North America Geography and Physical Features © 2014 Tara Fountain

Mapping Activity There are 8 different types of land use on this map. They are located near bodies of water or oceans because it makes transportation of raw materials and goods easier. Eight Manufacturing areas are red on this economic map. They are mostly located around bodies of water or oceans. Because it makes transportation for raw materials and goods easier

FAST FACTS The United States is the 3rd largest country in the world. The United States also includes Alaska and Hawaii.

The Rocky Mountains are the largest mountain system in North America. LANDFORMS Rocky Mountains The Rocky Mountains are the largest mountain system in North America.

Every continent has a continental divide expect for Antarctica LANDFORMS Continental Divide An “imaginary” line that separates the flow of rivers to the oceans. It runs from northwestern Canada, along the crest of the Rocky Mountains and continues down into Mexico. Every continent has a continental divide expect for Antarctica

Appalachian Mountains LANDFORMS Appalachian Mountains Second largest mountain range in North America The Mountains become the Laurentian Highlands in Canada.

LANDFORMS Great Plains Huge plain area that lies between the Rocky Mountains and west of the Mississippi River GREAT PLAINS

The largest of these basins is Great Basin FEATURES OF THE UNITED STATES West of the Rockies lies a region of plateaus and basins. The largest of these basins is Great Basin

LANDFORMS What is a plateau? What is a basin? A large, bowl-shaped depression in the surface of the land or ocean floor. Area of land, with a flat surface (like a tabletop) that is raised above the land that surrounds it.

Where is the hottest place In North America? DEATH VALLEY!!! FEATURES OF THE UNITED STATES Where is the hottest place In North America? DEATH VALLEY!!! DEATH VALLEY

FEATURES OF Canada Yukon Mount Logan, Canada’s highest peak, is located in Yukon Territory

Bodies of Water Great Lakes Superior Great Lakes give us the largest supply of fresh water on earth! Lake Michigan is the only one that lies entirely in the United States The other four are part of the border between the United Sates and Canada Huron Ontario Michigan Erie

Bodies of Water A transportations corridor is: Routes by which people can travel by foot, air, vehicle, rail or ship.

CANADA HAS 2 MAJOR RIVERS Rivers in Canada Canada’s longest river is the Mackenzie. It forms in the Rockies and flows North into the Arctic Ocean you think the St. Lawrence River is called the Mother of Canada

Rivers in the United States USA HAS MANY IMPORTANT RIVERS Rivers in the United States The Mississippi River is largest river in the US. It begins in Minnesota and flows thru the Central Plains into the Gulf of Mexico. Two other major rivers in the US are: Ohio River Missouri River

Bodies of Water What is a Delta? A delta is a plain or landform that occurs at the mouth of a river near where the river flows into the ocean or other body of water. A river creates a delta by laying down sediment or rock debris such as gravel, sand, silt, and clay that it has picked up and carried along its course. Alluvium (pronounced ah-LOO-vee-em) is the general term for sediment deposited by running water. A river's depth, its width, and its speed determine how much sediment it can carry. Unlike other landforms affected by running water, a delta is not created primarily by water cutting into or eroding the landscape (erosion is the gradual wearing away of Earth surfaces through the action of wind and water). Water does not tear down a delta; instead, it builds up a delta