The United States

Chapter 9 and 10

3rd in population (behind China and India)3rd in size (behind Russia and Canada)

Most stable government in existenceLong history of freedomVarieties of natural resources

Can’t produce everything, must trade with other nations

Overview

Landmass: stretches from Atlantic to Pacific, large peninsula of Alaska, Hawaiian islands, several territories in the Pacific and Caribbean

Boundaries– two main borders: Canada, Mexico

Immigration pg. 211

I. The American Landscape

Map on pg. 213Appalachian Mountains-from Canada to N. Alabama

Smokies, Allegheny, Catskills, Blue RidgeEastern Continental DivideCentral Plains-fertile rolling hills, Great Lakes and

Mississippi river supplies water for rich soilGreat Plains- from Central Plains to Rocky

Mountains, flat grasslandsRocky MountainsWestern Continental DividePacific Mountain Range-several mountain ranges

make up the systemSierra Nevada, Cascade (Mt. St. Helens), Coastal

Ranges

Topography

Can you name the top 5 largest states?

Alaska- 594,004 sq. milesTexas- 266,807 sq. milesCalifornia-156,537 sq.

milesMontana-145,603 sq.

milesNew Mexico-121,593 sq.

miles

5 Largest States

Diverse is the best word to describe the American people

Most of us are descendants of immigrants who brought their language, customs and culture to the US

Core ValuesFreedomEqualityIndividualism

II. The American People

Est. population of 296 million people79% live in urban areasLife expectancy- 77 yearsMinority groups are growing and tend to

clump togetherEstimates indicate that more than half of the

nation’s population could be minorities by 2050

Demographics

Federal RepublicPower is shared between national government

and the government of the 50 statesFree Enterprise Capitalism

Private individuals own industriesMore government control since Great

Depression and WWII, still freest in the world

Government and Economy

New EnglandUpper New England

New Hampshire (Concord)-one of original 13 colonies, northern part known for Christmas tree farms

Vermont (Montpelier)- only landlocked NE state, lowest population, famous for maple syrup

Maine (Augusta)- largest NE state, famous for lobster, trees in this region provide most of the nations’ toothpicks

I. The Northeast

Lower New EnglandMassachusetts (Boston)- first NE colony to be

established by Pilgrims in 1620 by the Mayflower Compact, major base for American Revolution, home to leading political families

Rhode Island (Providence)-founded by Roger Williams, considered the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution in the New World

Connecticut (Hartford)- first colony to write a constitution to describe its government, famous inventors (Colt and Whitney)

I. The Northeast

Middle AtlanticNew York (Albany)-most populous Mid Atlantic state,

NYC is the largest city in the nationNew Jersey (Trenton)- very fertile soil-Garden StatePennsylvania (Harrisburg)-planned out by Quaker

founder William Penn, has landmarks like Independence Hall ,Liberty Bell, and Gettysburg battlefield

Maryland (Annapolis)- shares the Delmarva peninsula with Delaware and Virginia, capital is home to US Naval Academy

Delaware (Dover)- second smallest state

Northeast

The District of ColumbiaNot part of any stateDistrict run by CongressOverlooks the Potomac

river, city built on Capitol Hill

Current location: compromise between NYC and Philadelphia

Statue of Liberty

“Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free…”

•Symbol of freedom and opportunity in the United States•Gift from France to celebrate the United States’ first 100 years of independence•Tallest statue ever built, 111 feet tall, because of oxidation the copper has turned green. •Her nose alone is the size of a person

The Upper SouthVirginia (Richmond)- first settlement in

Jamestown, still producing many agricultural products

West Virginia (Charleston)-split from rest of Va in 1861 during the Civil War, best known for production of bituminous coal

North Carolina (Raleigh)-nation’s leading turkey, sweet potato and tobacco producer, Research Triangle in Raleigh-Durham is leading center for biotechnology and computers

II. The South (“Dixie”)

Kentucky (Frankfort)- mountains in the East, flat areas in the Bluegrass region and low plains in the West, first in livestock and horse exports

Tennessee (Nashville)- diverse economy- agriculture and commerce, Music City USA

Arkansas (Little Rock)- smaller pop. than any other southern state besides West Virginia, headquarters of Walmart

Upper South continued

The Lower SouthSouth Carolina (Columbia)- produces more peaches than

GA, tourism is top money-maker Georgia (Atlanta) Atlanta lies in the Piedmont (foothills)

and has the South’s highest skyscraper, headquarters for Coca-Cola

Florida (Tallahassee)- only state with coasts on both the Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico, oldest city St. Augustine, southernmost part of US = Key West

Alabama (Montgomery)- more than half of the state is Gulf Coastal Plain, northern part has tail end of Appalachian mts. Cotton is still the chief crop

The South

Mississippi (Jackson)- Mississippi river dominates the area, cotton is profitable due to rich soil, historically the poorest state in the nation

Louisiana (Baton Rouge)- located at the mouth of the Mississippi river, swampy areas called bayous, Hurricane Katrina in 2005 flooded 80% of New Orleans

Texas (Austin)- largest of Southern states, first in nation in cattle and cotton production, 3 of 10 largest cities in the nation (Houston, Dallas, San Antonio), shares characteristics and culture of surrounding areas (Hispanic, Southwest, Midwest)

Lower South continued

Around the Great Lakes, transportation hub, Breadbasket of the Nation

Ohio (Columbus)- Lake Erie and Lake Michigan border in the north, Akron is famous for tires

Indiana (Indianapolis) several industrial areas: Fort Wayne, Evansville, Gary and Elkhart (leads the nation in making brass instruments), Indianapolis has the Indy 500

III. The Midwest

Illinois (Springfield)- Chicago is on Lake Michigan- largest city in the Midwest and the transportation capital of the nation

Michigan (Lansing)- only state with a shoreline on 4 of the 5 Great Lakes, split in two by Lake Michigan- lower part has the greater population, Detroit= Motor City because the 3 big auto makers headquartered there (Ford, GMC, Daimler-Chrysler)

III. The Midwest

Wisconsin (Madison)- known as America’s Dairyland- ¼ of all cheese produced in USA, one dairy cow for every two people

Minnesota (St. Paul)- “Land of Ten Thousand Lakes”-, half of the population lives in the twin cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul- divided by the Mississippi River, Minneapolis is home of the Mall of America

III. The Midwest

Mall of AmericaMinnesota

Iowa (Des Moines)-the Drift Prairie produces 7% of nation’s food supply, has 4 hogs for every 1 person in the state

Missouri (Jefferson City)- “Gateway to the West”, St. Louis developed at the convergence of Mississippi River and Missouri river, jumping off point for travelers heading out west, the Gateway Arch is the largest monument in the nation, Pony Express and Oregon Trail had their beginning post in Missouri

III. The Midwest

North Dakota (Bismarck)- shares border with Saskatchewan, Canada, agriculture is still the state’s main industry and source of income, 3 Indian reservations in the west, Badlands National Park

South Dakota (Pierre)- 9 Indian Reservations, Mount Rushmore, gold is the most important mineral

Nebraska (Lincoln)- farms cover 95% of the land, only state to have a unicameral legislature, Omaha and Lincoln are major cities for insurance companies

IV. The Plains

Kansas (Topeka)- leads the nation in sunflower seeds, manufacturing and service industries are larger than agriculture, Wichita has large aircraft industry producing mainly private planes

Oklahoma (Oklahoma City)- Means “red man,” gets name from the 5 Civilized Tribes that were forced to relocate to Oklahoma in the 1800s, most important product: oil

IV. The Plains

Continental West is a land of extremes- hottest, coldest, highest and lowest, riches beyond the early settlers wildest dreamsMontana (Helena) “Big Sky Country”, leads

the nation in production of talc, platinum and gem sapphires

Wyoming (Cheyenne)- Yellowstone National Park (Old Faithful)- first such park in the nation, largest industry is mining

Idaho (Boise)- Produces more potatoes than any other state, first white people to live in Idaho- missionaries to the Nez Perce Indians

V. The West

Colorado (Denver)- almost half of the state is flat plains, largest cities are at the foot of the Rockies, very fertile area, tourism is a major part of the economy

Utah (Salt Lake City)- Great Basin, headquarters of Mormonism, not great soil, main agricultural products are cattle and poultry

Mormons--

V. The West

New Mexico (Santa Fe)-very dry climate- not a major agricultural center, very rich in mineral resources, Carlsbad Caverns bring in money from tourists

Arizona (Phoenix)- southern part is the Sonoran Desert- only place where saguaro cactus grows, sights for tourists: Petrified Forest, Painted Desert and the Grand Canyon, major retirement destination

V. The West

California (Sacramento)-3rd in size and 1st in population, Death Valley- lowest spot on the continent (282 ft. below sea level), Sierra Nevada mountain range includes Mt. Whitney the highest mountain outside Alaska, home of Silicon Valley- computer tech area, Hollywood- center of motion picture industry

Nevada (Carson City)- driest of all states, Hoover Dam built on the Colorado River to supply drinking water and irrigation, many jobs in the gambling industry

V. The West

Oregon (Salem)- fertile soil and mild weather all year—this region was the lure for travelers on the Oregon Trail, leading lumber producer

Washington (Olympia)- Olympic peninsula gets more rain than any other place in the US besides Hawaii, Puget Sound is an arm of the Pacific Ocean – gives Washington great harbors, Mount St. Helens in the Cascade Mountains blew up in 1980, leading producer of apples

V. The West

Mount St. Helen’s

Outlying StatesAlaska (Juneau)- distance from E to W—greater

than between Maryland and California!, some national parks are larger than other states, half of population lives in Anchorage, Mt. McKinley is the highest mountain in the US, first in commercial fishing, last in farming; most valuable resource: oil

The West

Hawaii (Honolulu) – 2400 miles from continent, 132 islands make up state, top producer of coffee, orchids and macadamia nutsHawaii (the Big Island) makes up

almost half of the landmass, Mauna Loa and Kilauea volcanoes are still active

Lanai- the Pineapple IslandMaui- great beaches, tourist

destinationMolokai- Forgotten Island,

sparsely populatedOahu- capital of Honolulu is

here, Pearl HarborKauai- Island of Discovery, very

green landscape