Download The Geography of the United States

The Geography of the United
States
The United States is a large country, stretching
from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean. It
borders Canada in the north and Mexico in the
south. Geographers have divided it into five main
physical regions.
5 Physical Regions
• Atlantic Coastal Plain
• Appalachian Mountains
• Central Lowlands
• Great Plains
• Western Mountains and Basins
Atlantic Coastal Plain
• This large fertile plain runs along the
Atlantic Coast and the Gulf of Mexico. It
extends into part of Texas.
Appalachian Mountains
• These tree covered mountains
along the eastern United
States run several hundred
miles inland – from New
England in the northeast to
Alabama in the south.
http://www.promotega.org/uga07010/html/ap
palachian_plateau.html
Central Lowlands
• These are flat, fertile grasslands used for
farming. They produce vast amounts of
food crops.
Great Plains
• This is an area of dry and hilly farms and
grasslands, west of the Mississippi River.
The Great Plains stretch across the middle
of the country and reach northward into
Canada.
Western Mountains and Basins
• The Western United States has
mountainous areas such as the Rocky
Mountains, the Cascades, and the Sierra
Nevada, separated by deserts, valleys, and
dry basins.
What are the five main physical
regions?
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Aim: We are going to review the
geography of the United States and
learn about the geography of New
York.
Geography of New York
Size and Location
• New York is located in the Northeast region of
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the United States.
Shaped like a triangle with over 54,000 square
miles in area.
New York is the only state that touches both the
Atlantic Ocean and a Great Lake.
Because of its location, harbor and waterways,
New York is ideally situated for trade.
Size and Location of New York
• located in the Northeast region
• touches both the Atlantic Ocean and a
Great Lake
• New York is great for trade because it has
a lot of waterways and harbors
Geography of New York
Bodies of Water
• The six Finger Lakes are found in the
western part of the state.
• The Hudson River starts in the
Adirondacks and flows south into the
Atlantic Ocean.
• The Mohawk River flows east into the
Hudson River. Niagara Falls, near Buffalo,
is one of the worlds most spectacular
waterfalls.
Bodies of Water in New York
• Six Finger Lakes, found in the western part of
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the state
The Hudson River starts in the North and flows
south into the Atlantic Ocean.
The Mohawk River flows east into the Hudson
River, joins and flows into Atlantic Ocean
Niagara Falls, near Buffalo, is one of the worlds
most spectacular waterfalls.
Geography of New York
Climate
• Climate refers to an areas weather
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conditions over a long period.
New York’s climate differs from region to
region.
Most of upstate New York has cold winters.
The “snow belt” – the area around Buffalo,
Rochester, and Syracuse usually receives
more than 100 inches of snowfall in a single
year.
The southeast—New York City and Long
Island—has milder winters with hot and
humid summers.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_effect_snow
Geography of New York
Principal Regions
New York is often divided into seven
(7) distinct regions
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St. Lawrence Lowlands
Adirondack Mountains
Great Lakes Plain
Appalachian Plateau
Hudson and Mohawk Valleys
New England Upland
Atlantic Coastal Plain
St. Lawrence Lowlands
• This region, to the northeast, consists of
narrow, flat plains extending from the St.
Lawrence River to Lake Champlain.
• The region is know for its dairy products
and fruit orchids.
• The largest city is Plattsburgh
Adirondack Mountains
• New York’s Highest Mountains
• Located South of the St. Lawrence River
• Poor soil=unsuitable farming
• Lake Placid-Winter Olympics has been held
there.
• Lake George and Ausable Chasm are
popular tourist destinations.
• Fort Ticonderoga, was built by the French
in 1755 to control the area.
Great Lakes Plain
• Northwestern New York
• Wide, flat plain extending eastward from Lake
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Erie and Ontario.
Apples, cherries, and peaches grow in regions
fertile soil
Season is short because of the great deal of
snow
Buffalo-state’s second largest city located on
Lake Erie
Rochester-know for optics and photography
Syracuse-developed around a salt spring
Appalachian Plateau
• Appalachian Plateau occupies most of the
south western New York.
• Several land features- Catskill Mountains,
and Finger Lakes
• The Corning Company and Cornell
University are located in this region.
• Finger Lakes are know for their vineyards.
Hudson and Mohawk Valleys
• Cut through the New York’s highland regions, providing
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one of the best passages through the Appalachians.
Gave early New Yorkers access to the Great Lakes and
the Midwest.
The Erie Canal, New York Central Railroad, and the New
York Thruway were later built along this route.
Fertile Soil = fruit orchids and dairy farms
Waterfalls provide a source of water power, once used
for factories and now used for hydroelectricity.
Albany-Capital of New York State is located in this region
New England Upland
• Low mountains and rolling hills, running
along New York’s eastern border of New
England.
Atlantic Coastal Plain
• Wide, flat plain running along the east coast of the
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United States. It includes, New York and Long Island.
Long Island extends 120 miles out into the Atlantic
Ocean. Shaped like a giant fish
Nassau and Suffolk counties
New York City-largest city
Five boroughs- Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens,
Staten Island
Manhattan-center of life; theatres, universities,
museums.
Many ethnic communities; China Town, Little Italy,
Harlem
Geography of New York
Natural Resources
• Wide variety of natural resources
• Most valuable=forests (cover almost half the
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state)
Fertile Soil- apples, grapes, and vegetables, and
raise dairy cattle, poultry, hogs and sheep.
New York’s rivers, lakes and streams =
resources for transportation, power for
hydroelectricity, and fish
Mineral Deposits, including sand, gravel, zinc,
gypsum, salt, and iron ore.