The United Statesand CanadaThe United Statesand Canada

WHY IT’S IMPORTANT—

The United States and Canada are peaceful

neighbors, sharing the longest undefended bor-

der in the world.These two countries have many

things in common, including similar ways of

life and a democratic heritage. In recent

years, free trade has brought their

economies closer together. In each

country, one finds an increasing

number of products that were

made in the other country.

To learn more

about the United States

and Canada and their

impact on your world,

view the World Regions

video “The United

States and Canada.”

World Regions Video

U N I T 22

100 U n i t 2

Golden Gate Bridge across the entrance to San Francisco Bay

NGS ONLINEwww.nationalgeographic.com/education

U n i t 2 101

The United States and Canada span most of North America,stretching from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic.These twohuge countries share many physical features. Mountains frametheir eastern and western edges, cradling a central region of

vast plains.When people first arrived on these plains, they found an immense

sea—not of water, but of grass. Beneath the gently rolling landscapelay dark, fertile soil. In time, the grasslands were transformed into

some of the world’s most productive farmland.To the east of the plains stand the ancient,

rounded Appalachian Mountains.To the west arethe much younger Rocky Mountains, a majesticribbon of jagged, snowcapped peaks. Still fartherwest are the Pacific Ranges, which run along thePacific coast.

Almost every imaginable type of climate—from tundra to desert to tropical savanna—can be found within theborders of these twodiverse countries.

What Makes the United States and Canada a Region?

Six-foot-tall sunflowers thriveon this farm in North Dakota, inthe heart of the Great Plains.North Dakota leads the UnitedStates in the production of sun-flowers. The protein-rich seedsare turned into margarine andcooking oil.

3

2

1

1

U N I TREGIONAL ATLAS2

102 U n i t 2

Snow-dusted peaks surround a climber in the CanadianRockies. The backbone of North America, the Rockiesextend from the farthest reaches of Alaska and theYukon Territory down into thesouthwestern United States.

The only deserts in the regionare found in the southwesternUnited States, in an area of lowbasins and high, windsweptplateaus sandwiched betweenthe Pacific Ranges and theRocky Mountains. These rippled dunes lie in Utah.

Boats line the harbor of a fishing village in Nova Scotia,along Canada’s Atlantic coast.Both Canadians and Americansharvest fish and other types ofseafood from the Atlantic’sbountiful waters.

3 4

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U n i t 2 103

Even the ancestors of Native Americans came from a distant shore.These ancient people may have crossedfrom Asia to North America by way of a land bridge that spanned what is now the Bering Strait.

Immigrants began arriving fromEurope in the 1500s. In the centuries thatfollowed, others came from Africa, Asia,and Latin America. Many made this landtheir home by choice. Others were forcedto come as exiles or slaves.

Today, most people in the UnitedStates and Canada live in urban areas.Major cities are ethnically diverse, reflect-ing an immigrant heritage.The economicstrength of both countries was built onthe bounty of agriculture. Manufacturing,technology, and service industries havejoined agriculture as the region’s primaryeconomic activities.

Region of Immigrants

The white walls of a Spanishmission, or religious settlement,stand out against a blue NewMexico sky. Hoping to convertthe area’s native inhabitants toChristianity, the Spanish builtmany missions in what is nowthe southwestern United States.

3

Red lights and blues music illuminate a musician’s face. Theblues, a distinctively Americanmusical style, was developed by African Americans. It sprangfrom spiritual music and from thewails and calls used by Southernplantation workers.

2

2

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U N I TREGIONAL ATLAS2

104 U n i t 2

Lights of Toronto, Ontario, stretchtoward the horizon, brighteningthe night sky. With 4.7 millioninhabitants in its metropolitanarea, Toronto is Canada’s largestcity. It is a thriving center for ser-vice industries such as financeand communications.

3 Freshly caught fish chill in a snowbank outside an Inuit village inCanada’s Northwest Territories. TheInuit have lived in the northernparts of Canada and Alaska forabout a thousand years. Many still pursue traditional activitiessuch as fishing and hunting.

4

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U n i t 2 105

The United States and Canada

U N I TREGIONAL ATLAS2

PHYSICAL

Atlantic

Ocean

Pacific

Ocean

H u d s o nB a y

G u l fo f

M e x i c o

BaffinBay

BeringSea

Gulf ofAlaska

L a b r a d o rS e a

Chesapeake BayMt. Whitney14,494 ft.(4,418 m)

Mt. McKinley20,320 ft.(6,194 m)

GreatSalt Lake

GreatBear Lake

LakeWinnipeg

GreatSlave Lake

LakeHuron

LakeSuperior

LakeErie

LakeOntario

LakeMichigan

Mis

siss

ippi

R.

Missouri R.

Rio

Grande

Mackenzie

R.

Yukon R.

Slave

St.Law

renc

eR

.

Arkansas R.

Colorado R.

C olum

bia

R.

Fra

ser

R.

Red R.

PlatteR.

Saskatchewan R.

O

hio R.

Nel

son R.

Athabasca

R.

GREENLAND

MEXICO

C A N A D A

U N I T E D

S T A T E S

PointBarrow

GrandCanyon

MammothCave

CapeCod

Everglades

EllesmereIsland

RO

CK

YM

OU

NT

AI

NS

Baffin

IslandCo

as t

Mo

un

tain

sC

OA

ST

RA

NG

ES

CASC

ADE

RAN

GE

Gasp´ePeninsula

ColumbiaPlateau

I n t e r i o rP l a i n s

ColoradoPlateau

BlackHills

Bitterroot Ra.

CENTRALLOWLAND

GREATBASIN

SIERR

AN

EVAD

A

Mackenzie

Mts.

Brooks

Range

DeathValley

-282 ft.(-86 m)

Pi e d

mo

nt

FraserPlateau

Alaska Range

GR

EA

TP

LA

IN

S

CA

NA

DI

A

N

S H I E L D

L A B R A D O R

Island ofNewfoundland

Sable I.

St. Lawrence I.

Kodiak I.

Banks I.

SouthhamptonI.

Devon I.

VictoriaIsland

QueenCharlotte

Islands

QueenElizabethIslands

Nova Scotia

CO

A S T A LP

LA

IN

APPALACH

IAN

MO

UNTAIN

S

OzarkPlateau

TR

OPIC

OF

CANCER

AR

CT

ICC

IRCL

E

140°

W

120°

W

100°

W

80°W

60°W

40°W

50°N

40°N

30°N

20°N

CapeHatteras

Fall Line

Continental Divide

N

Azimuthal Equidistant projection500

5000

0

mi.

km

Elevation Profile

0 mi.

0 km 500

500

GREATPLAINS

ROCKYMOUNTAINS

APPALACHIANMOUNTAINS

CANADIANSHIELDLAKE

SUPERIOR

PACIFICOCEAN

ATLANTICOCEAN

Sea level

2,000 m

4,000 m

6,000 m

8,000 m

6,562 ft

13,123 ft

19,685 ft

26,247 ft

21°N

156°W159°W

Pacific

Ocean

KauaiNiihau Oahu

LanaiKahoolawe

MolokaiMaui

Hawaii

Hawaiian Islands

0 mi.0 km

100100

106 U n i t 2

POLITICAL

Atlantic

Ocean

Arctic

Ocean

Pacific

Ocean

BeaufortSea

GreenlandSea

D

avis Strait

BaffinBay

H u d s o nB a y

L a b r a d o rS e a

Gulf ofAlaska

BeringSea

ChukchiSea

G u l f o fM e x i c o

Hudson Strait

Ottawa

Washington,

Philadelphia

Los Angeles

Vancouver

Chicago

Toronto

Montreal

Houston

New York City

Phoenix

Winnipeg

Calgary

Edmonton

Seattle

Atlanta

Miami

San Francisco

Anchorage

St. Louis

Toronto

Mis

siss

ippi

R.

Missouri R.

Rio Grande

Mackenzie

R.

Yukon R.

Nels

on R.

Arkansas R.

Colorado R.

Red R.

Ohio R.

.R

ecner

waL

.tS

Sask atche wan R.

TENN.N.C.

VA.

W.VA.

N.J.PA.CONN.R.I.

N.Y. MASS.

ME.N.B.

NOVASCOTIA

P.E.I.

ALA. GA.T E X A S

S.C.OKLA.

KANSAS

NEBR.

NEWMEXICO

ARIZ.

COLO.

UTAHNEVADA

WYO.

OREGON

WASH.

MONT.

ALBERTA

BRITISHCOLUMBIA

A L A S K A

N. DAK.

S. DAK.

MINN.WIS.

IOWA

ILL. IND.

O N T A R I O

KY.

OHIO

MO.ARK.

VT. N.H.

MISS.

LA.

NORTHWESTTERRITORIES

N U N A V U TYUKON

TERRITORY

Q U E B E C

DEL.

IDAHO

MICHIGAN

FLORIDA

MD.

CA

LIF

OR

NIA

MAN

IT

OBASASK.

D.C.

NEWFOUNDLAND

AND LABRADOR

Den.

U N I T E D S T A T E S

C A N A D A

RUSSIA

GREENLAND(KALAALLIT NUNAAT)

MEXICO

BanksIsland

VictoriaIsland

EllesmereIsland

SouthamptonIsland

Baff in

Is land

RO

CK

YM

OU

NT

AI

NS

TROPIC OF CANCER

AR

CT

IC

CIR

CLE

140°W

120°

W

100°

W

80°W

60°W

40°W

20°W

160°W

180°

80°N

70°N

60°N

50°N

40°N

30°N

N

Azimuthal Equidistant projection500

5000

0

mi.

km

Honolulu21°N

156°W159°W

Pacific

Ocean

HAWAII

0 mi.0 km

100100

National capitalMajor city

1. In which Canadian province isCalgary located?

2. Through which U.S. states do theCoast Ranges run?

StudyMAP

U n i t 2 107

The United States and Canada

U N I TREGIONAL ATLAS2

POPULATION DENSITY

N

Ottawa

Washington,

Pittsburgh

Cleveland

PhiladelphiaBaltimore

Los Angeles

San Diego Phoenix

Dallas

Vancouver

Winnipeg

Albuquerque

El Paso

Halifax

Quebec

Regina

Yellowknife

Whitehorse

Calgary

Seattle

Portland

Salt LakeCity

Denver

Minneapolis

Atlanta

Miami

MilwaukeeDetroit

San Francisco

Anchorage

Chicago

Columbus

Cincinnati

Buffalo

Kansas City

Memphis

St. Louis

Toronto

Montreal

HoustonNew OrleansSan

Antonio

New York City

Boston

D.C.

AR

CT

IC

CIRC

LE

N

40°N

30°N

140°W

120°W100°W 80°W

60°W

40°W

Atlantic

Ocean

Pacific

Ocean

BeaufortSea Baffin

Bay

H u d s o nB a y

LabradorSea

Gulf ofAlaska

BeringSea

Chukchi Sea

G u l fo f

M e x i c o

MEXICO

Azimuthal Equidistant projection500

5000

0

mi.

km

21°N

156°W159°W

Pacific

Ocean

Honolulu

0

100

100km

0 mi.

Per sq. mi.Per sq. kmOver 100

50–100

25–50

1–25

Under 1

Uninhabited

Over 250

125–250

60–125

2–60

Under 2

Uninhabited

Cities(Statistics reflect

metropolitan areas.)

Over 5,000,000

2,000,000–5,000,000

1,000,000–2,000,000

250,000–1,000,000

Under 250,000108 U n i t 2

ECONOMIC ACTIVITY

Anchorage

Vancouver

Portland

SanFrancisco

SaltLakeCity

DenverDes Moines

MinneapolisGreen

BayDetroit BuffaloMilwaukee

ChicagoColumbus

IndianapolisKansas CitySt. Louis

Winnipeg

Los Angeles

Phoenix

Houston

Dallas

Memphis

Birmingham

Nashville

AtlantaColumbia

Pittsburgh

Raleigh

Miami

New Orleans

Toronto

Ottawa Montreal

Washington, D.C.Baltimore

Norfolk

PhiladelphiaNew York City

Boston

Calgary

Seattle

120°

W

100°

W

80°W

60°W

50°N

30°N

ARCTIC CIRCLE

TROPIC OF CANCER

Atlantic

Ocean

Pacific

Ocean

BeaufortSea

Davis Strait

BaffinBay

H u d s o nB a y

L a b r a d o rS e a

Gulf ofAlaska

Sea

G u l f o fM e x i c o

Hudson Strait

G R E E N L A N D

U N I T E D S T A T E S

C A N A D A

MEXICO

Corn

Wheat

Wheat

Wheat

Cotton

Fruit

Cotton Pecans

Fruit

Tobacco

Cattle

Cattle

Potatoes

Sheep

CornN

Azimuthal Equidistant projection500

5000

0

mi.

km

Land UseCommercial farmingSubsistence farmingLivestock raisingNomadic herdingHunting and gatheringForestsManufacturing and tradeCommercial fishingLittle or no activity

Resources

Iron ore

Petroleum

Natural gas

Coal

Copper

Zinc

Gold

SilverFruit

Sugarcane

21°N

156°W159°W

Pacific

Ocean

Honolulu

HAWAII

0 mi.0 km

100100

1. Where are most of Canada’s coaldeposits located?

2. How has access to water affected citydevelopment? What is the predominantland use near cities?

StudyMAP

Montgomery

Dover

JuneauPhoenix

Sacramento Denver

Hartford

Little Rock

TallahasseeAtlanta Honolulu

Boise

Springfield Indianapolis Des MoinesTopeka Frankfort

Baton Rouge

AugustaAnnapolis

BostonJackson

Saint PaulLansing

MAINE

ALABAMA

DELAWARE

ALASKA ARIZONA CALIFORNIA COLORADO

CONNECTICUT

ARKANSAS

FLORIDA GEORGIA HAWAII IDAHO

ILLINOIS INDIANA IOWA KANSAS KENTUCKY LOUISIANA

MARYLAND MASSACHUSETTS MISSISSIPPIMINNESOTA MICHIGAN

named for Virginia’scolonial governor,Baron De La Warr

“the great land” (Aleut)“little spring” (Papago),or “dry land” (Spanish)

unknown meaning(Spanish) “red” (Spanish)

“beside the long tidal river”(Native American)

“downstream people”(Quapaw)

“feast of flowers”(Spanish)

named for England’sKing George II

unknown meaning(Native Hawaiian)

unknown meaning(Native American)

“tribe of superior men”(Native American)

“land of Indians”(European American)

unknown meaning(Native American)

“people of thesouth wind” (Sioux)

“land of tomorrow”(Iroquoian)

named for France’sKing Louis XIV

named for an ancientFrench province

named in honor of the wifeof England’s King Charles I

“great mountain place”(Native American)

“father of the waters”(Native American)

“sky-tinted water”(Sioux)“great lake” (Ojibway)

“thicket clearers”(Choctaw)

U.S. State Names: Meaning and Origin

* COUNTRIES, FLAGS, STATES, AND PROVINCES NOT DRAWN TO SCALE

UNITED STATES

284,500,00077 per sq. mi.30 per sq. km

3,717,796 sq. mi.9,629,091 sq. km Crude OilMachinery U.S. DollarEnglish

Federal Republic

English, French

31,000,0008 per sq. mi.3 per sq. km

3,849,670 sq. mi.9,970,610 sq. km Crude OilNewsprint

Canadian Dollar

Parliamentary Democracy

✪Ottawa

CANADA

COUNTRY *

AND CAPITAL

FLAG AND

LANGUAGE

POPULATION

AND DENSITYLANDMASS

MAJOR

EXPORT

MAJOR

IMPORTCURRENCY GOVERNMENT

COUNTRY PROFILES

FOR AN ONLINE UPDATE OF THIS INFORMATION, VISIT GEOGRAPHY.GLENCOE.COM AND CLICK ON “TEXTBOOK UPDATES.”

Washington, D.C.

The United States and Canada

U N I TREGIONAL ATLAS2

110 U n i t 2

Carson City

LincolnJefferson City

Concord

Trenton

Santa Fe

Albany RaleighBismarck

Columbus Oklahoma City

NashvillePierreColumbia

ProvidenceHarrisburg

Salem

Austin

Salt Lake City Montpelier

Richmond Olympia

Madison

Charleston

Cheyenne

Helena

NEVADA NEBRASKA NEW HAMPSHIRE NEW JERSEY

NEW MEXICO NEW YORK NORTHCAROLINA

NORTH DAKOTA OHIO OKLAHOMA

TENNESSEE SOUTH DAKOTASOUTHCAROLINA

RHODEISLAND

PENNSYLVANIAOREGON TEXAS

UTAH VERMONT VIRGINIA WASHINGTON WISCONSINWEST VIRGINIA WYOMING

MONTANAMISSOURI

“snowcapped”(Spanish)

“flat water”(Native American)“mountainous” (Spanish)

“town of the large canoes”(Native American)

named for Hampshire,a county in England

named for Isle of Jersey,a British territory

named for the state’s formercolonial ruler, Mexico

named in honor of theEnglish Duke of York

named in honor ofEngland’s King Charles I

named for the Dakota,a Native American group

“great river”(Native American) “red people” (Choctaw)

named for Tanasi,“Cherokee villages”

(Cherokee)named for the Dakota,

a Native American groupnamed for England’s

King Charles Iunknown meaning

and origin

“Penn’s woodland,” named forthe father of Pennsylvania’s

founder, William Pennunknown meaning

and origin “friends” (Tejas)

“people of themountains” (Ute)

“green mountain”(French)

named for the unmarriedQueen Elizabeth I of England,known as “the Virgin Queen”

named in honor ofGeorge Washington

“grassy place”(Chippewa)

began as the westernpart of Virginia before

becoming a state in 1863“upon the great plain”

(Delaware)

Halifax

Whitehorse

Yellowknife

IqaluitToronto

CharlottetownQuebec Regina

Edmonton

Victoria Winnipeg FrederictonSt. John’s

NOVA SCOTIA ONTARIO PRINCE EDWARDISLAND

QUEBEC SASKATCHEWAN

ALBERTA

YUKONTERRITORY

NORTHWESTTERRITORIES

NUNAVUT

BRITISHCOLUMBIA

MANITOBA NEWBRUNSWICK

NEWFOUNDLAND

Latin term for “New Scotland,”based on province’s

Scottish heritagemeaning unknown

(Iroquoian)“our land”(Inuktitut)

named for the son ofEngland’s King George III

“place where theriver narrows”(Algonquian)

“fast flowing river”(Cree)

“great river”(Native American)

named for thedaughter of England’s

Queen Victoria

named for ChristopherColumbus and the province’s British

heritage“strait of the great spirit”

(Algonquian)named for English royal

family of Brunswick-Luneburg

“new found land,”named by European explorer John Cabot

in 1497

named for landsnorth and westof Lake Superior

Canadian Province and Territory Names: Meaning and Origin

U n i t 2 111

Historians still debate the details, buteveryone agrees that ice hockey wasinvented in Canada.The game seems tohave originated in the early 1800s in

Nova Scotia, one of Canada’s easternmost provinces.Not content to spend long winters indoors, some of Nova Scotia’s inhabitants began tinkeringwith an Irish game, similar to field hockey, thatwas played with sticks and a ball.The eagersportsmen realized that the slick surface of afrozen pond was a worthy alternative to agrassy playing field.They traded their shoesfor skates, and ice hockey was born.

As the new game gained popularity, itspread west and north across Canada.By the turn of the century, ice hock-ey had become Canada’s nationalsport.And it was not just formen.The first all-female

Pick-up game near Canada’sLaurentian Mountains

▲▲ Member of a Canadian women’s teamracing for the puck

�

GLOBALCONNECTIONCANADA AND THE UNITED STATES

ICE HOCKEY !

U N I TREGIONAL ATLAS2

112 U n i t 2

ice hockey game on record was played in Ontario in 1892.

Hockey fever spread southward, too, crossing theU.S.-Canadian border into northern states such asMinnesota, Michigan, Massachusetts, and New York.In 1924 the Boston Bruins became the first U.S. teamto join Canada’s National Hockey League. Othernorthern cities, including Chicago and Detroit, soonhad teams on the League’s roster as well.

At this point, geography checked ice hockey’ssouthward spread. For nearly a quarter century, thegame remained a northern pastime. It just didn’tcatch on in southern states where cold weather wasrare and lakes never froze.

Eventually, however, indoor ice rinks,televised hockey games, and a steadyinflux of Canadian players into theUnited States overcame the geographicbarriers, and the sport found a footholdin nearly every state. Hockey made headlines in 1980 when America’s team beat the heavily favored Soviets in the Olympic Winter Games and thenwent on to win the gold medal.WhenCanadian superstar Wayne Gretzky cameto play in the United States a few yearslater, hockey’s popularity surged again.

Now in-line skates and roller hockeymake it possible for would-be players toget a feel for the game no matter where

they live or what the season. Manymajor U.S. cities have professional hockey teams, includ-

ing Phoenix, Dallas, and Miami. In fact, America’s SunBelt alone is home to more hockey teams than thereare in Canada! But ice hockey in the United States isn’tjust for professionals. It’s played by kids—both boysand girls—and amateurs throughout the nation.

Getting a feel for skating on wheels

▲

▲ Hockey legend WayneGretzky entering a rink

U n i t 2 113

GeoJournalAs you read this chapter, note in your journalunusual facts about the physical geographyof the United States and Canada—facts thatmake you ask how or why. Consider usingthese facts as the main ideas for essays orreports.

Chapter Overview Visit the Glencoe WorldGeography Web site at tx.geography.glencoe.comand click on Chapter Overviews—Chapter 5 to preview information about the physicalgeography of the region.

Guide to ReadingConsider What You KnowThe United States and Canada sharethe world’s longest undefended bor-der. What famous natural feature doboth the United States and Canadaclaim as a tourist attraction?

Read to Find Out• What are some key similarities

and differences in the physicalgeography of the United Statesand Canada?

• Why have rivers played such animportant role in this region’sdevelopment?

• What geographic factors havemade the United States andCanada so rich in naturalresources?

Terms to Know• divide • fall line

• headwaters • fishery

• tributary

Places to Locate• Mount McKinley

• Rocky Mountains

• Canadian Shield

• AppalachianMountains

• Colorado River

• Rio Grande

• Mackenzie River

• Mississippi River

• St. Lawrence River

• Great Lakes

C h a p t e r 5 115

Organ Pipe Cactus NationalMonument, Arizona

The Land

A Geographic ViewCarving Their Own WayGrain fields spill their color across thebadlands of the Missouri Breaks, alonesome swatch of eastern Montanawhere the Great Plains roll to anabrupt and wild end. The MissouriRiver and its tributaries have cutdeep paths through the underlyingsandstone and shale, fracturing the open country. Rough andremote spaces rule the Breaks—perfect for folks who insist oncarving their own way.

—John Barsness, “The Missouri Breaks,”National Geographic, May 1999

The rugged terrain of the Missouri Breaksbears witness to the geologic forces that have shaped the NorthAmerican continent. The United States and Canada share the north-ern part of the continent. They form a geographic region of enormousphysical variety and natural wealth. Together, Canada and the conti-nental United States cover more than 7 million square miles (18 mil-lion sq. km), about 12 percent of Earth’s land surface. In this sectionyou will explore the physical geography of these two countries.

LandformsMountains rise at the eastern and western edges of both the United

States and Canada. In the west young, sharp-edged mountain rangestower above plateaus that descend to vast, rolling central plains.Mighty rivers and enormous lakes satisfy the thirst of cities, wildlife,and natural vegetation in the two countries’ midsections. The fertileplains extend across the continent until they meet the lower, moreeroded mountains in the east.

Missouri Breaks, Montana

116 U n i t 2

Although the Great Plains appear flat, the landslopes gradually downward at about 10 feet permile (about 2 m per km) to the heart of the CentralLowlands along the Mississippi River.

Eastern Mountains and LowlandsEast of the Mississippi, the land rises slowly into

the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. At theedge of the Canadian plains, the Canadian Shield, agiant core of rock centered on the Hudson andJames Bays, anchors the continent. The stony land ofthe Shield makes up the eastern half of Canada andthe northeastern United States. In northern Quebecthe Canadian Shield descends to the Hudson Bay.

The heavily eroded Appalachian Mountainsare North America’s oldest mountains and the continent’s second-longest mountain range. Theyextend about 1,500 miles (2,414 km) from Quebecto central Alabama. Coastal lowlands lie east andsouth of the Appalachians. Between the mountainsand the coastal lowlands lies a wide area of rollinghills. Many rivers cut through the Piedmont andflow across to the Atlantic Coastal Plain in the Car-olinas. In the southeast the Gulf Coastal Plainextends westward to Texas.

IslandsIslands are important in the region. New York

City’s Manhattan Island, at the mouth of the Hud-son River, is a major United States and world eco-nomic center. Volcanic mountaintops emergingfrom the Pacific Ocean formed Hawaii, creating 8major and 124 smaller islands with a land area of6,471 square miles (16,760 sq. km). Newfoundland,Prince Edward Island, and Cape Breton Island inthe east and Vancouver Island in the west areCanada’s most important islands. Near the coastof Canada’s Ellesmere Island lies the world’slargest island, Greenland. An overseas territory ofDenmark, Greenland spans 840,325 square miles(2.2 million sq. km), an area about the size ofAlaska and Texas combined.

A Fortune in WaterFreshwater lakes and rivers have helped make

the United States and Canada wealthy. Abundantwater satisfies the needs of cities and rural areas,provides power for homes and industries, andmoves resources across the continent.

Western Mountains and PlateausCollisions between the Pacific and the North

American tectonic plates millions of years agothrust up a series of impressive, sharp-peakedmountain ranges called the Pacific Ranges. Stillyoung in geologic terms, the Pacific Ranges includethe Sierra Nevada, the Cascade Range, the CoastRange, and the Alaska Range. The Alaska Rangegives rise to the highest point on the continent,Mount McKinley, at 20,320 feet (6,194 m).

Like the Pacific Ranges, the Rocky Mountainsgrew as geologic forces heaved slabs of rockupward. The map on p. 117 shows that the snow-covered Rocky Mountains link the United Statesand Canada and stretch more than 3,000 miles(4,828 km) from New Mexico to Alaska. Some peaksof the Rockies soar to more than 14,000 feet (4,267 m).

Dry basins and plateaus fill the area between thePacific Ranges and the Rockies. The ColumbiaPlateau in the north was formed by lava thatseeped from cracks in the earth. The heavilyeroded Colorado Plateau displays flat-toppedmesas and the majestic Grand Canyon of the Col-orado River. At its deepest the canyon’s steepwalls plunge 6,000 feet (1,829 m). The Great Basincradles Death Valley, the hottest and lowest place in the United States. Canada’s Nechako Plateau and Fraser Plateau are colder and narrower than the plateau areas in the United States.

Interior LandformsEast of the Rockies, the land falls and flattens into

the Great Plains, which extend 300 to 700 miles (483to 1,126 km) across the center of the region. TheGreat Plains are sometimes called the Interior Plainsor the High Plains because of their location and ele-vation, which reaches up to 6,000 feet (1,829 m).

Canada is about one andone-fourth timesthe size of thecontinentalUnited States.

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Valley–282 ft.(–86 m)

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MAP STUDY

The United States and Canada: Physical-Political

Find NGS online map resources @ www.nationalgeographic.com/maps

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1. Interpreting Maps Which Canadian provinces border Hudson Bay?

2. Applying Geography Skills How do the Rocky Mountains affect the rivers inthe United States and Canada?

118 U n i t 2

Rivers fromthe Rockies

In North America thehigh ridge of the Rockiesis called the ContinentalDivide, or the Great Divide.A divide is a high point orridge that determines thedirection that rivers flow.East of the ContinentalDivide, waters flow towardthe Arctic Ocean, HudsonBay, the Atlantic Ocean, andthe Mississippi River systeminto the Gulf of Mexico; tothe west, waters flow intothe Pacific Ocean. Rivers—such as the Colorado andthe Rio Grande—have theirheadwaters, or source, inthe Rockies, and manytributaries, or brooks, rivers,and streams, connect with one of theserivers. Northeast of the Rockies, theMackenzie River—which flows from theGreat Slave Lake to the Arctic Ocean—drainsmuch of Canada’s northern interior.

The Mighty MississippiOne of North America’s longest rivers, the

Mississippi River, flows 2,350 miles (3,782 km)from its source. It begins in Minnesota as a streamso narrow that a person can jump across it.

“ When I was nine years old, I jumpedacross the Mississippi. . . . My parents letme know this modest stream I’d takenin stride was actually one of the Earth’sgreat corridors, dominion of paddleboatsand Huck Finn, prime mover of food,fertility, and commerce across our land.”Barbara Kingsolver, “San Pedro River:

the Patience of a Saint,” National Geographic, April 2000

The Mississippi, swelled to a width of a mile anda half (2.4 km), empties into the Gulf of Mexico. TheMississippi drains 1,200,000 square miles (3,108,000

sq. km) of land, including all or part of 31 U.S. statesand 2 Canadian provinces. It is one of the world’sbusiest commercial waterways.

Eastern RiversThe St. Lawrence River, one of Canada’s most

important rivers, flows for 750 miles (1,207 km)from Lake Ontario to the Gulf of St. Lawrence in theAtlantic, forming part of the border betweenCanada and the United States. The Canadian citiesof Quebec, Montreal, and Ottawa grew up along theSt. Lawrence River and its tributaries and depend onthese waters as a transportation resource.

In the eastern United States, a boundary calledthe fall line marks the place where the higher landof the Piedmont drops to the lower Atlantic CoastalPlain. Along the fall line, eastern rivers break intorapids and waterfalls, blocking ships from travel-ing farther inland. Many key U.S. cities, such asPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania; Baltimore, Maryland;and Washington, D.C., grew up along the fall line.They offer port facilities for oceangoing trading ves-sels. Smaller towns along the fall line, especially

The MightyRockies Rising high into the sky, much of the RockyMountains are capped with snow year-round.

Place What major rivers have their headwaters in the Rockies?

C h a p t e r 5 119

in New England and in the South, tap the water-power of the falls for textile mills and factories.

Niagara Falls is a popular tourist attraction onthe Niagara River, which forms part of the borderbetween Ontario, Canada, and New York State inthe United States. Niagara Falls is also a majorsource of hydroelectric power for both countries.Two separate drops form the falls, the HorseshoeFalls adjoining the Canadian bank of the river, andthe American Falls adjoining the U.S. bank.

From Glaciers to LakesIn northern Canada glacial dams created Great

Bear Lake and Great Slave Lake. Glaciers alsogouged the Canadian Shield and tore at the centralsection of the continent, leaving glacial basins thatbecame the Great Lakes. Lake Superior, LakeHuron, Lake Erie, Lake Ontario, and Lake Michigan

have had their current shapes for only about thelast 14,000 years.

Providing a link between inland and coastal water-ways has been crucial to the economic developmentof North America. The greatest of these connectionsis the Great Lakes–St. Lawrence Seaway, a series ofcanals, rivers, and other inland waterways linkingthe Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean. The sea-way helped make cities along the Great Lakes, suchas Chicago, powerful trade and industrial centers.Other important inland waterways include the GulfIntracoastal Waterway, which connects cities fromFlorida to Texas with the Mississippi River, and theAtlantic Intracoastal Waterway, which providessheltered inland channels for navigation betweenNorfolk, Virginia, and Key West, Florida.

Natural Resources Ample freshwater is only one of the many natural

resources of the United States and Canada. Thesame geologic processes that shaped the NorthAmerican landscape left the region rich in a widevariety of resources. Access to this natural wealthhas helped speed the industrialization of this region.

FuelsThe United States and Canada have important

energy resources such as petroleum and naturalgas. Texas and Alaska rank first and second in oilreserves in the United States. Texas also has thegreatest reserves of natural gas. Most of Canada’soil and natural gas reserves lie in or near Alberta.Coal in the Appalachians, Wyoming, and BritishColumbia has been mined for more than 100 years.

MineralsMineral resources are also plentiful in the

region. The Rocky Mountains yield gold, silver,and copper. Parts of the Canadian Shield are rich in iron and nickel. Deposits of low-grade ironore exist in northern Minnesota and Michigan.Canada’s minerals include 28 percent of theworld’s supply of potash (mineral salt used in fer-tilizers), 18 percent of its copper, 14 percent of itsgold, and 12 percent of its silver.

TimberTimber is vital for both countries. Forests and

woodlands once covered much of the United

Copper Mining During the 1990s, this cop-per mine in Utah produced over 300,000 tons ofcopper annually.

Place What minerals are mined in the UnitedStates and Canada?

120 U n i t 2

Checking for Understanding1. Define divide, headwaters, tribu-

tary, fall line, fishery.

2. Main Ideas On a sheet of paper,fill in a chart like the one below.Then choose one example oflandforms, water, of naturalresources and describe its impacton the United States and Canada.

Critical Thinking3. Drawing Conclusions Why might

fishing disputes arise in the region?

4. Identifying Cause and Effect Howdid the Great Lakes–St. LawrenceSeaway influence the develop-ment of cities in the region?

5. Drawing Conclusions In whatways did the actions of glaciersalter the physical geography ofthis region, and what effects didthose alterations have on theregion’s development?

Analyzing Maps6. Location Study the physical-

political map on page 117.Describe the landscapes found in the following places: Montana,Texas, and Ontario.

Landforms Water Natural Resources

United States

Canada

7. Effects of Location Write aparagraph describing theeffects of a physical process,such as weather or gravity,on the flow of rivers in theUnited States and Canada.

Applying Geography

States and Canada. Today, however,forests cover less than 50 percent ofCanada and about one-third of theUnited States. Commercial lumberingoperations face the challenge of har-vesting the region’s timber resourcesresponsibly. Positive efforts to preservethe forests include planting new treesto replace those cut for lumber, cooper-ating to protect the 1,000 species ofnative animals in the forests, and pre-serving old-growth forests in areas setaside as national forests.

Economics

FishingThe coastal waters of the Atlantic and

Pacific Oceans and the Gulf of Mexicoare important to the region’s economy.Rich with fish and shellfish, thesewaters are important fisheries, or placesfor catching fish and other sea animals.The Grand Banks, once one of theworld’s richest fishing grounds, coversabout 139,000 square miles (360,000 sq.km) off Canada’s southeast coast. Fish-

ers have harvested cod from the Grand Banks for atleast 500 years. As these waters were overfished,however, stocks decreased, and the Canadian gov-ernment banned cod fishing in 1992.

Catch of the Day This fisherman earns hislivelihood fishing on Lake Michigan.

Place Why is the Grand Banks important toCanada?

Climate andVegetation

A Geographic ViewLife Amid the GlaciersThe diversity of species on nunataks[mountains surrounded by glacial ice] takes patience to grasp. Only the showiest, such as moss campionand orange lichens, grab the eye.Wait and you might glimpse analert wolf spider or resting butter-fly. How did life reach these iso-lated peaks? Winds bore mostpioneers over the glaciers. Plantswere carried as seeds. Young spi-ders sailed in on strands of silk.

—Kevin Krajick, “Nunataks,” National Geographic, December 1998

The ice fields of Canada’s northwestern Yukon Territoryseem at first to be Arctic wastelands. Studding the glaciers, though, arecraggy summits encased in glacial ice. Although temperatures there canfall below zero, mini-climates shelter an amazing variety of life forms.Similar diversity characterizes the whole of Canada and the UnitedStates. In this section you will learn about the climate regions and nat-ural vegetation of the United States and Canada.

A Varied RegionMuch of the United States and Canada experiences exactly the types

of climate one might expect from the countries’ latitudes. Two thirds ofCanada and the U.S. state of Alaska lie in higher latitudes and experi-ence long, cold winters and brief, mild summers. Most of the continen-tal United States and the southern one third of Canada lie within moretemperate latitudes, where climate regions vary with elevation.Hawaii, the only non-continental U.S. state, has a tropical climate.

C h a p t e r 5 121

Guide to ReadingConsider What You KnowThink about the climate differencesbetween the United States andCanada. Why do you think Canada is so much colder than the UnitedStates?

Read to Find Out• Which climate zones are found in

the United States and Canada?

• In what ways do winds, oceancurrents, latitude, and landformsaffect the region’s climates?

• What kinds of weather hazardsaffect the United States andCanada?

• How has human settlementaffected the natural vegetation ofthe United States and Canada?

Terms to Know• timberline

• chinook

• prairie

• supercell

• hurricane

• blizzard

Places to Locate• Death Valley

• Great Plains

• Everglades

• Newfoundland

• Yukon Territory

C h a p t e r 5 121

Moss campion,Yukon Territory, Canada

122 U n i t 2

Northern ClimatesLarge parts of Canada and Alaska lie in a

subarctic climate zone with very cold wintersand extensive coniferous forests. Two-thirds ofCanada has January temperatures that averagebelow 0°F (–18°C). In winter, temperatures can fallto –70°F (–57°C) in some places. A persistentlyhigh atmospheric pressure area over the Canadiansubarctic spawns the cold winds that chill much ofthe central United States during the winter.

Lands along the Arctic coastline fall into the tundraclimate zone. Bitter winters and cool summers in thisvast expanse of wilderness make it inhospitable formost plants, and few people live there. Greenland’stundra vegetation consists of sedge, cotton grass,

and lichens. The island’s small ice-free areas havefew trees, but some dwarfed birch, willow, andalder scrubs do survive. As in other northern cli-mate areas, few people inhabit Greenland becauseof its harsh climate conditions.

Western ClimatesFrom the cool, wet coast of British Columbia to

the hot, dry deserts of California and the snow-capped peaks of the Rocky Mountains, the climateand vegetation patterns in the western areas of theUnited States and Canada vary widely. This varia-tion in climate and vegetation is the result of thecombined effects of latitude, elevation, ocean cur-rents, and rainfall.

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MAP STUDY

The United States and Canada: Climate Regions

Find NGS online map resources @www.nationalgeographic.com/maps

Tropical rain forestTropical savanna

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SubarcticTundraIce cap

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1. Interpreting Maps Whattype of climate dominatesthe southeastern UnitedStates?

2. Applying GeographySkills How does locationaffect the climate of thewestern coast of Canadaand the northwesternUnited States?

C h a p t e r 5 123

Marine West CoastThe interplay of ocean currents and winds with

the Pacific Ranges gives the Pacific coast from Cali-fornia to southern Alaska a marine west coast climate. The mountains force the wet ocean airupward, where it cools and releases its moisture. Asa result, more than 100 inches (254 cm) of rain soaksparts of this region each year. Coniferous forests,ferns, and mosses are common there. Southern California has a mild Mediterranean climate.

Plateaus, Basins, and DesertsThe rain shadow effect keeps the plateaus and

basins that lie between the Pacific Ranges and theRocky Mountains hot and dry. Much of the area has

a steppe or desert climate. U.S. desert lands in thisarea, including the Great Salt Lake Desert, DeathValley, the Mojave (moh•HAH•vee) Desert, andthe Chihuahuan (chee•WAH•wahn) Desert, bakein the relentless sun. Death Valley had the highesttemperature ever recorded in the United States,134°F (57˚C). In the western deserts, cacti and hardywildflowers bloom in the brief spring rains. Theareas adjacent to these deserts usually experience asteppe climate with a mixture of desert scrub, grass-lands, or coniferous forest, depending on latitude.

Elevation, not latitude, gives the higher reachesof the Rocky Mountains and Pacific Ranges theirhighlands climate. Coniferous forests cover themiddle elevations of the western mountains, but

Anchorage

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MAP STUDY

The United States and Canada: Natural Vegetation

Find NGS online map resources @www.nationalgeographic.com/maps

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1. Interpreting Maps Whatkind of vegetation can befound around the GreatLakes?

2. Applying GeographySkills In what climateregion can most ofCanada’s forests be found?

124 U n i t 2

beyond the timberline, the elevation above whichtrees cannot grow, only lichens and mosses bravethe ever-present cold. In late winter and earlyspring, a warm, dry wind called the chinook(shuh•NUK) may blow down the eastern slopes ofthe Rockies. Warming at a rate of about 1°F forevery 180 feet (or about 1°C for every 99 meters)that it descends, the chinook rapidly melts andevaporates the snow at the base of the mountains.

Interior ClimatesFar from large bodies of water that tend to moder-

ate climate, the Great Plains, in the center of the con-tinent, have a humid continental climate withbitterly cold winters and hot summers. Althoughwestern mountains do block moisture-bearingPacific winds, the Great Plains benefit from moistwinds that blow north along the Rockies from theGulf of Mexico and south from the Arctic. The humidcontinental climate extends into southern Canada.

PrairiesIn the Great Plains of the United States and

Canada, prairies, or naturally treeless expanses ofgrasses, spread across the continent’s midsection.Each year, rainfall ranging from 10 to 30 inches (26 to 76 cm) waters tall prairie grasses, such asswitchgrass and bluestem. Towering 6 to 12 feet(1.8 to 3.7 m) high, these grasses can grow as muchas half an inch (1.3 cm) a day. In the Great Plainsand the eastern United States, violent spring andsummer thunderstorms called supercells spawntornadoes, twisting funnels of air whose windscan reach 300 miles (483 km) per hour.

History

The Dust BowlThe tangled roots of prairie grasses once formed

dense, solidly packed layers of sod on the GreatPlains. Then settlers broke up the sod to growcrops. When dry weather blanketed the plains inthe 1930s, the wind eroded unprotected topsoil,reducing farmlands across several U.S. states to abarren wasteland called the Dust Bowl. The result-ing economic hardships, made worse by the Great

Student Web Activity Visit the Glencoe World Geography Website at tx.geography.glencoe.com and click on Student Web Activities—Chapter 5 for an activity about the physical features of North America.

Dust Bowl to Recovery Farmland that turnedto desert during the 1930s has been revived andtoday produces crops such as wheat and sorghum.

Human-Environment Interaction How didhuman activity bring about the Dust Bowl?

C h a p t e r 5 125

Checking for Understanding1. Define timberline, chinook, prairie,

supercell, hurricane, blizzard.

2. Main Ideas Use a Venn diagramto compare the climate and vege-tation of the United States andCanada.

Critical Thinking3. Making Comparisons How do the

Pacific winds and the Arctic windsdiffer in their impact on climate?

4. Problem Solving How might theconditions that caused the 1930sDust Bowl disaster have beenavoided?

5. Comparing and Contrasting Howdo hurricanes and tornadoes differ?

Analyzing Maps6. Region Study the maps on pages

122 and 123. Identify the threelargest climate regions and thevegetation common in each.

7. Effects of Climate Describeand explain the environ-mental factors that haveaffected human migrationin the region.

Applying Geography

United States Both Canada

New Hampshire Forest During autumn inthe northeastern United States, deciduous forestsshow a dazzling display of colors.

Place Where are humid continental climate regionslocated in the United States and Canada?

climate. Hawaii, 2,400 miles (3,862 km) west of themainland, and the Caribbean island of Puerto Ricohave tropical rain forests. The wide variety of cli-mates and vegetation in the United States andCanada has helped shape the region’s history.

Depression, caused mass migrations of people.Since the 1930s, improved farming and conserva-tion methods have restored this region’s soil.

Eastern ClimatesThe humid subtropical climate of the southeast

has long, muggy summers and mild winters.Deciduous forests extend as far south as Louisiana,but land has been cleared for farming along theMississippi River. Wetlands and swamps likeFlorida’s Everglades shelter a great variety of vegeta-tion and wildlife. In late summer and early autumn,hurricanes—ocean storms hundreds of miles widewith winds of 74 miles per hour (119 km per hour)or more—can pound the region’s coastlines.

A humid continental climate extends from thenortheastern United States into southeasternCanada. In Canada, a band of deciduous and mixeddeciduous-coniferous forestland more than 1,375miles (2,213 km) wide sweeps from Newfoundlandinto the subarctic Yukon Territory. In the UnitedStates, deciduous forests grow at lower elevations inthe south. In winter, much of northern NorthAmerica experiences blizzards with winds of morethan 35 miles per hour (56 km per hour), heavy orblowing snow, and visibility of less than 1,320 feet(402 m) for three hours or more. On the East coasthazardous winter weather may disrupt travel.

Tropical ClimatesWithin the continental United States, only the ex-

treme southern tip of Florida has a tropical savanna

The Glencoe Skillbuilder Interactive Workbook,

Level 2 provides instruction andpractice in key social studies skills.

Reading a Relief MapWhen you plan a walk, do you prefer an easy stroll along

flat ground, or do you look for a challenging hike up anddown steep hills? By using a relief map, you can determine theelevation of the terrain you are going to cover.

Learning the SkillA relief map is a special pur-

pose map that shows variationin height, or elevation, of landareas. All elevation is measuredfrom sea level, the average levelof water in the world’s oceans.Mapmakers label this elevationlevel zero feet (0 m). The actualelevation of some places isshown as a negative numberbecause they lie below sea level.

It is not possible for a reliefmap to show the elevationof every single inch of land. As a

result, areas are groupedtogether. A map may show allareas with an elevation betweensea level and 1,000 feet (305 m)colored green. Within that areano hill will be higher than 1,000feet (305 m) and no valley lowerthan sea level.

Follow these steps to read arelief map:

• Note the title of the map.

• Study the map key. Reliefmaps generally use colors or shaded areas to identifyelevation.

• Compare the relief map withother maps. Observe howelevation affects climate,population distribution, andeconomic activity in an area.

Practicing the SkillRefer to the relief map shown

here to answer these questions.

1. What is the color of themap’s highest elevation?

2. What elevation range doesthe color green indicate infeet? In meters?

3. What color is the elevationrange of 2,000 to 5,000 feet(600 m to 1,500 m)?

4. At what elevation is the stateof Mississippi?

5. What are the elevation levelsas you travel west from NewJersey to Ohio?

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Appalachian Region: Physical–Political

126 U n i t 2

Compare the relief map of theUnited States and Canada on page117 with the population densitymap on page 109. Then write aparagraph explaining how elevationaffects population distribution.

C h a p t e r 5 127

Key Points• Canada and the continental United States

have similar landforms, shaped by similar geologic processes. Both have high, sharpmountains and dry plateaus in the west; rolling,grassy plains in the center; and lower, oldermountains and coastal lowlands in the east.

• The region’s waterways, including rivers, lakes, coastal waters, and intracoastal channels,played a vital role in settling the land and con-tinue to serve as commercial highways.

• The Continental Divide divides the region intotwo large drainage areas. To the east of theDivide, waters flow to the Arctic Ocean, toHudson Bay, to the Atlantic Ocean, or to theGulf of Mexico. To the west, they flow into the Pacific Ocean.

• Glacial movement shaped much of the NorthAmerican landscape.

• The geologic factors that shaped the UnitedStates and Canada also provided the regionwith a wealth of natural resources.

Organizing Your NotesUse a table like the one belowto help you organize the notes you took as you read this section.

Terms to Know• timberline• chinook• prairie• supercell• hurricane• blizzard

Key Points• The region encompassing the United States and

Canada experiences a great variety of climates.

• Some climate regions of the United States andCanada are influenced primarily by latitude.

• Wind, ocean currents, rainfall patterns, and ele-vation moderate the effects of latitude in otherclimate zones of the United States and Canada.

• Climatic factors cause hazardous seasonalweather patterns in the United States andCanada, including spring and summer torna-does, and summer and fall hurricanes, and winter blizzards.

• The region’s natural vegetation reflects its climatic variety, but human interaction with the environment has greatly altered naturalvegetation.

Organizing Your NotesUse diagrams like the one belowto organize your notes underthe following headings: ClimateRegions, Seasonal Weather Patterns, and Vegetation.

Terms to Know • divide• headwaters• tributary• fall line• fishery

SECTION 1 The Land (pp. 115–120)

SECTION 2 Climate and Vegetation (pp. 121–125)

SUMMARY & STUDY GUIDE

Physical Feature Location

Cascade Range

Great Plains

Canadian Shield

AppalachianMountains

Climate Regions

latitude geographic influences

detailsdetails

Critical Thinking1. Analyzing Information What geologic

processes shaped much of this region?

2. Drawing Conclusions Why should theUnited States and Canada protect their nat-ural vegetation?

3. Classifying Information On a web dia-gram, fill in information about the kinds ofvegetation found in each of the region’s cli-mate zones.

Reviewing Key TermsWrite the key term that best completes each sen-tence. Refer to the Terms to Know in the Sum-mary & Study Guide on page 127.

1. __________ supply great quantities of fish andother sea animals to North America.

2. The warm, dry wind, or __________, meltssnow at the base of the Rockies.

3. Lichens and mosses grow abovethe __________.

4. Spring and summer tornadoesare spawned by a violent thun-derstorm called a(n) __________.

5. Farmers on the wide grasslands,or __________, of the GreatPlains broke up sod to growcrops.

6. Many North American rivershave their __________, or source,in the Rocky Mountains, wherea(n) __________ determines thedirection of the rivers’ flow.

7. Important cities grew up alongthe __________, where the Piedmont drops to the AtlanticCoastal Plain.

8. A(n) __________ of the MississippiRiver may be a stream or smallriver.

Reviewing FactsSECTION 1

1. How were the Pacific Rangesformed?

2. What effect does the Continen-tal Divide have on the directionrivers flow?

SECTION 23. What kind of climate is common

in most of the United States andsouthern Canada?

4. Name two types of vegetationin this region.

Locating PlacesThe United States and Canada: PhysicalGeography

Match the letters on the map with the physical features of the United States and Canada. Write your answers on a sheet of paper.

1. Rocky Mountains2. Great Plains3. Appalachian

Mountains4. Canadian Shield

5. Great Lakes6. Mississippi

River7. Hudson Bay8. Great Bear Lake

9. Pacific Ranges10. Mackenzie

River11. Rio Grande12. Great Slave Lake

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ASSESSMENT & ACTIVITIES

128 U n i t 2

Climate Zonesand Vegetation

C h a p t e r 5 129

To determine which city is east of the fall line, remember that the fallline is where the higher land of the

Piedmont drops to the lower Atlantic Coastal Plainto the east. Eliminate those choices that do not indicate a city on the coast, near sea level.

Self-Check Quiz Visit the Glencoe WorldGeography Web site at tx.geography.glencoe.comand click on Self-Check Quizzes—Chapter 5 toprepare for the Chapter Test.

Using the Regional Atlas Refer to the Regional Atlas on pages 106–109.

1. Region How are the eastern and westernhalves of the United States and Canada different?

2. Location On the physical map, locate riversthat flow into the Mississippi. Then use theeconomic activity map to make a list of prod-ucts that might be shipped using these rivers.

Thinking Like a GeographerThe region of the United States and Canada pos-sesses natural resources that people depend on forsurvival. Choose one section of the region, andwrite a paragraph explaining how people dependon a natural resource in that area.

Problem-Solving ActivityGroup Research Project The flooding of theMississippi River floodplain in 1993 caused billionsof dollars worth of damage and raised questionsabout the wisdom of controlling the flow of majorrivers with dams and levees. Should rivers beallowed to take their natural course? In yourgroup, choose who will argue for controllingrivers and who will argue against it. Be sure togive a fair presentation of the data, including sup-portive evidence on the pros and cons.

GeoJournalExpository Writing Using the information youlogged in your GeoJournal as you read, write aparagraph explaining how one of the region’sphysical features affects its inhabitants. Use yourtextbook and Internet resources to make yourexplanation clear and accurate.

Technology ActivityUsing the Internet for Research

Think about the effects of physical processes, land-forms, and climate. Then use reliable Internetresources to find out more about one way inwhich life in your area is shaped by physical geog-raphy. Write a report, and share it with the class.

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Choose the best answer for the following multiple-choice question. If you have troubleanswering the question, use the process ofelimination to narrow your choices.

1. Given the information shown in the bargraph, which city is most likely locatedeast of the fall line in the eastern UnitedStates?

A City 1 C City 3B City 2 D City 4

Elevations: Selected U.S. Cities

Selected Cities

Comparing Soils

You may think that allsoil is alike, but there

are many different vari-eties. Several factorsaccount for soil differ-ences. The parent rock,or the type of rock fromwhich soil is formed, isone factor. Weatheringbreaks down parent rockto produce differenttypes of soil. For exam-ple, if limestone is theparent rock, it will pro-duce a different soil thanif sandstone were the

parent rock. Climate, types of vegetation, and theslope of the land surface also affect soils.

The color of the soil indicates the presence ofcertain minerals or other substances. Sandy soil isusually light in color. Soil rich in humus is dark incolor because of the presence of decaying plant and animal matter. Red soils are colored by largeamounts of iron-bearing minerals. Different types ofsoil are found in the United States, including moun-tain soils, prairie soils, river soils, glacial soils, anddesert soils.

Materials• Computers with Internet access• Large map of your state, with counties out-

lined and identified• Small plastic envelopes or bags for soil

samples• Labels for the plastic envelopes or bags• Pushpin or thumbtacks

ProceduresIn this activity, you will use the Internet andother resources to compare soils in your stateand explain why differences exist amongthem.

1. Using the Internet, locate e-mail addressesfor as many other schools throughout yourstate as you can. Save the e-mail addressesin your program’s address book.

2. Collect the e-mail addresses and postaladdresses of your friends and relativesthroughout your state.

3. Coordinate all of the addresses to ensurethat there is full coverage and that countiesor regions are not duplicated.

4. Send e-mail messages or handwritten notesto all your partners, asking each to sendyou a small soil sample of his or her area.Ask partners to identify exactly where the soil came from (for example, “from my yard,” or “from the hillside behind my house”). Explain that you are trying to identify why soil samples are differentwithin an area. Ask that the soil samples be sent as soon as possible.

130 U n i t 2

Students collect soil sam-ples for experiments.

C h a p t e r 5 131

ArcticDesertGlacialMountainPrairieRiverTemperateTropicalWetlands

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People in many parts of theworld have used soil to build homes. Adobehouses are made of sun-dried bricks of clay soiland straw. Soils with about 70 percent sand and30 percent clay can be compacted to form bricksor walls for durable rammed-earth houses.

5. Ask partners to sterilize the soil in a 350° oven for about 15 minutesbefore sealing the cooled soil sam-ple in a small plastic bag.

6. As soil samples arrive, put each onein a separate plastic envelope or bag.Label each envelope or bag with thename and location of the person whosent it. Using the map below, try to identify the type of soil your partners sent.

7. Research to find the characteristics of that area’s soils. Does the soil sam-ple reflect information found in yourresearch?

8. Using the pushpins, place each soil sampleon the map in the area of its origin.

9. Describe how the location of where thesesoils were found affects how they are simi-lar to or different from each other.

Lab Report

Different types of soils arefound in the United States.

Find Out MoreIdentify a climate area in Canada or theUnited States, and research to find out, for example, how soils in that climate differ from each other. How has the climateaffected the soil? The area’s vegetation?

1. How many soil samples were collected?

2. What were some of the factors that

accounted for the differences in the soils?

3. Drawing Conclusions Write a paragraph

explaining how the differences in the soils

collected do or do not reflect the economic

activity of at least two areas of the state.

Give reasons for your conclusions.