Unit 2

Chapter 5

United States and Canada

What is a Region?

• A region is a broad geographical area distinguished by similar features.

Canada and the U.S. share the following characteristics:

• Physical features:– Rocky Mountains– Great Lakes

• Vast deposits of fossil fuels and minerals• Populations that are wealthy, literate, and

ethically diverse• Market economies that were based on

agriculture, but now industrial• Have pollution and environment concerns

Western: Mountains, Plains, Plateaus

• Collisions between tectonic plates millions of years ago thrust up a series of sharp peaked mountains.

• Pacific Ranges– Sierra Nevada– Cascade Range– Coast Range– Alaska Range

• Mount McKinley (24,320 feet) tallest in N. America

Western: Mountains, Plains, Plateaus

• Rocky Mountains– Geographic forces heaved slabs of rock

upward– Stretches 3,000 miles from New Mexico to

Alaska– Some peaks are higher than 14,000 feet– Pikes Peak is located in Colorado

Western: Mountains, Plains, Plateaus

• Columbia Plateau– Between the Pacific range to the Rockies– Found in the north and was formed by lava

that seeped from the cracks of the earth

• Colorado Plateau– Flat-topped mesas– Grand Canyon

• Carved by the Colorado River and other major erosion

• Deepest walls plunge 6,000 feet

Western: Mountains, Plains, Plateaus

• Colorado Plateau– Death Valley- lowest place in the U.S.– Canada’s plateaus are colder and narrower when

compared to the U.S.

• Great Plains– Located east of the Rockies– Extend 300 to 700 miles eastward– Appear flat, but the land slopes downward at about

10 feet per mile until the Mississippi River

Eastern Mountains and Lowlands

• East from the Mississippi River, the land rises slowly into the Appalachian mountains

• Appalachian Mountains are North America’s oldest mountains– 2nd longest mountain range stretching from Quebec to

central Alabama• Coastal lowlands lie east and south of the

Appalachians• Piedmont- located between Appalachians and

coastal lowlands– A wide area of rolling hills

Islands

• Oceanic islands– Are usually volcanic– Lava accumulates on the ocean floor until it

pushes through the water’s surface– Hawaii (made up of 8 major and 124 smaller

islands

Islands

• Continental islands– Un-submerged parts of the continental shelf– A shallow, underwater platform that forms a

continental border• Greenland (world’s largest island)• New Foundland• Prince Edward Island• Manhattan Island (A major U.S. and world

economic center)

Water Systems

• Lakes and rivers in the U.S. and Canada are important to economic development in that region

• Rivers– Divide- is a high point or ridge that determines

the direction in which rivers flow

• Headwaters- is the source of the river• Tributaries- small rivers that connect to

larger rivers

Rivers

• Mississippi River– Flows 2,350 miles from Minnesota to the Gulf

of Mexico– One of the world’s busiest waterways

• Fall line- marks the place where the higher land of the Piedmont drops to the lower Atlantic Coastal Plain

• Eastern rivers fall into rapids or waterfalls, preventing ships to travel farther inland

Water Systems

• Niagara Falls– Forms the border between U.S. and Canada– Two drops

• Horseshoe Falls- adjoins the Canadian bank of the river

• American Falls- adjoins the America bank of the river

– Major source of hydroelectric power

Lakes and other Waterways

• Great Lakes– Lake Ontario– Lake Michigan– Lake Superior– Lake Erie– Lake Huron

Natural Resources

• Freshwater is one of many natural resources

• Fossil fuels and minerals– Energy resources (petroleum and natural gas)

• Texas (largest reserves of petroleum and natural gas)

• Alaska (2nd in petroleum reserves)

– Coal• Appalachians, Wyoming, and British Columbia

Natural Resources

• Fossil fuels– Formed from buried plant or animal life– Must be conserved because they are not

renewable

• Minerals– Rocky Mountains- gold, silver, copper– Minnesota/Michigan- Iron ore

Natural Resources

• Conservation and land preservation are important issues– Mining involves large equipment and can

damage the land, water, and air systems

• Also, non-renewable and could become depleted

Timber

• Vital resource

• Forests cover less than 50% of Canada

• Only about 33% of the United States

• Trees are renewable; only if companies are responsible and take steps to replant and protect them

Fishing

• Coastal waters in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Gulf of Mexico

• Fisheries- places for catching fish and other sea animals– The Grand Banks- 139,000 sq. miles of area of the

southeast coast of Canada

• Over-fishing has caused fish stocks to decrease rapidly

• Aquaculture- fish farming; a growing economy

Hurricanes

• These elements must be present for a hurricane to form: – Clusters of thunderstorms– High humidity– Light winds– Water temperature of at least 80 degrees

Fahrenheit

Hurricanes

• Classifications of Hurricanes– Category 1

• 74-95 m.p.h. 4-5 feet storm surge

– Category 2• 96- 110 m.p.h. 6-8 feet storm surge

– Category 3• 111- 130 m.p.h. 9-12 feet storm surge

– Category 4• 131-155 m.p.h. 13-18 feet storm surge

– Category 5• Above 155 m.p.h. Above 18 feet storm surge

Climate and Vegetation

• Climates found in the United States– Subtropical– Tropical– Desert– Mediterranean

Warm and Wet Climate

• Humid subtropical climate in the Southeast– Rainy, long muggy summers, mild winters

• Deciduous forests extend south to Louisiana– Most were cleared for farming

• Everglades– Located in Florida– Wetlands and swamps– A variety of wildlife and vegetation

• Hawaii– Tropical climate and rainforests

Warm and Dry Climates

• Rain shadow between the Pacific ranges and Rocky Mountains has a steppe and desert climate

• Death Valley- highest temperature ever recorded, 134 degrees Fahrenheit

• A Mediterranean climate is found in central and southern California– Confined to coastal areas– Drought resistant woodland of twisted, hard-leafed

trees

Northern Climates

• Most of the U.S. experiences variations in climate and vegetation

Interior Climates

• Great Plains– A humid continental climate with bitterly cold

winters and hot summers– Benefits from warm, moist winds that blow

north from the Gulf of Mexico

Interior Climates

• Prairies– Treeless expanses of grasses– Rainfall ranges from 10 to 30 inches a year– Prairie grass grows from 6-12 feet (sometimes

a ½ inch a day)– Super cells- spawn tornadoes (winds can be

up to 300 miles per hour)

Interior Climates

• Prairies– Settlers broke up the densely packed sod to

grow crops– Dry weather in the 1930s, winds eroded the

soil• Reduced farm lands to nothing “Dust Bowl”

– Since the 1930s, improved soil and conservation methods have restored the soil

Interior Climates

• Steppe Climates– West of the Great Plains– Transitional climate that occurs between the dry

climates and the humid interior climates

• Highland Climate– Elevation is the key classifier in the climate– Coniferous forests cover the middle elevations– Timber line- elevation in which trees cannot grow– Chinook- warm dry wind that blows down the east

slopes of the Rockies- melting the snow

Coastal Climates

• Marine West Coast climate– Influenced by Western winds and ocean

currents– Over 100 inches of rain a year– Winters overcast and rainy– Summers are cloudless and cool

High Latitude Climates

• Large parts of Alaska and Canada

• High atmospheric pressure spawns cold winds– Blizzards- heavy winds and blowing snow– Bitter winters and cool summers make it

inhabitable

Alaska

• Capital: Juneau• Nickname: The Last Frontier• Flower: Forget-Me-Not• Bird: Willow Ptarmigan• Tree: Sitka Spruce• Motto: North to the Future• Date of Statehood: Jan. 3, 1959• Population: 663,661

Alaska

• Dog mushing (or dog sled racing) is very popular in Alaska.

• Every year they hold the Iditarod Trail Race, in which sledding teams race from Anchorage straight across the state to Nome.

• The highest mountain in the U.S. is Alaska's Mt. McKinley or Denali.

• Mt. McKinley is 20,320 feet tall. That's about 1,270 football fields stacked end-to-end.

Alaska

• Russia controlled most of the area that is now Alaska from the late 1700s until 1867

• It was purchased by U.S. Secretary of State William Seward for $7.2 million, or about 2 cents an acre.

• Russian whalers and fur traders on Kodiak Island established the first settlement in Alaska in 1784.

Alaska

• Alaska is the biggest state in area

• It is about one-fifth the size of the rest of the United

• Measuring from north to south the state is approximately 1,400 miles long and measuring from east to west it is 2,700 miles wide.

Alaska

• Alaska's population has a higher proportion of males to females than any other U.S. state

• Only five U.S. states have populations that are more male than female

• In the U.S. population as a whole, males are outnumbered by a ratio of 100 to 95.8.

Washington

• Capital: Olympia• Nickname: The Evergreen State• Flower: Coast

Rhododendron• Bird Willow Goldfinch• Tree: Western Hemlock• Motto: Al-ki - By and By• Date of statehood: Nov. 11, 1889• Population: 6,287,759

Washington

• Washington is the only state named after a president.

• Washington's Olympic National Park receives over 100 inches of rain per year. Some of its trees are over 300 feet tall.

• Mt. Rainier is a dormant volcano. The last time it erupted was in 1969.

• Mt. St. Helens last erupted in 1980. Ash from that eruption fell as far away as Maine.

Washington

• Nearly 30 percent of Washington's land is owned by the federal government.

• Two large lakes were created by dams on Washington's Columbia River—Franklin D. Roosevelt Lake (by the Grand Coulee Dam) and Banks Lake (behind Dry Falls Dam).

• Washington is home to a temperate rainforest, with spruce, cedar and hemlock trees, and abundant ferns and mosses.

• 50 percent of the state is covered by forest.

Washington

• Washington's most important crop is apples—the state produces more than 2 million metric tons of the fruit each year.

• Redmond is home to the Microsoft Corporation, co-founded in 1975 by Bill Gates, a Washington native.

• The world's largest building, a Boeing aircraft manufacturing plant, is located in Everett, Washington.

• Starbucks, the staggeringly popular worldwide coffee chain, got its start in Seattle's Pike Place Market.

Oregon

• Capital: Salem• Nickname: The Beaver State• Flower: Oregon Grape• Bird: Western Meadowlark• Tree: Douglas Fir• Motto: Alis volat propriis - "She flies with her own

wings“• Date of Statehood: Feb. 14, 1859• Population: 3,641,056

Oregon

• Every year Portland throws a 24-day long party—the Rose Festival.

• One day about 7,700 years ago, a huge volcano erupted and its top collapsed, forming a lake.

• That beautiful, dark blue lake is now at the center of Oregon's Crater Lake National Park.

• Oregon leads the nation in the production of wood products, hazelnuts and Christmas trees.

Oregon

• In the mid-1800s, settlers traveled to Oregon with covered wagons via the Oregon Trail.

• The 2,000-mile trail started in Missouri and ended at Oregon City.

• At 1,932 feet, Oregon's Crater Lake is the deepest in the United States.

• The Seaside Aquarium in Seaside, Oregon, was the first in the world to successfully breed harbor seals.

• The 11,249-foot Mount Hood is Oregon's highest peak and home to 12 glaciers.

California

• Capital: Sacramento• Nickname: The Golden State• Flower: Golden

Poppy• Bird: California Quail• Tree: California Redwoods• Motto: Eureka - "I have found it“• Date of statehood: Sep. 09, 1850• Population: 36,132,147

California

• California's Sequoia National Park is home to the biggest living things on Earth.

• The giant Sequoia trees have changed little since the dinosaur days.

• Sequoia National Park contains the largest living tree. Its trunk is 102 feet in circumference.

• Pacific Park, on the venerable Santa Monica Pier, re-creates the amusement parks once dotting the ocean areas along the Pacific Coast.

California

• California produces more than 17 million gallons of wine each year. There are more than 300,000 tons of grapes grown in California annually.

• It is estimated there are approximately 500,000 detectable seismic tremors in California annually.

• By itself, California has the seventh largest economy in the world

California

• Death Valley is recognized as the hottest, driest place in the United States. It isn't uncommon for the summer temperatures to reach more than 115 degrees.

• California is home to both the highest and lowest points in the continental United States: Mount Whitney (14,494 ft) and Badwater in Death Valley (282 feel below sea level).

Hawaii

• Capital: Honolulu• Nickname: The Aloha State• Flower: Hibiscus• Bird: Hawaiian Goose• Tree: Kukui nut tree• Motto:Ua mau ke ea a ka aina I ka pono - "The life

of the land is perpetuated in righteousness“• Date of Statehood: Aug. 21, 1959• Population: 1,275,194

Hawaii

• Aloha is a Hawaiian word that means both hello and good-bye!

• Hawaii is the southernmost U.S. state.

• Hawaii is the biggest of the eight Hawaiian Islands.

• It also has one of the world's largest active volcanoes, Mauna Loa.

Hawaii

• Mt. Waialeale on Kauai Island is the rainiest place on Earth.

• The average rainfall per year is 476 inches!

• The Kilauea volcano is possibly the world's most active volcano. It is also the home of Pele, Hawaii's volcano goddess.

Hawaii

• Hawaii is more than 2,300 miles from California,

• 3,850 miles from Japan

• 4,900 miles from China, making it the most isolated population center on Earth.