Download UNIT 1 - NORTH AMERICA - NOTES Where is North America

UNIT 1 - NORTH AMERICA - NOTES
o Where is North America?
o North America stretches from the cold arctic of northern Canada to
the warm tropics of Mexico. At the center lies the 48 contiguous
United States, which means they are all connected in one block.
Hawaii the 49th state is in the Pacific Ocean, and Alaska the 50th
state lies off the coast of Canada.
o Highlands, Plains, & Plateaus
o Land Elevation in North America generally rises from East to West,
though the east has some highlands, or areas of hills and mountains.
East of the Rocky Mountains lie the Great Plains. Plains are flat
areas of land, which make up most of the center of North America.
Plains also appear near coasts. Plateaus – Flat lands of high
elevation – are located between mountains in the west U.S. and
central Mexico.
o Rivers and Lakes
o Major cities developed along the regions numerous rivers, such as
Cincinnati and the Ohio River, New Orleans and the Mississippi
River, and Juarez and the Rio Grande. The St. Lawrence River
provides a waterway from the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes.
Combined, these 5 lakes form the largest body of fresh water in the
world. Four of the lakes provide a physical boundary between the
United States and Canada, just as the Rio Grande is a natural border
between the United States and Mexico.
o The Great Plains
o The Great Plains region runs through the center of the continent.
The crops grown there feed the population of North America with
enough left to export or send to other countries for aid or profit.
o Farming on the Great Plains
o The Great Plains are well suited to agriculture for two reasons.
First, the soil is rich with nutrients, so it produces bountiful
crops. Second, the climate on the Great Plains is temperate and the
area usually has a plentiful amount of rain.
o Some years, rainfall is below normal for a long period of time,
causing drought than can kill crops. In the 1930’s, for example,
the region experienced a drought that lasted several years. Plowing
of native prairie grasses that helped hold the soil contributed to
soil erosion, and the Plains became known as the “Dust Bowl.” The
persistent winds in the area stirred up great clouds of dry soil, or
dust. Today these winds can be a source of power.
o Much of the original prairie land has been replaced by fields of
wheat, corn, and other grains. These crops are grown on huge farms
where planting and harvesting are done by machine. Such large,
highly productive farms are typical of commercial agriculture, or
the business of producing crops to sell.
o Rivers such as the Mississippi transport goods from the Great Plains
to lowland areas. Grain from the Canadian plains is moved by rail to
the Atlantic Ocean and by ship on the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence
River.
o Energy Resources
o The Great Plains in the United States and Canada are home to major
deposits of oil and natural gas. The main oil fields in the United
States are found in the southern part of the Great Plains, from
Kansas to Texas. Texas also has many offshore oil fields in the Gulf
of Mexico.
o Commercial drilling in the Gulf of Mexico is risky. Oil deposits lie
beneath the layers of salt than can shift and cause an underwater
earthquake. In 2010, human error caused an explosion of a large
deepwater drilling structure, resulting in a major oil spill. The
spill harmed wildlife and threatened the economy of the region.
o Energy resources from the Great Plains are important to the United
States, where more energy is used than it is produced. High winds in
the plains may be utilized as an alternative energy source.
o Western Mountains and Deserts
o Mountains and high plateaus cover much of the western United States
and Canada. These landforms create natural barriers to western
coastal regions and offer plentiful resources in some areas.
o Landforms and Climate
o The main landform in the western part of the region is the
cordillera. A cordillera is a system of several mountain ranges that
often run parallel to one another. In North America, the Cordillera
includes the Rocky Mountains and the Sierra Nevadas.
o In the United States, the area between the Rocky Mountains and
Sierra Nevada Mountains is the Great Basin. A basin is a depression
in the surface of the land. The great basin is a desert, a dry,
often sandy area with little rainfall or plant life.
o The Great Basin is marked by smaller mountain ranges and canyons,
which are deep steep-sided valleys formed when rivers cut through
soft rock. The best known canyon is the Grand Canyon in the
southwestern United States. Formed over hundreds of millions of
years, it is 277 miles in length and up to 18 miles wide.
o The great basin is mostly dry. Warm, moist air flows east from the
Pacific Ocean toward the mountains of the cordillera. As this warm
air rises up the mountains, it cools and releases moisture on the
mountains’ western slopes. The air that eventually reaches the land
east of the mountains is dry. This process is called the Rain Shadow
Effect.
o Resources and Conservation
o Varying climates contribute to a varied supply of resources. The
great basin and the mountain ranges that surround it contain
important mineral deposits. Areas of southwestern Canada hold
reserved of Natural Gas. This area’s heavy rainfall and many lakes
allow for the use of water power to provide electricity.
o Water for human use is in short supply in the southwestern United
States. The population there has grown rapidly in recent years, and
the demand for water has increased in an already dry area. A dam,
which is a barrier that controls the flow of water, can help solve
the problem of water shortage. However, dams can also cause problems
such as excess soil erosion. The Hoover Dam on the Colorado River
makes use of water power to supply electricity, irrigation, and
drinking water to parts of Arizona, New Mexico, and Southern
California.
o Mexico’s Mountains and Plateaus
o Central Mexico is made up mainly of mountains and plateaus. These
landforms yield rich resources that contribute to Mexico’s economy.
o Landforms and Climates
o Mexico includes two peninsulas, narrow strips of land that extend
out into a body of water: The Baja in western Mexico and the Yucatán
in the southeast. Mexico is shaped like an upside down triangle.
With the mountains of the Sierra Madre running along each side. The
Mexican Plateau lies between the two ranges of the Sierra Madres.
Mexicans call the southern area of this plateau the Mesa Central,
and the northern area the Mesa del Norte. A mesa – the Spanish word
for “table” – is a high flat plateau. Mexico’s highest mountain,
volcano Pico de Orizaba, rises at the southern edge of the Plateau.
o Mexico City, the capital, is on the Mesa Central. The city is home
to more than 20 million people, almost 20% of the population of
Mexico. Some areas of the Mesa Central have been subject to volcanic
activity, which results in rich, volcanic soil. This soil helps
produce crops that are important to Mexico’s economy such as
sugarcane, corn, and wheat.
o Northern Mexico sits in the temperate zone, and the southern half
lies in the tropics. On the high Mesa Central, climate is modified,
or made less extreme, by a higher elevation. Temperatures there are
cooler than along lower coastal areas.
o Resources and Agriculture
o Mexico’s mountains hold resources such as copper, silver, and zinc.
However, the richest resource is the oil found in and around the
Gulf of Mexico. Over three million barrels are produced each day.
o Agriculture is also important to the country. Farmers in the north
grow cotton, wheat, and fruit, and also raise cattle. To the south,
farms produce sugarcane, coffee, and tropical fruits. Many rural
Mexicans live by the subsistence farming, growing just enough food
to feed their families. This type of farming occurs mostly in
southern highlands.