Download The Physical Geography of the US and Canada

According to Mrs. Strotkamp
 Mount
McKinley (20,320 feet)
 Highest Point on North America!!!!
 Rocky
Mountains
 This range stretches more than 3,000 miles
across the US and Canada (from New Mexico
to Alaska)
 The
Great Basin cradles Death Valley, the
hottest and lowest place in the US!!!
 Record Temperature =134°F on July 10, 1913!
 Nechako
Plateau/Fraser Plateau in Canada
 Are Colder and Narrower than the plateau
areas in the US
 The
Great Plains of the US
 Located East of the Rockies
 Appalachian
Mountains- located east of the
Mississippi River
 North America’s oldest mountain range!!
 North America’s second longest range
(extends from Alabama to Quebec)!
 Canadian
Shield- located at the edge of the
Canadian Plains
 It is a giant core of rock centered on the
Hudson and James Bays (it anchors North
America!!!)!
 Manhattan
Island (New York City)
 Major US and world economic center!!
 Greenland---the
world’s largest island!
 It is about the size of Alaska and Texas
combined!!!!
 Also
known as the Great Divide
 Divides determine which way rivers flow!

Colorado River

Rio Grande River

Both have their headwaters (their source) in the
Rockies
 Mackenzie
River
 Flows from the Great Slave Lake to the Arctic
Ocean---drains much of Canada’s northern
interior
 The
Mississippi River- flows 2,350 miles!!
 It begins in Minnesota as a stream (you can
jump across it!) and dumps into the Gulf of
Mexico.
 It is one of the world’s busiest commercial
ways!!!!
 St.
Lawrence River- flows for 750 miles
 Forms part of the border between the US and
Canada
 One of Canada’s most important rivers!
 The cities of Quebec, Montreal, and Ottawa
grew up along the St. Lawrence.
 These cities depend on it for transportation!
 Forms
the border between Ontario, Canada,
and New York state
 It is a major source of Hydroelectric power!
 In
Northern Canada glacial dams created
Great Bear Lake and Great Slave Lake.
 Giant glaciers moved through the land,
carving out the land, and leaving holes and
allowing for lakes!!!
 In
the US, the Great Lakes were formed!
 Lake
Huron, Lake Ontario, Lake Michigan,
Lake Eerie, Lake Superior (HOMES)
 Rivers
have provided links between inland
areas and coastal waterways.
 This
has been crucial to economic
development.
 Helped
make Chicago a powerful trade and
industrial center!
 Fuels
such as oils and natural gas
 Texas and Alaska have the largest oil reserves
in the US.
 Texas also has the greatest natural gas
reserve!
 Most
of Canada’s oil and natural resources lie
in or near Alberta
 Coal
in the Appalachians, Wyoming, and
British Columbia have been mined for more
than 100 years!
 Rocky
 Parts
Mountains- gold, silver, and copper
of the Canadian Shield are rich in iron
and nickel.
 Forests
and woodlands once covered much of
the US and Canada.
 Today, however, forests cover less than 50%
of Canada and about 1/3 of the US.
 Commercial lumbering is very lucrative!
 Positive efforts are being made to preserve
forests such as planting new trees to replace
cut down ones.
 Very
important to the Atlantic Ocean, Pacific
Ocean, and Gulf of Mexico
 As these waters have been overfished, fish
supplies have decreased, and the Canadian
government banned Cod fishing in 1992.
 How
did glaciers change the physical
geography of the US and Canada?
 What
effects did these changes have on
those regions’ developments?
 Northern
Climates

Large parts of Canada and Alaska lie in a
subarctic zone with very cold winters and lots of
coniferous trees.

Greenland- has a tundra climate (bitter
winters/cool summers)

Very few people live in Greenland
 Western

Marine West Coast




Climates
More than 100 inches of rain fall here each year!
You’ll find Coniferous forests, ferns, and mosses here.
Southern California has a mild Mediterranean climate.
Plateaus, Basins, and Deserts




The rain shadow effect keep the area between the
Pacific Ranges and the Rocky Mountains hot and dry!
Much has a steppe or desert climate.
Think Death Valley and the Mojave!
You’ll find cacti and wildflowers!

Mountains



Remember, the higher you are, the colder it gets.
(Climate is affected by elevation!!!)
Coniferous forests cover the middle elevations of the
western mountains.
Timberline= the elevation beyond which trees cannot
grow.
 Interior

climates
Prairies


Prairies= naturally treeless expanses of grass
In the Great Plains and eastern US, violent Spring and
Summer thunderstorms called supercells spawn
tornadoes, twisting funnels of air whose winds can
reach 300 mph!
 When
dry weather blanketed the Great Plains
in the 1930s, the winds eroded unprotected
topsoil, reducing farmlands across several US
states to a barren wasteland called the Dust
Bowl!
 This ruined the farming economy which was
made worse by the Great Depression.
 Farming has since improved, and the soil has
been restored.
 Eastern

Climates
Humid Subtropical (southeast; Houston)

Have long, muggy summers and mild winters)
Florida Everglades
 Wetlands and swampy areas

Hurricane prone coastlines

 Eastern

Climate (cont.)
Humid continental climate

Extends from the northeastern US into southeastern
Canada

In Canada, deciduous and mixed deciduousconiferous forestland sweeps from Newfoundland
into subarctic Yukon territory.

In the US, deciduous forests grow at the lower
elevations in the south.
 Eastern

Climates (cont.)
In winter, much of northern North America experiences
blizzards with winds more than 35 mph, heavy or
blowing snow for 3 or more hours!
 Tropical


climates
Within the continental US, only the extreme
southern tip of Florida has a tropical savanna
climate.
Hawaii and Puerto Rico have tropical rain
forests.
 Describe
and explain the environmental
factors that have affected migration in the
US and Canada.

Consider climate and land features.