United States Features

Standards Geographic Understandings SS5G1 The student will locate important places in the United States. a. Locate important physical features; include the Grand Canyon, Salton Sea, Great Salt Lake, and the Mojave Desert. b. Locate important man-made places; include the Chisholm Trail; Pittsburgh, PA; Gettysburg, PA; Kitty Hawk, NC; Pearl Harbor, HI; and Montgomery, AL.

(shows cardinal directions) Understanding Maps Title of map (subject of the Map) Key or Legend (explains symbols) Scale (Measures Distance) Compass Rose (shows cardinal directions) Insert Map (small map within a larger map)

United States Physical Features Pittsburgh SD ND MT ID NV CA OR WA UT WY NE CO OK TX LA FL MN IA IL ME AZ NM KS WI OH MI NY VT IN MO AR KY TN NH PA RI MS AL SC NC GA VA WV MA CT NJ DE MD AK HI Gettysburg Great Salt Lake The Chisholm Trail Abilene Abilene Kitty Hawk Grand Canyon Wichita Mohave Desert Salton Sea El Reno Montgomery Ft. Worth Waco San Antonia Austin Kingsville Pearl Harbor Kings Ranch

A Salty Sea The Salton Sea is the largest lake in the state of California. It is a large depression about 240 feet below sea level. The Colorado river flooded over to fill it and made the Salton sea. The water is very salty. California Salton Sea

The Grand Canyon Arizona The Grand Canyon is a deep gorge in northwestern Arizona. It is about one mile deep and 277 miles long. Scientists say that the Colorado river formed the canyon by cutting through layers of rock over millions. The colors into the rocks make the Grand Canyon a beautiful sight Grand Canyon Colorado River Arizona

A Massive Desert The Mohave Desert Covers about 25,000 square miles in southeastern California. It has flat desert areas and some mountain ranges. And it’s hot-normal summer temperatures in Death Valley are around 120 degrees.! California Mohave Desert

An Enormous Lake The Great Salt Lake is even bigger than the Salton Sea. Located in Utah, it is the largest lake in the Western United States. Because it is so salty people can float in the Great Salt Lake quite easily. Great Salt Lake Utah

Pittsburg, Pennsylvania A City built at the crossing of the Allegheny River, Monongahela River, and Ohio River, the Golden Triangle is a pointed outcropping of land where these three rivers converge. The rivers helped create the economy of this city in the days before railroads and automobiles. Steel is manufactured in this city Pennsylvania Pittsburg Pennsylvania ciy that is one of he world’s largest steel manufacturing centers.

Gettysburg, Pennsylvania The location of one of the biggest battles of the Civil war, the geography of Gettysburg helped determine the outcome of the war. The rocky ridges and hills around the area gave lookout points and protection to the Union troops while the Confederate troops struggled in the lowlands. Many Americans died here in a Civil War battle Pennsylvania Gettysburg Pennsylvania town where famous Civil war battle was fought.

Kitty Hawk, North Carolina The site of the first flight of the Wright brothers is a sandy barrier island on the Outer Banks region of North Carolina, bowing out into the Atlantic Ocean off the coast. The wind of the coastal region helped the Wright brothers get off the ground. This windy spot was good place to fly airplanes Kitty Hawk, North Carolina Place on North Carolina coast where the Wright Brothers made the first airplane flight.

Montgomery, Alabama African Americans boycotted public buses in this city Located on the banks of the Alabama river, it was a major port for the movement of cotton before the Civil war. Alabama Montgomery City where Martin Luther King, Jr. led a famous bus boycott.

The Chisholm Trail A dirt trail created in the late 1800s helped to move cattle from Texas to the Kansas Pacific railway in Abilene, Kansas. Cowboys were very familiar with this route through Texas. The Chisholm Trail OK El Reno Wichita Ft. Worth Waco Austin Abilene San Antonio Kings Ranch KS Trail through Texas taking cattle to market.

Pearl Harbor A small inlet on the southern side of Oahu in the Hawaiian Islands, this harbor was used by the U S. military to build a naval and air base at a convenient midpoint between the S.S. and Japan. When it was bombed by the Japanese, the U.S. entered World war II. The surprise attack here brought America into World war II Pearl Harbor Hawaii Hawaii naval base attacked by Japanese planes in December 1941