1. Section 3 – Resources & Land Use
Chapter 6
Section 3 – Resources & Land Use

2. Resources of the United States
The U.S. has awesome farmland in the Midwest and the South
Alluvial soil lies along the Mississippi River and other river valleys
Most farms in America were owned by families until the 1900’s when large companies began to take over most of the land (agribusiness)
An example of this exists in southern California which is well known for growing vegetables in the Imperial Valley

3. H2O Industry and farms both need water to do what they do
Water is also a vital part of the daily needs of all Americans in their homes
It can be used to generate electricity too, like the Grand Coulee Dam in the state of Washington

4. Forests
America’s forests may not be what they were when the first Europeans arrived
Today they still provide lumber, wood pulp for paper, and fine wood for furniture to the nation

5. Energy & Mineral Resources
The U.S. produces & consumes more fossil fuels than any other country
Most of our oil is imported even though we have reserves in places like Alaska
Natural gas must be refined in order to be used to heat homes, and most of it exists in Texas, Alaska, and Louisiana

6. Coal & Mining
Coal is another fossil fuel that we use to power industry, make electricity, & steel
We hold about 25% of the world’s resources of coal in WY, KY, WV, PA
The U.S. also has valuable deposits of copper, iron, gold, and lead (for batteries, bullets, or solder)

7. Resources of Canada
Less than 10% of Canada’s land is suitable for farming
The Prairie Provinces & St. Lawrence Lowlands are where most of this takes place
Canada has more lakes than any other country in the world (9% of worlds fresh water)
This was very useful for transportation in the past
The St. Lawrence Seaway & Mackenzie Rivers are still very important shipping routes

8. Minerals & Energy Sources
The Canadian Shield is where much of Canada’s mineral wealth is located
Iron, gold, zinc, silver, copper, & uranium are all found in this area
Oil and natural gas are found in the Prairie Provinces

9. Rivers & Forests
Canada is very good at using their rivers to create hydroelectricity, especially in Quebec
Since almost half of Canada is covered with forests, Canada is a world leader in products like lumber, paper, plywood, and wood pulp
British Columbia is known for construction lumber
Ontario and Quebec are known for timber too
Ontario & Quebec
British Columbia