THE PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA: THE LAND CHAPTER 5 SECTION 1
EQ: How has physical geography affected the development of the United States and Canada? OBJ: I will be able to identify major parts of the United States’ and Canada’s physical geography.
PHYSICAL MAP OF THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA
LANDFORMS: WESTERN MOUNTAINS, PLAINS, AND PLATEAUS Tectonic plate collisions created the Pacific Ranges millions of years ago The highest point on the North American continent is Mount McKinley, which extends to 20,320 feet high The Rocky Mountains are also a result of geological forces The Rockies link the U.S. and Canada and stretch from New Mexico to Alaska Dry basins and plateaus fill the area between the Pacific Ranges and the Rockies
LANDFORMS: EASTERN MOUNTAINS AND LOWLANDS At the edge of the Canadian plains the Canadian Shield anchors North America The Canadian Shield is a giant core of rock centered on the Hudson and James Bays It makes up the Eastern half of Canada and Northeast U.S. The Appalachian Mountains are east of the Mississippi River and are America’s oldest mountains It is one of North America’s largest mountain range, extending about 1,500 miles from Quebec to central Alabama The Appalachian Mountains were formed by powerful upheavals within the Earth’s crust and shaped by ice and flowing water over time
LANDFORMS: ISLANDS The islands of the United States and Canada were created in part by geologic forces Oceanic island are volcanic, like Hawaii Continental islands are unsubmerged parts of the continental shelf, which is a shallow underwater platform that form a continental border Large islands like Greenland are continental Greenland, a territory of Denmark, is the world’s largest island at 839,999 mi 2
WATER SYSTEMS: RIVERS In North America, the ridge of the Rockies is called the Continental Divide or Great Divide A divide is a high point or ridge that determines the direction in which rivers flow Rivers like the Colorado and Rio Grande have headwaters, or source, in the Rockies Tributaries, or smaller rivers and streams, connect with one of these two large rivers The Mississippi River is one of North America’s largest rivers, and it flows 2,357 miles In the eastern U.S., a boundary called the fall line marks the place where higher land of the Piedmont drop s to the lower Atlantic coastal plain The St Lawrence River flows for 750 miles
WATER SYSTEMS: RIVERS
WATER SYSTEMS: LAKES AND OTHER WATERWAYS The Great Lakes were formed due to glaciers that cut out the Canadian Shield and left behind a basin that filled with water Large deposits of coals, iron, and other minerals near the Lakes favored the development of industries and urban growth in the area
NATURAL RESOURCES: FOSSIL FUELS AND MINERALS Petroleum and natural gas are important energy resources Most of Canada’s petroleum and natural gas reserves lie in or near Alberta Coal in Appalachians, Wyoming, and British Columbia has been mined for more than 100 years Coal, petroleum, and natural gas are types of fossil fuels Formed in the earth from the buried plant and animal remains of a previous geological time period hundreds of millions of years ago Conservation and land preservation are important issues for today’s mining industry
NATURAL RESOURCES: TIMBER AND FISHING Today forests cover 34 % of Canada and 33% of the United States Replanting helps protect forests and ecosystems affected by the commercial lumber industry Important fisheries, or places for catching fish and other sea animals, are located in coastal waters of Atlantic and Pacific Oceans as well as the Gulf of Mexico Grand Banks was once one of the World’s Richest fishing grounds Overfishing caused fish stocks to drop so the Canadian government had to ban cod fishing A species protection plan is in affect in both the U.S. and Canada Aquaculture, fish farming, is affected
AMERICAN GEOGRAPHY CLOSE UPS