Landforms and Resources United States & Canada Chapter 5 Landforms and Resources United States & Canada

Landscape Influenced Development US & Canada occupy the Central & Northern 4/5 of North America. Largest countries in the world 1st Russia 2nd Canada 3rd United States

Landscape Influenced Development Water that border the US & Canada Atlantic Ocean (East) Pacific Ocean (West) Arctic Ocean (North) Gulf of Mexico (South) US & Canada are Rich in Natural Resources

US & Canada Share Landforms: Appalachians & Rocky Mountain Range Interior Plains Water Bodies: Atlantic, Pacific & Arctic Oceans Great Lakes, Niagara Falls

Landforms The Eastern Lowlands The Appalachian Highlands The Interior Lowlands The Western Mountains, Plateaus & Basins The Islands

Atlantic Coastal Plains Great Basin Interior lowlands Atlantic Coastal Plains Gulf Coastal Plains

Eastern Lowlands A flat, coastal plain runs along the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. Piedmont Between plains & Appalachian Mountains Contains rolling hills & fast-flowing rivers and streams.

Appalachian Highlands West of the coastal plains Gently sloping Appalachian Mountains. Begin in Newfoundland to Alabama Extend 1,600 miles More than 400 million years old Eroded by the elements 1200 ft - 2400 ft. elevation

Appalachian Mountains Contain these mountain ranges: Green Mountains Catskill Mountains Blue Ridge Mountains Great Smokey Mountains

Interior Lowlands Mainly level land covers a huge expanse of North America Flattened by huge glaciers thousands of years ago. Divided into 3 sub-regions: The Interior Plains The Great Plains Canadian Shield; largest, 2 million sq.miles

Interior Plains 1.Between Appalachian Mts. & Mississippi River 2. Known as “America’s Breadbasket” – Most productive soil in the world. Grows millions of bushels of corn, wheat 3. Mississippi Drainage Basin – rivers that drain into Mississippi River Ohio River Tennessee River

Rivers St. Lawrence R. Columbia R. Missouri R. Hudson R. Potomac R. Mississippi R. Platte R. Ohio R. Colorado R. Arkansas R. Brazos R. Rio Grande R. Yukon R.

Great Plains . Between Mississippi River & Rocky Mountains Western part of the Mississippi watershed. Contains the Missouri, Platte, Arkansas, & Red Rivers Stretches from N. Montana to Central Texas Treeless region

The Great Plains

The Great Plains

Canadian Shield Lies farther north Rocky & mainly flat 1500 ft above sea level Around Hudson Bay

The Western Mountains Massive, rugged Rocky Mountains Extends 3,000 miles from Alaska to New Mexico Relatively young= 80 million years old Peaks more than 12,000 ft Highest peak is Mt. McKinley located in Alaska @ 20,320 feet

The Continental Divide Line of highest points in the Rockies that marks the separation b/w rivers flowing eastward and westward.

Mountains & Plateaus Cascade Mts. Rocky Mts. ^ Mt. Whitney Sierra Nevada Mts. Appalachian Mts. ^ Mt. Whitney ^ Pike’s Peak Alaskan Range ^ Mt. McKinley

Bodies of Water Puget sound Great Salt Lake Chesapeake Bay Lake Okeechobee Straits of Florida

Great Salt Lake, Utah

Lake Okeechobee, FL Okeechobee is Swamp Land in Southern Florida

The Islands Canada’s northernmost lands are islands riding the icy seas near the Arctic Circle 3 islands are: Ellesmere Victoria Baffin Islands created by volcanic activity Aleutian Islands Hawaiian Islands

Resources US & Canada’s most important industries: Agricultural Industrial

Great Lakes Superior Michigan Huron Erie Ontario These lakes & the St. Lawrence river form one of the world’s major shipping routes.

Ocean’s & Waterways Mississippi River runs almost the length of the US @ 2,357 miles long. Main tributaries - Ohio & Missouri Rivers. Longest & busiest river system is Mississippi-Missouri-Ohio Canada’s longest river = Mackenzie River flows to Arctic Ocean

Land & Forests Land is one of the richest natural resources due to fertile soil. Leading food exporter = North America 1/2 Canada & 1/3 of US are covered by woodlands Major producers of lumber & forest products US has more different trees than Canada b/c of the varied climate.

The American Landscape

Minerals & Fossil Fuels Canadian shield has rich deposits of: Iron ore Nickel Copper Gold Uranium Coal - Appalachian Highlands & northern Great Plains Oil & Natural Gas - Great Plains, Alaska, & along the Gulf of Mexico

Minerals & Fossil Fuels The US is the Largest consumer of energy resources 60 % of energy imported from the middle east countries are OPEC

Climate & Vegetation Most of the US lies in the mid-latitudes Climate are moderate Canada is colder b/c it lies far north Canada & US share similar climates along the joint border

Colder Climates A sub arctic climate (tundra) is along the coast of Alaska & Canada Permafrost would be found in Alaska Rocky Mountains & the Pacific ranges have highland climate & vegetation. See map on page 125

Moderate Climates A humid continental climate can be found in central & northeastern US & southern Canada. Most of Canada’s population is found in the humid continental climate.

Milder Climates Milder, dry and tropical climates of N. America are found south of 40º latitude. Much of the US is located here. Most southern states have a humid subtropical climate Great plains & northern parts of the Great Basin have Semiarid climate Houston has a Humid Subtropical climate

Milder Climates Southern California has a Mediterranean climate Mojave and the Sonoran are large desert areas of the Southwest. Only Hawaii and southern Florida have tropical climates. Mount Waialeale on Hawaii is one of the wettest spots on earth. It receives about 460 inches of rain per year.

Deserts Great Basin Death Valley Sonora Desert Mohave Desert

Mojave Desert – 3,000’

Death Valley, CA 3.3 million acres. 95% wilderness.

Climate – Semi-Arid - Arid

Grand Canyon, Arizona

Extreme Weather An area of extreme weather in the Great Plains is called “Tornado Alley” Violent thunderstorms, tornadoes and blizzards are caused by warm air from the Gulf of Mexico meeting the cold Canadian air masses.

Settlement The 1st inhabitants of N. America were Nomads from Asia Beringia was a land bridge connecting Siberia & Alaska Most early Americans settled along coastlines and near rivers and streams About 3000 years ago agriculture replaced hunting & gathering as the primary method of food production Early American vegetables like corn, beans, & squash are now food staples around the world.

Building Cities Early cities built mainly around water. Other factors that affect where cities are build include: Climate Weather Landscape Availability of natural resources Jamestown established in May 1607

Building Cities Canada’s 2nd largest city is Montréal, Quebec It’s located on a large island where the St. Lawrence & Ottawa rivers meet In order to make living easier in here, much of the city has been developed underground

Montréal, Quebec

Building Cities Los Angeles expanded into valleys & desert like foothills to handle all the people pouring in the area Large populations caused air pollution, inadequate water supplies and construction on earthquake-threatened land Los Angeles’ metropolitan area spreads over 4,060 square miles. Los Angeles settled in 1781 by Spain.

Los Angeles: The City of Angels?

Overcoming Distances Obstacles faced by early settlers in moving across N. America were huge distances, large bodies of water, formidable landforms, & harsh climates. Early settlers carved overland trails in order to move inland called: Oregon trail Sante Fe Trail National & Wilderness roads They also used inland waterways such as the Mississippi & Ohio Rivers.

Inland Waterways They built a network of canals to connect bodies of water The Erie canal was the 1st navigable waterway b/w the Atlantic & the Great Lakes was built in 1825 N. America’s most important deepwater ship route—the St. Lawrence Seaway It was a joint project of the US & Canada

Great Mississippi Flood, 1993 St. Louis, MO before the flood St. Louis, MO during the flood Mississippi River floods due to weather. St. Louis, MO after the flood

Railroads Today, the US has the world’s largest railway system The 1st transcontinental railroad was completed across the US in 1869.

Highways The development of automobiles spurred road building. The US has about 4 million miles of roads Canada has about 560,000 miles of roads The Canadians built their roads going East to West to connect principal cities, most people live in the south.

Austin, Texas 1958 1950

Highways Canada’s primary roadway is called The Trans-Canada Highway & stretches about 4,860 miles The US interstate highway system began in the 1950’s and is a network of more than 46,000 miles of roads.