The West
Water - shapes natural vegetation, economic activity, and population density. Dry Areas (little precipitation) - natural vegetation: short grasses, cactus - example: Reno, Nevada
Wet Areas - receive enough rainfall to contain deciduous and coniferous forests - Example: Seattle, Washington Tropical - Example: Hawaii Tundra - a dry, treeless plain that sprouts grasses and mosses only in the summer, when the top layer of soil thaws - Example: Alaska
Mining Forestry Commercial Fishing
Mining - Rocky Mountains, Sierra Nevada contain minerals of gold, silver, copper, tin, etc ’s people rushed to the West seeking fortune. - Businesses were set up to provide goods and services to miners- and population grew Natural gas and oil ’s - Trans-Alaska Pipeline carries oil across the tundra
Forestry - half of nation’s construction lumber is from the forests of the Pacific Northwest Commercial Fishing - fish caught in Alaska, Hawaii, and other Pacific Coast states bring in billions of dollars.
Transcontinental Railroad ’s - railroad fare was lowered between the Midwest and Los Angeles - people began to move West - most live in cities
Los Angeles, California - second largest city -1920’s aircraft and motion picture industry - aqueducts – large pipes that carry water over long distances (to support growing population)
Alaska - largest state however least populated Hawaii - made up of eight main islands