Geography
Chapter 5
Physical Geography of the United States and Canada:
A Land of Contrasts
North America’s vast and varied landscape and abundant resources have attracted
immigrants and shaped the development of the United States and Canada.
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Geography
Chapter 5
Physical Geography
Looking at the Earth
SECTION 1
Landforms and Resources
SECTION 2
Climate and Vegetation
SECTION 3
Human-Environment Interaction
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Geography
Chapter 5
Section-1
Landforms and Resources
• The United States and Canada have vast lands and abundant resources.
• These two countries share many of the same landforms.
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Geography
Chapter 5
Section-1
1
Landforms and Resources
Landscape Influenced Development
Anglo America
• U.S., Canada: former British colonies, most people speak English
• Strong economic and political ties with one another
Vast Lands
• Canada second largest country in the world by area; U.S. third
• Together they cover one-eighth of the earth’s land surface
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Geography
Chapter 5
Landscape Influenced Development {continued}
Abundant Resources
• Landmass and natural resources attract immigrants to both countries
• U.S. and Canada have developed into global economic powers
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Geography
Chapter 5
1
Many and Varied Landforms
Major Landforms
• All major landforms are found in U.S. and Canada
• The two countries share mountain chains and interior plains
The Eastern Lowlands
• Atlantic Coastal Plain extends from Delaware down to Florida
• Gulf Coastal Plain goes from Florida, along Gulf of Mexico, to Texas
• Piedmont—low plateau between coastal plains, Appalachian Highlands
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Geography
Chapter 5
Many and Varied Landforms {continued}
The Appalachian Highlands
•
Appalachian Mountains run 1,600 miles from Newfoundland to Alabama
− include Green and Catskill mountains in the north
− Blue Ridge and Great Smoky mountains in the south
• More than 400 million years old
• Erosion has created gentle slopes, peaks from 1,200–2,400 feet
• The Appalachian Trail is a scenic hiking path along the chain
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Geography
Chapter 5
Many and Varied Landforms {continued}
The Interior Lowlands
• Glaciers leveled the land, left fertile soil
• Interior Plains extend from Appalachians to Missouri River
• Great Plains extend from Missouri River to Rocky Mountains
• Canadian Shield—vast, flat area around Hudson Bay
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Geography
Chapter 5
Many and Varied Landforms {continued}
The Western Mountains, Plateaus, and Basins
• Rocky Mountains run 3,000 miles from Alaska to New Mexico
• Relatively young: 80 million years old
• Less erosion means rugged, 12,000-foot, snow-covered peaks
• Continental Divide—the line of highest points along the Rockies
− separates rivers that flow eastward from those that flow westward
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Geography
Chapter 5
Many and Varied Landforms {continued}
The Western Mountains, Plateaus, and Basins
• Other Pacific mountain ranges: Sierra Nevada, Cascade
• Continent’s highest peak: Mt. McKinley in Alaska
• Major earthquake activity in Pacific ranges
• Between ranges and Rockies: cliffs, canyons, basins (low desert)
The Islands
• Canada’s large, northern islands: Ellesmere, Victoria, Baffin
• U.S.: Aleutians (Alaska), Hawaiian (politically, not geographically)
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Geography
Chapter 5
Resources Shape Ways of Life
Oceans and Waterways
• U.S. and Canada are bounded by:
− Atlantic, Pacific, Arctic oceans
− Gulf of Mexico
• Countries have many large, inland rivers and lakes that provide:
− transportation, hydroelectric power, irrigation, fresh water, fisheries
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Geography
Chapter 5
Resources Shape Ways of Life {continued}
Oceans and Waterways
• Great Lakes: Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, and Superior
• Mississippi-Missouri-Ohio river system: continent’s longest, busiest
• Mackenzie River: longest in Canada, crosses Northwest Territories
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Geography
Chapter 5
1
Resources Shape Ways of Life {continued}
Land and Forests
• Fertile soil helps make North America world’s leading food exporter
• Large forests yield lumber and other products
Minerals and Fossil Fuels
• Mineral quantity and variety make rapid industrialization possible
− Canadian Shield: iron ore, nickel, copper, gold, uranium
− Appalachians, Great Plains: coal
− Gulf of Mexico: oil, natural gas
• U.S.: biggest energy consumer; gets most of Canada’s energy exports
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Geography
Chapter 5
Section-2
Climate and Vegetation
• Almost every type of climate is found in the 50 United States because they extend over
such a large area north to south.
• Canada’s cold climate is related to its location in the far northern latitudes.
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Geography
Chapter 5
Section-2
2
Climate and Vegetation
Shared Climates and Vegetation
U.S. and Canada Climates
• U.S. has more climate zones than Canada
• U.S.: moderate mid-latitudes, Canada: colder high latitudes
Colder Climates
• Arctic coast is tundra: huge, treeless plain with long, cold winters
− some permafrost—permanently frozen ground
• Rockies and Pacific ranges are highland: colder, sparse vegetation
− affect weather in lower areas: block Arctic air, trap Pacific moisture
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Geography
Chapter 5
Shared Climates and Vegetation {continued}
Modern Climates
• North central, northeast U.S, southern Canada are humid continental
− cold winters; warm summers; heavy agriculture
• Pacific coast has marine west coast climate
− warm summers; long, mild, rainy winters; mixed vegetation
− climate affected by ocean currents, coastal mountains, westerlies
− prevailing westerlies—middle-latitude winds blowing west to east
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Geography
Chapter 5
2
Differences in Climate and Vegetation
Milder Climates
•
Much of U.S. located south of 40 degrees N latitude
− milder, dry, and tropical climates
•
Southern states are humid subtropical
− hot summers; mild winters; long growing season for variety of crops
•
Central, southern California coasts have Mediterranean climate
− dry, warm summers; mild, rainy winters; fruits, vegetables grow well
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Geography
Chapter 5
2
Differences in Climate and Vegetation {continued}
Dry Climates
• Great Plains, northern Great Basin semiarid: dry with short grasses
• Southwest is hot, dry desert, including Mojave and Sonoran deserts
Tropical Climates
• Hawaii is tropical wet: rain forests, temps around 70 degrees F
− Mount Waialeale on Kauai Island is one of the wettest spots on earth
• South Florida is tropical wet and dry: warm with tall grasses
− Everglades—swampland covering 4,000 square miles
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Geography
Chapter 5
Effects of Extreme Weather
Natural Hazards
•
Warm Gulf air clashes with cold Canadian air over the Great Plains
− creates thunderstorms, tornadoes, blizzards
•
Hurricanes sweep the Gulf and Atlantic coasts in summer and fall
•
Heavy rains cause floods along big rivers like the Mississippi
•
Heat, lack of rain bring droughts, dust storms, forest fires
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Geography
Chapter 5
We will Locate and describe
human and physical features
that influence the size and
distribution of settlements
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Geography
Chapter 5
Overview
• The world’s population is distributed unevenly and
is correlated to the access to economic
opportunities and resources as well as to climate.
• Increased economic opportunities accounts for a
concentration of population in urban areas, along
transportation corridors and near water. Population
is less concentrated in in the polar regions of the
globe because of the extreme climate in the region.
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Geography
Chapter 5
* Human features that influence settlement
patterns may include the availability of
economic opportunities, the location of
transportation routes, access to housing,
opportunities for political participation.
* examples:
jobs, access to money (early factories
& agriculture)
voting rights
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Geography
Chapter 5
• Populations tend to settle in areas that
provide services, have infrastructure in
place and are politically attractive.
• Examples: Highways, hospitals, airports,
shopping centers, schools
• Political safety, individual rights, laws,
etc…
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Geography
Chapter 5
Urbanization
• refers to the migration of people from rural to
urban settings generally to access jobs which
primarily coincidences with industrial
development in a nation
• Urban areas grew with new technologies
• Example: stem engines, using machines in
factories, electricity, etc.
• Advancement in agricultural practices.. Less
people needed on farms
• So, more people moved to the cities in search
for work
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Geography
Chapter 5
Transportation Systems
• facilitate the settlement of areas that were previously
inaccessible; generally settlements grow near locations
along the transportation routes
• Early settlement took place along rivers and coastlines
(natural ports)
• This provide access for boats and ships …
• This was important for trade.
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Geography
Chapter 5
Transportation Systems
• New technologies and infrastructure allowed people to
live further from location of work
• examples include the building of railroads such as the
Transcontinental Railroads and building the Interstate
highway system which resulted in the growth of
suburban settlements; urban and suburban road
systems of principal and minor arteries connecting
dwellings with commerce and employment.
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Geography
Chapter 5
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Geography
Chapter 5
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Geography
Chapter 5
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Geography
Chapter 5
Physical features
-greatly influence the habitability of a place.
• Populations tend to concentrate in regions
with favorable climates, where there is
access to water and areas that are
suitable for agricultural output. Through
most of history settlements have
concentrated near coastlines and in river
valleys.
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Geography
Chapter 5
• Availability of resources such as water
facilitate population centers that need
abundant water resources; settlements
grow near locations of economic activities
associated with extraction of natural
resources:
• Examples
- Coal and Iron in the Northeast
- Good soil in plains and South
- Fish along the coastlines
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Geography
Chapter 5
• Economic activities facilitate people migrating to
and settling where there are new economic
opportunities;
• examples include:
• California Gold Rush,
• the Austin Colony,
• migration from the Rust Belt to the Sun Belt,
• migration to western North Dakota and south
Texas to work in an expanding oil industry
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Geography
Chapter 5
Section-3
Human-Environment Interaction
• Humans have dramatically changed the face of North America.
• European settlements in the United States and Canada expanded from east to west.
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Geography
Chapter 5
Section-3
Human-Environment Interaction
Settlement and Agriculture Alter the Land
Settlement
• Before humans, land changed due to natural forces: weather, erosion
• Human settlers adapted to, and changed, the environment
• First North Americans were nomads, moving from place to place
− migrated from Asia over Beringia, a land bridge from Siberia to Alaska
− hunted, fished, and gathered plants; settled near rivers and streams
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Geography
Chapter 5
Settlement and Agriculture Alter the Land {continued}
Agriculture
• Agriculture replaced hunting and gathering 3,000 years ago
• Settlements became permanent
− cut down trees for houses, plow fields, dig irrigation ditches
− plant corn, beans, squash
• Today U.S. and Canada are leading agriculture exporters
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Geography
Chapter 5
Building Cities
Where Cities Grow
•
Water access a major factor in how towns begin, develop
•
Other factors: landscape, climate, weather, natural resources
Montreal—Adapting to the Weather
•
Canada’s second-largest city; major port located on island in Quebec
− Meeting of St. Lawrence and Ottawa rivers make it important trade site
•
French build permanent settlement in 1642 at base of Mount Royal
• Cold winters force people to stay inside and build underground areas
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Geography
Chapter 5
Building Cities {continued}
Los Angeles—Creating Urban Sprawl
• Mild climate and the ocean bring thousands to area in early 1900s
− once-small Spanish settlement expanded into valleys and foothills
• Becomes U.S.’s second-largest city in 1980s
− problems: air pollution, low water supply, earthquake area
• Los Angeles has spread out over a large area
− city proper: 469 square miles; metropolitan area: 4,060 square miles
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Geography
Chapter 5
Overcoming Distances
Trails and Inland Waterways
•
First natives go east, south down Pacific coast; some remain north
•
Europeans colonize the east coast then go inland, creating trails
− national and Wilderness roads, Oregon and Santa Fe trails
− use Mississippi and Ohio rivers; build canals
− Erie Canal—first navigable water link between Atlantic, Great Lakes
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Geography
Chapter 5
Overcoming Distances {continued}
Trails and Inland Waterways
•
St. Lawrence Seaway—deepwater ship route built by U.S. and Canada
• Connects Great Lakes to Atlantic by way of St. Lawrence River
• Gated-off sections called locks raise and lower the water and ships
• Large ocean vessels can get to industrial and agricultural heartland
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Geography
Chapter 5
Overcoming Distances {continued}
Transcontinental Railroads
• Transcontinental—from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean
• Builders of early-1800s railroads face many natural barriers
− workers cut down forests, bridge streams, tunnel through mountains
• First U.S. transcontinental railroad: 1860; first Canadian: 1885
• Move goods, people; promote economic development, national unity
• Today U.S. has world’s largest rail system; Canada, third largest
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Geography
Chapter 5
Overcoming Distances {continued}
National Highway Systems
• Arrival of automobile spurs roadbuilding in early 20th century
• Today U.S. has 4 million miles of roads, Canada has 560,000 miles
• Large Canadian highways connect major southern cities from east to west
− Trans-Canada Highway: 4,860 miles, Newfoundland to British Columbia
• U.S. interstate highway system: 46,000-mile network begun in 1950s
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Geography
Chapter 5
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