Download LAKE - Bedford Elementary School

US 1.2d
GEOGRAPHIC FEATURES
Emphasizing US Regions and Bodies
of Water (and a few local sites)
LAKE
A body of fresh or salt
water of considerable size,
surrounded by land
Smith Mountain Lake
Smith
MountainLake
LakeDam
Dam
Smith
Mountain
MV Paul R.
Tregurtha is the
last of the 1,000ft
vessels built, and
is the current
largest vessel on
the Great lakes
system, making
her the current
Queen of the
Lakes
Inland port cities
grew in the
Midwest along
the Great Lakes
Chicago, a port city on Lake Michigan, is
the largest city on the Great Lakes.
The Great Lakes are in the Canadian Shield which also contains hills
worn by erosion and hundreds of lakes carved by glaciers
She Made Harry Eat Onions----Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, Ontario
RIVER
A large natural stream of fresh water
flowing along a definite course, usually
into the sea, being fed by tributary
streams
St Lawrence River or
St. Lawrence Seaway
Forms part of the
northeastern
border with
Canada and
connects the
Great Lakes to the
Atlantic Ocean.
Colorado River
The Spanish
explored the
Colorado River
Rio Grande River
The Rio Grande
forms the border
between Texas and
Mexico.
James River
VIEW ON THE JAMES RIVER CANAL, NEAR BALCONY FALLS.-REBEL
TROOPS GOING FROM LYNCHBURG TO BUCHANAN, ON THEIR
WAY TO WESTERN VIRGINIA. Harper’s Weekly, September 28,
1861
James River in Lynchburg
TRIBUTARY
A stream that flows to a larger
stream or river.
Missouri River (tributary) flowing into
the Mighty Mississippi River
Tributary—Missouri flowing into the
Mississippi
The Mississippi and
Missouri Rivers were used
to transport farm and
industrial products. They
were links to United
States ports and other
parts of the world.
Ohio River
(tributary flowing into the Mississippi River)
The Gateway to the West
Snake
River
(yellow)
is a
tributary
of the
Columbia
River
(purple)
The Columbia River was explored by
Lewis and Clark.
GULF OR BAY
A portion of an ocean or sea
partly enclosed by land (a bay
is smaller than a gulf.)
The Gulf of Mexico
•provided the French and Spanish
with exploration routes to Mexico
and other parts of America
•along with the Atlantic and Pacific,
the Gulf of Mexico also provided
access to to other parts of the world.
The Canadian Shield is wrapped
around the Hudson Bay
HILL
A natural elevation of the earth's
surface, smaller than a mountain
Grassy Hills in the Interior Lowland
Interior Lowlands
• Located west of the
Appalachian Mountains &
east of the Great Plains
• Rolling flatlands with many
rivers, broad river valleys,
and grassy hills
MOUNTAIN
A natural upward projection of
the earth's surface, higher and
steeper than a hill and often
having a rocky summit
(usually  2000 ft or 610 m)
APPALACHIAN MOUNTAINS
•Located west of the Coastal Plain, extending from eastern
Canada to western Alabama; includes the Piedmont
•Old, eroded mountains (oldest mountain range in North
America)
The Appalachians, about 1,500 miles in length, extend
from central Alabama in the U.S. up through the New
England states and the Canadian provinces of New
Brunswick, Newfoundland and Quebec.
Significant ranges include:
•The Cumberland Mts. in Tennessee
•The Blue Ridge Mts. in Virginia
•The Alleghenies in Pennsylvania
•The Catskills Mts. in New YorkThe Green Mts. In
Vermont
•The White Mts. of New Hampshire
•The highest point is Mt. Mitchell in North Carolina at
6,684 ft (2,037 m)
ROCKY MOUNTAINS
Hiking in the Rocky Mountains
Rocky Mountains
•Rugged mountains stretching from Alaska
almost to Mexico; high elevations
•Contains the Continental Divide, which
determines the directional flow of rivers
Continental Divide
Rain or melting snow
on one side (via rivers
and streams) flows
west to the Pacific
Ocean; on the other
side, rivers and streams
flow northeast to
Hudson Bay, Canada, or
southeast to the Gulf of
Mexico.
Coastal Range
which is located along the Pacific Coast, stretching from California
to Canada and contains rugged mountains and fertile valleys
•Coast Range Mountains running along the
Pacific Ocean coastlines of California, Oregon,
Washington. They also extend along the
western border of British Columbia, Canada,
and the southern edge of Alaska, all the way to
Kenai Peninsula and Kodiak Island
Basin and Range
•Includes the Columbia and Colorado Plateau and the
Sierra Nevadas and Cascades as well as Death Valley
•Cascades -- mountain range stretching from
northeastern California across Oregon and
Washington. Major peaks included Mt. Hood, Mt.
Ranier and Mt. St. Helens.
•Sierra Nevada -- mountain range of eastern
California is about 400 miles in length. The highest
point is Mt. Whitney at 14,494 ft. (4,418 meters).
Shaded Relief of Basin & Range
Death Valley
•282 ft (86 m) below sea level, is the lowest pt. in N.A
•it is also the hottest basin (134degF;/57degC; in the
shade is the highest temperature recorded)
•one of the driest parts of North America (less than
3 in./7.6 cm of rain annually)
PLATEAU
A land area having a mainly level
surface considerably raised
above adjoining land on at least
one side, and often cut by deep
canyons.
(Sometimes referred to as tableland or flat-topped
mountain)
Colorado Plateau
Colorado Plateau
British
Columbia,
Chilcotin
Plateau
Chilcotin Plateau, British Columbia
Nyika Plateau, NE Zambia/NW Malawi
PLAIN
A level or almost level tract of country,
especially an extensive treeless region
(usually  500 ft/150m)
Great Plains
•Located west of the Interior Lowlands and east of the
Rocky Mountains
•Flat lands that gradually increase in elevation
westward; grasslands
OR
•The fertile Great Plains of North America slope east
from the Rockies and extend to the edge of the
Canadian Shield and the western edges of the
Appalachians. The land is generally smooth with large
treeless areas and sloping shallow river valleys.
Great Plains
Great Plains
Coastal Plain
This area of the southern and southeastern U.S
extends to the continental shelf and is generally
characterized by level (flat) land with assorted
mixed forests. The coastal areas include bayous,
deltas, marshes, mud flats and swamps.
ISLAND
A mass of land that is
surrounded by water and
is smaller than a continent
PENINSULA
A narrow strip of land projecting
into a sea or lake from the
mainland
What are some ways bodies
of water in the United States
have supported interaction
and created links to other
regions?
1. Trade
2. Transportation
3. Settlement
Why are geographic features
important in United States history?
Landforms and water features set the
stage for and influence the course of
events in United States history.
Geographic features are related to
1. patterns of trade
2. the locations of cities and towns
3. the westward (frontier) movement
4. agricultural and fishing industries.