North America UNIT 2

The Physical Geography of The United States & Canada The Land

Landforms Western Mountains and Plateaus *young rugged mountains caused by “recent” tectonic activity -Pacific Ranges: Sierra Nevada, Cascade Range, the Coast Range, and the Alaska Range (Mt. McKinley-20,320) -Rocky Mountains: link Canada & US -Dry basins and plateaus featuring Death Valley and the grand Canyon, fill the area between the mountain ranges

Eastern Mountains & Lowlands Interior Landforms Eastern Mountains & Lowlands East of the Rockies, the land falls and flattens into the Great Plains which extends across the center of North America The Appalachians are North America’s oldest mountains & they stretch from Quebec to Alabama The Canadian Shield is a giant core of rock that makes up the eastern ½ of Canada and northeastern US

Islands North American Islands: -Manhattan -Hawaiian Islands -Greenland -St. Ellesmere Island (Canada)

A Fortune in Water Rivers from the Rockies: -Water from the continental divide created by the Rockies flows east and west downhill emptying into the Pacific to the west and the Mississippi and Gulf of Mexico to the east

The Mighty Mississippi: One of N. Americas longest rivers (2,350 mi The Mighty Mississippi: One of N. Americas longest rivers (2,350 mi.) beginning in Minnesota and emptying into the Gulf of Mexico. It drains all or part of 31 states and 2 provinces. Important commercial waterway Eastern Rivers: St. Lawrence Waterway: forms border between US & Canada Important for commercial use

Lakes (Caused by receding glaciers) Canadian Lakes Great Bear Lake Great Slave Lake US Lakes The Great Lakes: Lake Superior, Erie, Michigan, Ontario & Huron St. Lawrence River links Great lakes to Atlantic Ocean

Natural Resources Fuels: fossil fuels and minerals Minerals: Gold, silver and copper in Rocky Mts, Nickel and iron in Canadian Shield. Iron ore in parts of N. Minnesota and Michigan. Canada supplies much of the world with potash, copper and silver Timber: forests cover less than 50% of Canada and 30% of US. Commercial Logging is still big business Fishing: abundant along coast lines

Climates Zones of North America

Climate Varied Regions: 2/3 of Canada and US have long cold winters and short mild summers. Most of the continental US and the southern 1/3 of Canada have temperate climates, depending on elevation. Hawaii in the South Pacific has a tropical climate

Climates Zones of North America

Northern Climates Much of Canada and US is in a sub-arctic climate zone Bitter winters and cool summers in the tundra along the arctic coastline make most of this land unsuitable for life

Western Climates Marine West Coast -Mild climate, high precipitation (100”/year). Plateaus, Basins, & Deserts Region between Rockies and Pacific Ranges includes deserts and steppes. Hot & dry climate Elevation gives the higher reaches of the region a highland climate. Forests give way to moderate vegetation; dry chinook wind thaws the snow at the base of the mountains

Interior Climates Prairies: Humid Continental Climate treeless expanses of land across mid America. Grasses can grow up to 12 feet high. Rainfall ranges from 10-30”/year

Eastern Climates Southeast: Humid subtropical climate Deciduous forests, much have been cleared for farmland Wetlands and swamps Northeast: Humid continental climate Bands of deciduous and mixed forestland Harsh winters with strong Atlantic storms

Tropical Climate Hawaii, Puerto Rico and the southern tip of Florida have tropical climates Southern Florida has a tropical savanna area Hawaii and Puerto Rico have areas of Tropical Rain Forests

The End!