1. North American Geography

2. Bodies of Water – United States
The Great Lakes
Refers to the a cluster of five huge lakes located in the American Midwest and Central Canada.
Largest group of freshwater lakes in the world.
Lake Superior, Lake Michigan, Lake Huron, Lake Erie, and Lake Ontario
Missouri River
Longest River in US – 2,341 miles
Mississippi River
2nd Longest River in US – 2,320 miles
Bordered by the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans

3. Bodies of Water – Canada & Mexico
Share 4 of the 5 Great Lakes with the United States.
Major Rivers – St Lawrence River & Mackenzie River (1 to 4 miles across).
Mexico
Very few major rivers, most important is the Rio Grande.
Gulf of Mexico

4. Landscape – United States
There are 4 Major landforms or types in the US
Coastal Plains, Appalachian Mountains, Great Plains, Rocky Mountains
Coastal Plains
A flat low lying area next to a coast. Great for harbors.
Many of the country’s largest cities (New York, Houston, Boston) are located in a Costal Plain.
Farming is limited along the Atlantic Coast but the soil and crops get better along the Gulf of Mexico’s coast.
Along with fishing and farming the Coastal Plains also contain; iron ore, gold, zinc, coal, oil, and natural gas.

5. Landscape – United States pt2
Appalachian Mountains – East Canada and US
Oldest Mountain range in North America
Highest Peak is Mount Mitchell in North Carolina at 6,684 feet.
Rich coal deposits fueled industrial growth in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s.
Rocky Mountains – West Canada and US
Longest group of mountains in North America.
Starts up in Alaska and stretches down to Mexico.
Marks the Continental Divide, the spot where rivers flow in different directions.
Highest point – Denali (formally Mount McKinley) in Alaska at 20,320 feet

6. Landscape – Mexico Mountains cover much of Mexico
Sierra Madre Occidental
Sierra Madre Oriental
Sierra Madre del Sur
Mexico has Active volcanoes to the south – Colima is the most active.
Northern Mexico is home to many cattle ranches, mineral deposits, and factories (called maquiladoras).
Central Mexico is the most densely populated area of the country.
Southern Mexico is the poorest economic region due to the mountains making it difficult to farm.

7. Landscapes - Canada
Canada is a vast country, second in size only to Russia, but has a relatively small population.
Canada is broken up into 10 Provinces, similar to states, and 3 territories.
The provinces of Quebec and Ontario are home to most Canadians.
Geographically it is fairly flat with good farming towards the south.
The Prairie Provinces in the middle of Canada are relatively flat land with a wide range of temperatures depending on the season.
Western Canada is home to many mountain ranges, some reaching as high as 15,000 feet.

8. Climate – North America
North America is home to a wide variety of climate zones. 11 different zones exist from the very northern edge of Canada to the most southern part of Mexico.
The United States has several different climates: Humid Subtropical, Humid Continental, Semi-Arid, Mediterranean, and Arid (dessert)
Most humans live in the areas of Humid Subtropical and Humid Continental
Canada’s climates are cooler the further north someone travels with Ice Caps, Tundra, and Subarctic to the north and Humid Continental to the south.
Mexico is more tropical than the other two with Tropical Rainforest, Tropical Savanna to the south. But drier and more arid to the north.