Download US and Canada Mapping reg -1 File

Physical Geography of the United States and Canada
Mapping Activity Instructions
Intro: The United States and Canada share the northern part of the North American continent
and between them, form an enormous region of physical variety and natural wealth. They are
peaceful neighbors, sharing the longest undefended border in the world. Together, the U.S. and
Canada cover more than 7 million square miles – 12% of the earth’s surface. As you complete
the following mapping activity, consider the following questions and be prepared to discuss or
write about them:
1. What are some key similarities and differences in the physical geography of the U.S.
and Canada?
2. Why have rivers played such an important role in this region’s development?
3. What geographic factors have made the U.S. and Canada so rich in natural resources?
1. Sketch a map of the U.S. and Canada on plain white paper. Use this map to locate and label
the following locations in the United States and Canada. Use colored map pencils to color the
map using standard topographical colors, such as shade the mountain ranges brown; rivers and
lakes, blue; Great Plains, tan; coastal plains, green. Identify Mt. McKinley and Mt. Olympus
with a small, blackened triangle. Use the maps in the text book and throughout Unit 2 and atlas’s
to label the map. Save this mapping activity and study it, as the locations for the map quiz and
final map test will be drawn from these locations.
Appalachian Mountains
Rocky Mountains
Brooks Range
Sierra Nevada
Cascades
Mt. McKinley
Mt. Olympus
Gulf of Mexico
Atlantic Ocean
Pacific Ocean
Gulf of California
Gulf of Alaska
Bering Strait
Aleutian Islands
Hawaiian Islands
Florida Keys
Great Plains
Coastal Plains
Great Basin
Sonoran Desert
The Everglades
Lake Superior
Lake Huron
Lake Ontario
Lake Erie
Great Salt Lake
Lake Okeechobee
Coastal Plains
Snake River
Missouri River
Mississippi River
Ohio River
Colorado River
Rio Grande River
Columbia River
Mackenzie Mountains
Baffin Island
Hudson Bay
Lake Winnipeg
Saskatchewan River
Canadian Shield
Victoria Island
Arctic Ocean
Labrador Sea
Political Geography of the United States and Canada
2. Sketch a map of the U.S. and Canada. Label all 50 states and the following cities and
provinces. In addition to knowing the location of all 50 United States, you should be able to
locate the following provinces, territories, and cities.
Yukon Territory
Northwest Territories
Quebec
Nova Scotia
British Columbia
Saskatchewan
Newfoundland
New Brunswick
Alberta
Manitoba
Nunavut
Ontario
Los Angeles
New York City
Vancouver
Philadelphia
San Francisco
Ottawa
Atlanta
Quebec
Miami
Washington D.C.
Detroit
Chicago
Galveston
Prince Edward Island
Sub-Regions of the United States
3. Create a power point slide show of the four different sub-regions of the U.S. For each
sub-region you should include what states make it up, what the main economic activity is
in this region, and examples of culture from that region. Your presentation should also
contain pictures that illustrate the way of life in each different sub region.
Rubric
33—Physical map locations are accurately located
33—Political map locations are accurately located
34—Sub-region presentation