1. II. Lands and Climates of the U.S.
A. Physical Regions of the U.S.
1. North America is the third largest continent.
a) It borders the Atlantic, Pacific, and Arctic Oceans
b) An isthmus, a narrow piece of land, connects North and South America.
2. The United States of America is one of the largest countries in the world.
a) Contrasting regions.
b) Contrasting natural resources.
c) Geographers have split the U.S. into different physical regions.

2. II. Lands and Climates of the U.S.
3. The Pacific Coast is the western most region of North America.
a) The Cascades and the Sierra Nevada Mountain ranges stretch down the western U.S.
b) Important cities include Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, Portland, and Seattle.
c) An important feature of the Pacific Coast is the 600 mile crack in the Earth’s crust known as the San Andreas Fault.
4. The Intermountain Region lies east of the Pacific Coast.
a) mountain peaks, plateaus, canyons, and deserts.

3. II. Lands and Climates of the U.S.
b) The Grand Canyon and the Great Salt Lake.
c) Important cities include Salt Lake City and Phoenix.
5. The Rocky Mtns. Stretch from Canada into the western U.S.
a) The Bitteroot Range in Idaho and Montana, Big Horn Mtns. in Wyoming, and the Sangre de Cristo Mtns. In Colorado and New Mexico.
b) In Mexico the Rockies become the Sierra Madre.
c) Contain some of the highest mtns. In North America with an elevation, or height above sea level of more than 14,000 feet.
d) Denver is a major city of this region.

4. II. Lands and Climates of the U.S.
6. The Interior Plains are east of the Rocky Mtns.
a) The dry western region is called the Great Plains.
b) The eastern part is called the Central Plains.
c) Natural resources include petroleum, coal, and fertile soil for farming and raising livestock.
d) Major cities include Dallas, St. Louis, Chicago, Cincinnati, Detroit, and Indianapolis.
7. The Appalachian Mtns. lie east of the Interior Plains.
a) They run from Canada in the North to Georgia and Mississippi in the South.

5. II. Lands and Climates of the U.S.
b) Regions of the Appalachian Mtns. go by different names. (ex: the Smokey Mountains)
c) Appalachian Trail runs from Georgia to Maine and runs through Pennsylvania near Hamburg.
8. The Canadian Shield is a low land area that lies in Eastern Canada.
a) The southern end is in Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota.
b) Used to be a region of high mountains, but erosion or the wearing away , reduced the area to low hills and plains.
c) Rich in minerals.

6. II. Lands and Climates of the U.S.
9. The Coastal Plains are the eastern most region in North America.
a) Fairly flat lowland area.
b) The Atlantic Plain and the Gulf Plain.
c) Major cities include Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Washington D.C.
d) It broadens in the South to include all of Florida.
e) Major cities of the Gulf Plain include New Orleans and Houston.
10. The Hawaiian Islands lie 2,400 miles west of California.

7. II. Lands and Climates of the U.S.
a) The distance between New York and Los Angeles is 2,800 miles.
b) Eight large islands and many smaller ones.
c) Tropical climate with rain forest vegetation.
d) The islands are actually the visible tops of volcanoes.
e) Snow falls on the top of these volcanoes.
B. American Rivers and Lakes
1. The Mississippi and Missouri rivers make up the longest and most important river system in the U.S.
a) Interior Plains to the Gulf of Mexico.

8. II. Lands and Climates of the U.S.
b) The Mississippi and Missouri Rivers have many tributaries or smaller rivers flowing into larger rivers.
c) These rivers provide an important means of transportation.
2. The U.S. also includes dozens of other rivers of importance.
a) The Colorado and Hudson Rivers.
b) The Rio Grande forms part of the border with Mexico while the St. Lawrence River forms part of the border with Canada.

9. II. Lands and Climates of the U.S.
3. The Great Lakes form part of the border with Canada.
a) Lake Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, and Superior (HOMES) form the largest body of fresh water in the world.
b) Artificial waterways connect the lakes to the Mississippi and the St. Lawrence Rivers to ship goods from that region to the Atlantic Ocean.
C. Climate and Weather
1. The condition of the Earth’s atmosphere at a given time and place is its weather.

10. II. Lands and Climates of the U.S.
a) Weather affects the jobs we do, the homes we build, and our activities.
2. Climate is the average weather of a place over time.
a) The two main features of climate are temperature and precipitation, or rain, hail, sleet or snow that falls to the Earth.
3. Several factors influence climate, but one of the most important is the distance from the Equator.
a) Lands near the Equator are usually hot and wet all year.

11. II. Lands and Climates of the U.S.
4. Altitude, or height of the land above sea level, also affects climate.
a) Highlands are cooler than low lands.
5. Other climate factors are ocean currents, wind currents, and location of landforms.
D. Climates of the United States
1. The Marine climate is a strip of land between Southern Alaska and Northern California (Pacific Northwest).
a) Mild moist marine climate with warm summers and cool winters.

12. II. Lands and Climates of the U.S.
b) Lumber industry
2. The rest of California has a Mediterranean climate.
a) Winters are mild and wet and the summers are hot and dry.
b) Farmers have to irrigate water for crops.
c) almonds, walnuts, olives, apricots, dates, and figs.
3. Highland climates can be found in the Sierra Nevadas, Cascades and Rocky Mtns.
a) Highland climates are associated with cooler temperatures.

13. II. Lands and Climates of the U.S.
4. The desert and steppe climates can be found in the Southwest and Interior Plains respectfully.
a) Hot days and cold nights.
b) Almost no rainfall (irrigation is common).
c) East of the Great Plains has a steppe climate with limited rainfall, hot summers, and cold winters.
d) A steppe climate is ideal for raising cattle.
5. A humid continental climate can be found in the Central Plains and Northeastern U.S.
a) Mild summers and cold winters.

14. II. Lands and Climates of the U.S.
b) The Central Plains produce much of the world’s food.
c) The northeast is known for farming and lumber.
6. Tropical and humid subtropical climates are found in the Southeastern U.S. and Hawaii.
a) The tropical climate of Hawaii and southern Florida is good for growing citrus fruits.
b) The subtropical climate of the southeastern U.S. is ideal for growing such crops as cotton and soybeans.

15. II. Lands and Climates of the U.S.
7. Northern and western coastal regions of Alaska have a tundra climate.
a) Cold all year round.
b) The rest of Alaska as well as northern Canada have a subarctic climate with long cold winters and short summers.
c) Relatively few people live here.
d) Lumber and paper pulp industries thrive here.