Download Yes, this includes our neighbor to the North…Canada.

North American
Physical Geography
Yes, this includes our neighbor to the North…Canada.
LEMPOSA (LACEMOPS)…for North
America
For this section, you will need to reference your LEMPOSA notes from the first six
weeks…please take them out of your binder. I will give you 3-4 minutes to read them
over to refresh your memory.
Latitude:
• South Texas is warmer than North Texas, why?
• Far North Canada, is much colder than South Texas, why?
Elevation
At the base of the Sierra
Nevada mountain range,
it is very hot and dry.
Near the top is much
colder. Why?
Mountain Barrier Effect
California is lush on the West Coast, and a desert (Nevada)
on the leeward side of the mountain.
Nevada is
over HERE
LEMPOSA
Proximity to Water: Water moderates temperatures so you
don’t experience the “4 seasons” like you would if you were
interior, like Kansas.
Ocean Currents:
Water cools off
slower than land,
so the cool water
surrounding the
West Coast, helps
keep it from
becoming as hot
as other places
with similar
latitudes.
Storms
• Tornadoes: Kansas,
Oklahoma and Texas are
prone to Tornadoes in
the Spring and the Fall.
• Hurricanes: common on
the East Coast
• What other Natural
Disasters can you think
of? How do they change
the overall climate of an
area?
Important Mountain Ranges & Waterways
Major Waterways
• Mississippi-Missouri-Ohio
river system
• Mackenzie River
• Columbia River
• Rio Grande River
• Colorado River
• St. Lawrence Seaway
Mountain Ranges
• Rocky
Mountains
• Appalachian
Mountains
Rocky Mountains
Largest & youngest!
mountain range
in North America.
Higher than the
Appalachian
Mountains.
Stretches from
Alaska to Mexico.
Appalachian Mountains
•
Curves west along the
Atlantic Coastal Plain.
•
Runs from eastern
Canada to western
Alabama.
•
Oldest mountain range
on the continent.
The Mississippi: America’s Great River Road
Longest
River in North
America
Grand Canyon
•Carved out by the Colorado
River over a 5 million year
time span.
•Over 1 mile deep
•Recent estimates say that the
canyon is over 17 m yrs old
Continental Divide:
Separates the watersheds that drain
into the Pacific from those that drain
into the Atlantic .
Great Salt Lake (Utah)
6 times saltier than the
oceans!
Canadian Shield
• A very thin layer of soil lying
on top of the bedrock, with
many bare outcrops.
• Is a result of glaciation.
• The CS is rich in mineral
deposits, scarcely
populated.
Death Valley, CA
3,000 sq miles
Lowest, hottest & driest
place in N. America
US & Canadian Physical
Geography
– Resources
• Both U.S. and Canada have
huge mineral and fossil fuel
resources
• Forest lands cover about
1/3 of the U.S. and ½ of
Canada
– Climate & Vegetation
• Canada’s climates and
vegetation are related to its
far northern location.
• The U.S. includes regions
that are in almost every
climate and vegetation zone
Canadian Provinces
& Territories
• Canada = 10 Provinces & 3
Territories.
• Major Cities: Quebec, Toronto &
Montreal
• Capital City: Ottawa
• Quebec (province): former
French colony, that still has
strong cultural ties to France.
Nunavut: territory given to Inuit
population (Natives).