and 120 small islands Volcanoes erupted and formed the islands Coral Reefs surround part of the island

Canada

Landforms of Canada Canada is divided into 10 provinces and 3 territories. Provinces are political divisions, similar to states in America Nunavut is the newest territory Created in 1999 Serves as a territory for Canada’s indigenous people

Glaciers Glaciers are giant ice sheets that are slowly moving Glaciers moved across Canada thousands of years ago, and made the landforms that are present today, like mountains and lakes

Shield and Tundra The Canadian Shield is formed from ice sheets that depressed the land surface and scooped out thousands of lake basins. It carried away much of the region's soil. Drainage is generally very poor on the shield. The southern part of the shield has thick forests while the north is covered with tundra. Tundra is a treeless plain where the soil beneath a few inches is permanently frozen. Located in Canada’s far north.