Download Unit 2, Chapter 5: Physical Geography of the United States and

Unit 2, Chapter 5: Physical Geography of the United States and Canada
Notes
Physical characteristics of the U.S. and Canada
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Canada is the world’s second largest country
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U.S. is the world’s fourth largest country
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U.S. and Canada share an undefended border, topographical features (like
mountain ranges), similar governments, economies, and lifestyles
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Abundant natural resources
 Fossil fuels – coal, natural gas, oil
 Metals – copper, zinc, gold, silver
 Renewable resources - forests, fishing, fresh water, fertile soil
(Canada has 5% arable land, U.S. has 20% arable/farmable land
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Continental divide (the Great Divide) – high ridge of the Rockies that
determines the direction that rivers flow: East of the Continental Divide,
waters flow into the Arctic Ocean, the Hudson Bay, the Gulf of Mexico, and
the Atlantic Ocean; West of the Continental Divide waters flow into the
Pacific Ocean
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Rivers
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Mississippi River
St. Lawrence River
Colorado River
Columbia River
Rio Grande
Other Water Bodies
 Gulf of Mexico
 Great Lakes (Superior, Huron, Erie, Ontario, Michigan)
 Arctic Ocean
 Pacific Ocean
 Atlantic Ocean
 Hudson Bay
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Land forms
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Varied climate regions
 From Tundra climates in northern Alaska and Canada to Tropical
Savanna in southern Florida and Tropical Rainforest in Hawaii
 Complete the Climate Regions Chart
Aleutian Islands (Alaska)
Hawaiian Archipelago
Appalachian Mountains
Pacific Coastal Range
Basin and range
Rocky Mountains
Great Plains
Interior lowlands
Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plains
Piedmont
Canadian Shield
Grand Canyon
Niagara Falls
Physical Geography of the U.S. & Canada (cont.)
Topographical Features:
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Mountain ranges line both the eastern and western edge
o West Coast to East Coast:
 Pacific Range – line the Western Coast of Canada and the U.S.;
includes the Alaskan range (location of Mt. McKinley, the highest
peak in North America), the Coast Range, the Sierra Nevadas, and
the Cascade Range
 Rocky Mountains – the longest mountain chain in North America;
3,000 miles long; connect Canada and the U.S.
 Plateaus – mountains in the west give way to plateaus; includes the
Colorado Plateau and the Grand Canyon in the United States; the
Nechako Plateau and the Fraser Plateau in Canada
 Plains – plateaus fall to plains further east and form the Great
Plains which spans both the U.S. and Canada; the Great Plains
slope even lower near the Mississippi River Valley to form the
Central Lowlands
 Appalachian Mountains – span the eastern coast of the U.S.
 Canadian Shield – a giant core of rock centered on the Hudson
Bay anchors the continent
 Piedmont – lowlands just to the east of the Appalachian Mountains
 Atlantic Coastal Plain – line the eastern seaboard
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Islands are important in the region
 Manhattan Island – part of New York City; on the mouth of the
Hudson River; a major U.S. and world economic center
 Hawaiian Archipelago – volcanic island chain forming the state of
Hawaii in the Pacific Ocean
 Aleutian Islands – Alaskan island chain
 Vancouver Island – western Canada
 Newfoundland, Prince Edward Island, Cape Breton Island –
eastern Canada
 Ellesmere Island – northern Canada