Landforms and Natural Resources
 U.S. and Canada are bound together by
both physical geography and
cultural heritage as well as strong
economic and political ties
 Both rank among the largest in the world
 Both are rich in natural resources
 Fertile soils, ample supplies of H20, vast forests and large
deposits of a variety of minerals
 Popular with immigrants from around the world
Many and Varied Landforms
Eastern Lowlands
Appalachian Highlands
 Flat, coastal plain along the
 Runs north to south from
narrower Atlantic coast from the
Northeast to Florida
 Offers many excellent harbors
 Gulf Coastal Plain is much
broader from Florida to Texas
 Low plateau – called the
Piedmont (rolling hills) –
connects the lowlands to the
mountains
Alabama into Canada
 Contain several other mountain
ranges w/in (Catskill, Blue
Ridge, Great Smoky Mountains)
Interior Lowlands
Mtn. Plateaus & Basins
 Mainly level lands flattened by
 Rocky Mtns – Massive & rugged
huge glaciers 1000’s of years ago
 Includes lowland, rolling
hills, thousands of lakes and
rivers + some of the most
fertile soil
 Divided into 3 sub-regions:
 Interior Plains – Appalanchains
to 300 miles west of Mississippi
 Great Plains – largely treeless
area up to 4,000 ft.
 Canadian Shield – rocky, mainly
flat area covering 2 million sq.
mi.
 Relatively young - 80 million
years old – not eroded like Apps
 Continental Divide – highest
point of the Rockies that splits
rivers flowing east and west
 Sierra Nevadas & the Cascade
Range run parallel to Pacific
coastline
 Highest peak is Mt. McKinley
20,320’
 Steep cliffs, deep canyons and
lowland desert areas called
basins
The Islands
Natural Resources
 Canada’s northernmost lands
 Oceans and Waterways
are islands near the Arctic Circle
 3 islands – Ellesmere, Victoria &
Baffin – are only smaller than
Greenland
 U.S. - Aleutian Islands -
volcanic, rugged and treeless off of Alaska and Hawaii – lush,
tropical – both reside outside of
continental U.S.
 Atlantic, Pacific, Artic and Gulf
of Mexico
 Great Lakes – Superior,
Michigan, Huron, Erie and
Ontario
 Lands and Forests
 Minerals and Fossil Fuels
 Gives U.S. & Canada means to
industrialize
 U.S. = world’s biggest consumer
of energy resources
 Canada’s exports to energy to
U.S.