Part II: OVERVIEW ABOUT THE UNITED STATES

The factfile of the USA Washington: the capital city New York: the biggest city. Official language: American English. Current president: Barack Obama. Surface: 9.8 million km 2 (3 rd biggest) Number of States: 50 Population: (3 rd biggest) Independence Day: July 4th Anthem:

What is E PLURIBUS UNUM? United States motto Appearing on the US coins & money Appearing on many US public monuments Means “From many, one” Primarily used to unify 13 British colonies in North America during the American Revolution ( ) The Melting Pot (the nation of nations)

13 British colonies

UNITED STATES GEOGRAPHY

50 STATES OF THE USA

OFFICIAL REGIONS OF THE USA

THE USA BY REGIONS THE WEST

Basin and Range

Rocky Mountains

Rocky Mountains -extends more than 3,000 miles across the western part of North America Great Basin - a large desert that covers 200,000 sq. miles in California, Idaho, Nevada, Utah, Wyoming Mt. Ranier - 14,410 ft., 4,392 meters, Cascade in Washington, Highest peak in Washington Mt. McKinley - 20,320 ft. 6,194 meters, Alaska Range in Alaska, Highest peak in North America Mt Hood -11,239 ft, 3,426 Meters, Cascade in Oregon, Inactive volcano with many glaciers Great Plains - vast, dry land in North America Geographical Features

Abundance or scarcity of water affects natural vegetation, economic activity, and population density. Much of the West has a semiarid or arid climate, with short grasses, shrubs, sagebrush, and cactuses for vegetation. The western side of the cordillera receives much more rainfall, and it contains deciduous and coniferous forests at lower elevations. Hawaii has a wet tropical climate and dense tropical vegetation. The tundra of Alaska is a dry, treeless plain that sprouts grasses and mosses only when the top layer of soil thaws in the summer. 4

parts of the West get extremely high amounts of rain and/or snow other parts are true desert and get less than 5 inches of rain per year. seasonal temperatures vary greatly throughout the West. Low elevations on the West Coast have warm to very hot summers and get little to no snow. The Desert Southwest has very hot summers and mild winters.

“Go West, Young Man” Why did people go West? Why would people want to migrate West?

Men like Wild Bill Hickok and Wyatt Earp were hired to keep law and order in the rising towns of the West.

Yellow Stone -Wyoming Cayonlands -Utah Rocky Mountains - Colorado Yosemite, Disney, HollyWood, Golden Gate Bridge -California Glacier -Montana Hoover Dame -Nevada Idaho Falls -Idaho Crater Lake -Oregon Olympic -Washington Yellow Stone National Park View of Hoover Dam from Bypass Bridge.

Grand Canyon - Colorado

THE USA BY REGIONS THE MID-WEST

3 Geographical Features The Midwest is relatively flat and contains fertile soil that is rich in a dark-colored organic material called humus. The Midwestern climate favors agriculture with its long, hot summers. There are many regional variations, such as precipitation, growing season, and quality of soil, that affect the type of agriculture possible. Midwestern farms, the most productive in the world, have earned the Midwest the nickname “the nation’s breadbasket.”

Alabama Arkansas Iowa Kansas Mississippi Missouri Nebraska Oklahoma Texas.

The Great Plain States: Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, and North Dakota flat, rises gradually to eventually meet the Rocky Mountains.

THE USA BY REGIONS THE SOUTH

2 Geographical Features The South’s warm, wet climate produces thick mixed forests and stands of mangrove trees. Marshy inlets of lakes and rivers in Louisiana are called bayous. Rich soils, ideal for agriculture, attracted Europeans, some of whom built large plantations. Farming is still important to the South’s economy. Some parts of the South, such as Appalachia, are deeply impoverished.

Slaves Working on a Plantation, 1862

Marshy Areas in the South

AGRICULTURAL PLANTATIONS

THE USA BY REGIONS THE NORTHEAST

1 Geographical Features relatively few natural resources The Appalachian Mountains make some areas quite rugged. Apart from coal in Pennsylvania, the Northeast has few mineral resources a center of commerce and fishing since Colonial times

Appalachian Mountains

made of several other ranges. ◦ The Green Mountains ◦ The White Mountains ◦ The Catskill Mountains ◦ The Poconos Mountains ◦ The Adirondack Mountains the oldest mountain range in North America. begins in Canada and extends south to Alabama

Land and Water in the Northeast The Northeast Region has many areas of incredible scenery and natural formations. The Chesapeake Bay and other bays in the region provide seafood for many people.

Niagara Falls

Chesapeake Bay

Ellis Island Most European immigrants came into the U.S. through the port of New York. The U.S. opened an immigration station on Ellis Island in New York Harbor. Inspectors checked the immigrants’ papers and health. The Ellis Island station was closed in 1954.

WHITE HOUSE

The Coastline of the Northeast ranges from sandy beaches to rocky cliffs.

Resources of the Northeast The climate and geography of the Northeast Region make it excellent for growing grapes and cranberries. A lot of maple trees grow in the Northeast. The sap from these trees is harvested to make maple syrup. Minerals are an important resource to this area. Minerals such as granite and marble are minerals that are mined here. Chesapeake Bay got its name from the Native American word for “Great Shell Fish Bay”. It is very rich in fish and shellfish allowing the fishermen to make a living.

UNITED STATES TIME ZONES

THE DIFFERENCES IN TIME Hawaii TimeAlaska TimePacific Time Mountain Time Central Time Eastern Time Wednesday 2/26/2014 2:01am HST Wednesday 2/26/2014 3:01am AKST Wednesday 2/26/2014 4:01am PST Wednesday 2/26/2014 5:01am MST Wednesday 2/26/2014 6:01am CST Wednesday 2/26/2014 7:01am EST