Download Chapter 4 Section 1

Chapter 4
The United States
&
Canada
Section 1
From Sea to Shining Sea
• The United States is located on the continent of
_________________________.
• North America
• The United States stretches ____________ miles
from coast to coast.
• 2,807
• There are 48 states in the ______________
United States
– What two states are missing?
• Alaska
• Hawaii
The United States
• The U.S. is the __________largest country in
the world.
• A: 4th
• What countries are larger than the U.S.
– Russia
– Canada
– China
The United States
• 5 Physical Regions of the United States
• Coastal Plains
•
Atlantic Coastal Plains
• Gulf Coastal Plains
• Appalachian Mountains
•
Peidmont Plateau
• Interior Plains
•
Central Lowlands
• Great Plains
• Mountains and Plateaus
• Rocky Mountains
• Continental Divide
• Pacific Coast
•
Willamette Valley (Oregon)
• Central Valley (California)
• Cascade Mountains
• Sierra Nevada
Coastal Plains
– Lowland that runs along the eastern and
southeastern coasts of the United States.
– Eastern Lowlands are called ATLANTIC COASTAL
PLAINS
– The southeastern lowlands are called the GULF
COASTAL PLAINS because they run along the Gulf
of Mexico.
– The Gulf Coastal Plain is wider and has better soil
than the Atlantic Coastal Plain.
Coastal Plains
–When large cities are clustered into a
region such as those in the Atlantic
Coastal Plains geographers call this a
_______________________________.
–A: megalopolis
The Appalachian Mountains
– West of the Atlantic Coastal Plains is a very hilly
region known as the __________________.
– A: Piedmont Plateau
– These hills run into the APPALACHIAN
MOUNTAINS.
– The Appalachians rum from Alabama all the way
into Canada in the East.
The Appalachian Mountains
– Did you know that the Appalachians are the
oldest mountains on the continent? The highest
peak on the Appalachians is Mount Mitchell in
North Carolina reaching a height of 6,684 feet.
– How do you think scientist can tell this fact?
_________________________________________
____.
Interior Plains
– When you have crossed the Appalachians moving
westward, the next physical feature you will find
is the INTERIOR PLAINS.
– There are two parts to the INTERIOR PLAINS.
– 1) East of the Mississippi River __________________
– A: Central Lowlands
– 2) West of the Mississippi River –
________________
– A: Great Plains
Interior Plains
• The CENTRAL LOWLANDS consists of grassy hills, rolling
flatlands, and thick forests. This is a farming area
because the land is extremely fertile.
– In the central lowlands you can also find the largest
group of freshwater lakes in the world the
___________________________.
– A: Great Lakes
• Name them: _______________________,
______________________, ________________,
_______________________, ____________________
A: HOMES
Interior Plains
– The GREAT PLAINS is a checkerboard pattern of
grassy pastures and fields of grain.
– The Great Plains are around 500 miles wide and
stretch west to the Rocky Mountains, north into
Canada, and south to the Mexican border.
– What resources was the Great Plains a major
source of in the 1800 hundreds?
– A: Bread giving it the name the BREAD BASKET
Mountains and Plateaus
– ROCKY MOUNTAINS – begin in Alaska and run
south into Mexico.
– CONTINENTAL DIVIDE - a ridge that lies on the
top of the Rocky Mountains which separates the
rivers that will flow west into the Pacific Ocean
and eastward toward the Mississippi river.
– Name some rivers that flow west from the
Continental Divide? ______________________,
_______________________. Some that runs east
________________________,
______________________.
The Pacific Coast
– There are two other mountain ranges in the
Pacific Coast region. The Cascade Range and the
Sierra Nevada Ranges.
– The Cascade Range reaches from Washington
State south to California. The Sierra Nevada
ranges along the California’s eastern side.
– Does anyone know what Nevada means?
_________________________________
– A: snow covered
The Pacific Coast
• West of the Pacific Ranges are two fertile valleys.
• Willamette Valley ( Oregon)
• Central Valley (California)
• These valleys are both very rich in nutrients and
therefore are able to produce abundant crops.
Alaska
– Alaska is the home to many mountain ranges.
Part of one of these mountain ranges is the
tallest mountain peak in North America
______________________________ which
reaches 20,320 feet high.
– A: Mt. McKinley
– Most people in Alaska live in the southern
coastal plain or in the Yukon River Valley.
Hawaii
– Hawaii consists of eight large islands and more
than 120 smaller ones.
– Hawaii was formed by
_________________________
– A: Volcanoes
– Some of the islands have
_______________________ which formed from
the skeletons of small animals.
– A: Coral Reefs