United States And Canada

Before People Only natural forces changed the land Weathering, erosion, flooding, fires

Early Settlement 1 st people were nomads; wandered from place to place in search of food and shelter Crossed from Asia to present day Alaska Beringia- land bridge that connect Asia and North America

Nomads Hunted wild game, fished, gathered edible plants Temporary settlements need coastlines, rivers and streams Had to adjust to climate Had to adapt to mountains, forests, plains and deserts

Development of Agriculture Raising plants and animals that are useful to people About 3000 years ago Replaced hunting and gathering Permanent settlements People started to change the land to meet their needs Cut trees for lumber to build shelter and burn as fuel Plowed soil to plant crops Dug ditches for irrigation to water crops 1 st crops- corn, beans, squash

Building Cities Building cities depends a lot on physical setting Near water Landscape Climate Weather Availability of natural resources

Overcoming Distances After crossing Beringia, people moved on overland trails south along Pacific Coast to warmer climates Some stayed in present day Alaska and northern Canada Early European settlers settled along the Atlantic Coast Later settlers moved westward using trails such as the Oregon Trail and Santa Fe Trail Settlers used inland waterways such as the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers

Manmade Waterways Erie Canal Built across New York state Connected Lake Erie to Hudson River Hudson River flows into Atlantic Ocean 1 st water link of Atlantic Ocean and Great Lakes

Erie Canal

St. Lawrence Seaway Most important deep-water ship route in North America Built in 1950s Connects the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean Uses a series of locks- water-filled elevators used to raise and lower ships Enables oceangoing ships to sail to middle of North America p?pageid=166 p?pageid=166

St. Lawrence Seaway

Transcontinental Railroad Railroad crossing the entire North American continent United States transcontinental railroad finished in 1869 Canada’s transcontinental railroad finished in 1885 Used for Carrying passengers Transporting goods Promoting economic development National unity

U.S. Transcontinental Railroad

Trans-Canada Railroad

National Highway Systems Development of cars lead to road building U.S. has 4 million miles of roads Canada has 560,000 miles of roads Interstate highways in U.S. started in 1950s 46,000 miles Across U.S. from north to south and from east to west

National Highway Systems Trans-Canada Highway 4860 miles Connects major cities in southern Canada Newfoundland to British Columbia