NORTH AMERICA: Physical Features
Chapt 4, Sect 1
1. Where in the world are the United States and Canada located?
The United States and Canada are located in North America, with Canada north of
the U.S.
2. What are the main landforms of the U.S. and Canada?
The main landforms of the U.S. and Canada are the Rocky Mountains, the
Appalachian Mountains, and the Central/Interior Plains. Other landforms include the
Grand Canyon, Death Valley, the Great Basin, and the St. Lawrence Lowlands.
3. What are the major bodies of water in the U.S. and Canada?
The U.S. and Canada are surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, the Gulf of Mexico,
Mexico, the Pacific Ocean, Hudson Bay, and the Arctic Ocean. Other major bodies
of water inside the U.S. and Canada include the Great Lakes (Huron, Ontario,
Michigan, Erie, and Superior), the Mississippi River, the Ohio River, the Missouri
River, the St. Lawrence River, and the MacKenzie River.
Continental Divide
boundary formed by the Rocky Mountains that separates rivers/water flowing west to
the Pacific Ocean and rivers/water flowing east to the Atlantic Ocean
glacier
a huge, slow moving sheet of ice
transportation
corridor
a route used for transporting people and goods
tributary
stream that flows into a larger river
Rocky Mountains
largest mountain system in North America; located in western U.S. and Canada
Appalachian Mtns.
second largest mountain system in North America; located in eastern U.S.; known as
Laurentian Highlands in Canada
Death Valley
hottest place in North America
Great Lakes
world’s largest group of fresh water lakes
St. Lawrence River
major Canadian river that links the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean
Mississippi River
largest river in the U.S. (Mackenzie River is the longest river in North America)
NORTH AMERICA: Physical Features
Chapt 4, Sect 1
United States
Land Forms
Bodies of Water
Rocky Mountains, the
Appalachian Mountains, and the
Central Plains, the Grand
Canyon, Death Valley, and the
Great Basin
Atlantic Ocean, the Gulf of
Mexico, the Pacific Ocean, the
Arctic Ocean, the Great Lakes
(Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie,
and Superior), the Mississippi
River, the Ohio River, and the
Missouri River
Canada
Rocky Mountains, the
Laurentian Highland, the
Interior Plains, and the St.
Lawrence Lowlands
Atlantic Ocean, the Pacific
Ocean, Hudson Bay, and the
Arctic Ocean, the Great Lakes
(Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie,
and Superior), the St. Lawrence
River, and the Mackenzie River.
Nuggets:
 Alaska’s Mount McKinley is the highest mountain in North America; Mt. Logan is the
highest mountain in Canada.
 Canada is the second largest country in the world; the U.S. is the fourth largest
country in the world.
 The U.S. has ten (10) times the population of Canada.
 The Rocky Mountains stretch 3000 miles in western North America; the Appalachian
Mountains (Laurentian Highlands in Canada) stretch 1600 miles in eastern North
America.
 Between the Rocky Mountains and the Appalachian Mountains are the Great/Central
Plains in the U.S. and the Interior Plains in Canada.
 The plains of North America are the largest grassland area of the world. They have
rich, alluvial soil due to floodingbmy the many rivers in this area.
 West of the Rockies (between the Rockies and the Cascades Mountains in
Washington/Oregon and the Sierra Nevada Mountains in California) lies the Great
Basin (where Salt Lake City is located).
 Snow and ice cover much of northern North America; glaciers fill many of the
valleys between the mountains.
 Most of Alaska’s population lives along the southern coast.
 East of the Interior Plains in Canada is the Canadian Shield, a region of ancient rock
covered by a thin layer of soil that covers about half of Canada.
 The St. Lawrence Lowlands, along the St. Lawrence River, is home to more than half
of Canada’s population and much of its farming and manufacturing.
 Melting ice from glaciers formed the Great Lakes (Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie,
Superior). Only Lake Michigan is completely inside the U.S.; the other four lakes are
shared by both the U.S. and Canada.
 Mackenzie River, the longest river in North America, forms in the Canadian Rockies
and flows north to the Arctic Sea.
 Locks and canals make the Great Lakes navigable.
 Mississippi River is called “Father of Water” by Native Americans; the St. Lawrence
River is often called the “Mother of Canada.”
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SUMMARY: The U.S. and Canada have a wide variety of unique physical features, including mountains,
farmlands, great lakes, and mighty rivers.