NORTH AMERICA IN SPATIAL TERMS
COUNTRIES AND WATER SYSTEMS
Water Systems
The Pacific Ocean, which contains the Hawaiian Islands, forms the western
shore. On the northwest is the Bering Strait, which separates North America
from Asia.
South of the Canadian Shield on the border between Canada and the U.S. is
one of the most important lake systems in the U.S. These lakes are known as
the Great Lakes and include Lake Superior, Lake Michigan, Lake Huron, Lake
Erie, and Lake Ontario. A well-known river of the North is the Yukon. It has
been famous since gold-rush days in Alaska. The Yukon flows north and west.
It freezes in the winter and floods when it thaws. Some crops, such as potatoes,
can be grown in this region.
North America is the _____ continent in the world.
third largest
second largest
Select all the names of the Great Lakes.
Superior
Ontario
Erie
Michigan
Missouri
Huron
NORTH AMERICAN LANDFORMS – MOUNTAINS
AND PLAINS.
Mountains
Notice that the continent of North America has two major mountain ranges, one
in the east and the other in the west, and a large plain in the center.
Plains
Between the eastern and western mountain ranges spreads a huge fertile plain.
The western part of the plain tends to be dry, with several deserts in the southwest
region. Its eastern half provides great agricultural areas, the Appalachian Mountains,
and many good seaports on the Atlantic Coast.
These plains are divided into three parts.
1. The northern part is the Canadian Shield, which is also called the Laurentian
Plateau. The Canadian Shield is a great depression that marks the advance of
the glacier that dug out the Great Lakes and changed the continent. This plateau
of rock runs across northern Canada, around Hudson Bay, and as far south as
the Great Lakes. It has many rivers that can be used for hydroelectric power. Its
soil is thin and not good for crops; its rocks, however, are rich in mineral
resources.
2. The southern part of the plains is the Central Lowlands.
3. The western side, near the Cordillera, is called the Great Plains. The Great
Plains run from central Canada to Texas. It is grassland of rich soil that gets drier
the further west it goes.
The Coastal Plains at the eastern edge of North America run along the Atlantic coast
in the United States and around the Gulf of Mexico. These plains provide good
farmland and rivers for transportation. For this reason, the area was quickly settled by
the Europeans who came to the New World. Here, the thirteen original colonies formed
a new nation, which we know as the United States of America.
Which mountain ranges are part of the Cordilleras?
Sierra Madre Occidental
Laurentian Mountains
Sierra Madre Del Sur
Blue Ridge Mountains
Rocky Mountains
NORTH AMERICAN LANDFORMS – PENINSULAS AND ISLANDS
Not only does North America have vast areas of land, either completely cut off
from the oceans or only bordered by it on one side, it also has a good share of
peninsulas and islands, which landforms are fully connected with the seas
Peninsulas
Peninsulas are regions of land that are surrounded by water on three sides.
 Baja California is the name of the Mexican peninsula that extends south
of the state of California. It is a long, narrow, mountainous finger of land
between the Gulf of California (Sea of Cortes) and the Pacific Ocean.
 The Yucatan Peninsula was the home of an ancient Indian civilization
called the Maya. Today, the ruins of their cities are a tourist attraction
for the peninsula.
Islands
Islands are areas of land that are completely surrounded by water. Look at
this map and see how many islands you can find in North America.
The physical geography of North America plays an important role in determining
where its people live and the types of activities they engage in. Knowing the
physical features of a continent will help you understand its history.
LET'S REVIEW!
Countries
Greenland, Canada, United States, Mexico
Water systems
 Oceans
Arctic Ocean, Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean
 Baffin Bay, Labrador Sea, Gulf of Mexico, Gulf of California (Sea of
Cortes), Hudson Bay, Bering Strait
Great Lakes
o Superior, Erie, Michigan, Ontario, Huron
 Rivers
o Mississippi River, Missouri River, Yukon River
Landforms
 Mountains
o Cordillera Mountains
 Rocky Mountains
 Mt. McKinley—North America's highest peak
 Sierra Madres
 Sierra Madre Occidental
 Sierra Madre Oriental
 Sierra Madre Del Sur
o Appalachian Mountains
 White Mountains
 Green Mountains
 Blue Ridge Mountains
 Great Smoky Mountains
o Laurentian Mountains
 Plains
o Canadian Shield
o Central Lowlands
o Great Plains
o Coastal Plains—site of the thirteen original colonies
 Peninsulas
o Baja California, Florida, Yucatán
 Islands
o Aleutian Islands
o Hawaiian Islands
o Greenland
o Baffin Island—Canada's largest island
o Newfoundland
THE REGIONS OF THE UNITED STATES
Notice that the United States is about halfway between the North Pole and the
equator. It's in the Northern Hemisphere. Observe its location between the
Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. These oceans serve the nation well both as trade
and as barriers that keep foreign wars away from American soil.
Because the study of geography is so broad, is to break areas down into
smaller parts or regions.
In our study of the regions of the United States, we'll study both natural regions
and political regions. Natural regions are those formed by nature. Many natural
landform regions in the United States are thousands of years old. Forests,
mountains, rivers, plateaus, swamps, lakes, glaciers, and plains are examples
of natural regions.
People create political regions. States, countries, and cities are examples of
political regions. People have divided the land and named these places. These
divisions were created by the U.S. government based on a combination of
historic, physical, economic, and cultural characteristics. These regions are the
Northeast, the South, the Midwest, and the West. Look at the map below to see
which states are in the Northeast and South regions.
As you study the history and geography of each region, ask yourself these
questions:
1. How do the physical features of the land affect agriculture, industry,
transportation, and living patterns?
2. What effect does the climate have on agriculture, industry, transportation,
and living patterns?
3. What are the natural resources of the region, and how are they used?
4. How were important historical and spiritual events affected by the
geography of the region?
Select the natural regions that are present in the United States.
forests
states
mountains
plains
cities
swamps
rivers
THE NORTHEAST - LANDSCAPE
The states in the Northeast region of the U.S. include Maine, New Hampshire,
Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, New York, Rhode Island,
and New Jersey. As you can see from watching the movie, the Northeast is a
beautiful region. Much of this beauty is due to the region's landforms and its
climate. Here the soil is rich in nutrients and precipitation is plentiful.
The natural landforms in the Northeast are the Atlantic Coastal Plain, the
Appalachian Highlands, and other lowlands. The mountains of the Appalachian
Highlands are not very high, but in many places they are very rugged.
List the nine states in the Northeast Region.
Why are the tops of mountains round and the soil often rough, rocky, and
thin in many places in the Northeast?
The early settlers abused and overused the land.
Glaciers scoured the landscape, grinding the high places and mixing the soil
with rocks.
The Indian population purposely destroyed the countryside when they
discovered the white settlers would not leave.
During the past three centuries, the urban dwellers in the area have
appropriated the fine soil for the cities.
THE NORTHEAST - NATURAL RESOURCES AND
CLIMATE
Natural Resources
The thin, rocky soil of the Northeast makes most of this region unsuitable for
farming. However, the region does provide a wealth of other natural resources.
 Large forests provide Christmas trees, lumber for building materials, and
wood pulp for paper and cardboard.
 Clay, sand, gravel, limestone, granite, marble, zinc, iron ore, and coal are
valuable products that are extracted from mines in the Northeast.
 The area's waterways are very important to the fishing industry. The
coastal area provides an abundance of clams, lobsters, and oysters.
Further out on the fishing banks, fishermen catch whiting, ocean perch,
flounder, scallops, cod, haddock, and menhaden, which is a kind of
herring.
Climate
The climate in the Northeast varies. Just like any other place, the climate here is
affected primarily by three factors:
1. distance from the equator,
2. distance from a large body of water,
3. elevation
Through most of the Northeast, the weather is cool in the fall. This triggers a
reaction in the trees that makes the leaves of deciduous trees turn bright colors
before they fall to the ground. In the winter, heavy snow falls in the highlands
and on the interior plain. The weather can be very cold, and the snow may stay
on the ground all winter. People come to the mountains to ski and snowmobile.
In other parts of the Northeast, the winters are not so severe. On the coastal
plain, the weather is milder because large bodies of water do not lose heat as
rapidly as the land. In the winter, the temperature of the Atlantic Ocean is
warmer than the temperature of the land. The coastland is also warmed by the
wind that blows across the Atlantic.
Choose the factors that influence the climate of the U.S. Northeast.
distance from the equator
proximity to large urban areas
secluded area
elevation
distance from a large body of water
THE SOUTH - LANDSCAPE
The states that are included in the
political region of the Southern U.S. are
Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida,
Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland,
Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma,
South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia.
Landscape
The Southern region covers a large area. Its landscape and climate is varied.
Natural landforms include the Atlantic and Gulf coastal plains, the Appalachian
Highlands, the Ozark Highlands, and the Interior plains and lowlands.
More than half of the land area of the South lies in the Atlantic and Gulf coastal
plains. These plains are close to sea level. Here the soil is light and sandy,
making it easy to cultivate. Unlike the soil of the Northeast, it's good for farming.
The coastal plains are nearly flat, and in some places are so low that they're
covered with swamps and marshes. Rivers that flow across them deposit clay,
sand, gravel, and silt eroded from the highlands. A large deposit of these
materials at the mouth of a river is called a river delta. The Mississippi has a
large delta region, reaching out into the Gulf of Mexico.
The Appalachian Highlands in this region can be divided into four parts:
1. The Piedmont Plateau
2. The Blue Ridge
3. The Appalachian Ridges and Valleys
4. The Appalachian Plateau
An important feature of the South is its network of broad rivers that stretch
throughout the region. Settlers used these waterways for travel and for the
transportation of goods throughout the South. The Ohio (at the northern edge of
the region), the Mississippi, the Alabama, the Tennessee, the Savannah, and
the Shenandoah rivers are important to the region. The South also has several
large bays; two of the largest of these are the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland and
the Delaware Bay.
THE SOUTH - NATURAL RESOURCES AND CLIMATE
Natural Resources
The Southern region of the U.S. also has many valuable natural resources.
 Like the Northeast, the South is forested. These forests provide timber,
turpentine, rosin, and lumber.
 The hills of West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, the Carolinas, and
Arkansas have been mined for coal, iron ore, sulfur, salt, clay, granite,
and marble.
 The light and sandy soil present in many areas is good for agriculture.
Petroleum and natural gas are also found in the South.
 The fishing industry reels in bass, shrimp, oysters, sea trout, red
snapper, and crabs from Southern waters.
Climate
The climate of the South is very different from that of the Northeastern states.
Here the winters are mild, and the summers are warm. The only places that
receive much snow are the highest mountains.
The South receives more rain than any other region in the United States. Many
parts of the South get more than forty inches of rainfall during the year.
This moisture contributes to the high humidity of the region and plays a part in
the thunderstorms and hurricanes that are characteristic of summer weather in
the South. Citizens of this southern region of the United States get to enjoy
many different sceneries that remind them of His love.
Farming is more profitable in the _____.
Northeast
South
Which natural resources are found in the Southern region?
zinc
forests
petroleum
diamonds
natural gas
shrimp
Because of its high humidity, the South often experiences severe storms
with heavy rains called _____.
cyclones
monsoons
tornadoes
hurricanes
THE UNITED STATES: THE MIDWEST AND THE
WEST
THE MIDWEST - NATURAL FEATURES
The states that are included in the political region of the U.S. Midwest are North
Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan,
Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, and Wisconsin.
Notice that Michigan is unique. It is one state made up of two parts, which are
separated by Lake Michigan.. They refer to the section bordered by Wisconsin
as the Upper Peninsula or the "U.P."
Landscape
Natural Resources
Like the other U.S. regions, the Midwest has a number of natural resources:
 Its forests yield timber and provide a habitat for fur-bearing wildlife.
 Minerals, sand, gravel, and stone are mined in this region.
 Lakes provide a supply of herring, pike, perch, and whitefish.
 Oil fields and natural gas are abundant in some areas of the Midwest.
 The fertile soil of the Midwest makes agriculture a profitable enterprise here.
Climate
Part of the Midwest region has a humid climate that supports many trees. This
section is called the Central or Interior Lowland. The other section, the Great
Plains, is drier grassland that rises toward the west to a higher elevation than
the lowlands. Sometimes, the Great Plains area receives less than twenty
inches of rainfall in a year.
THE WEST - LANDSCAPE
The states that are included in the political region of the U.S. West are Alaska,
Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico,
Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.
Landscape
The landforms found in the West are the Great Plains, the Rocky Mountains,
the Intermountain region, the Pacific Coast Mountain and Valley region, the
Volcanic Rock region of the Hawaiian Islands, and the mountains, valleys, and
plains of the Alaskan Peninsula and islands.
THE WESTERN MOUNTAINS
The Cascade mountain range in the north reaches across northern California,
Oregon, and Washington.
The Sierra Nevada range to the south of the Cascade Range forms a natural
barrier for eastern California.
To the west of the Sierra Nevadas lies the Coast Range. These mountains
extend through the states of California, Oregon, and Washington through
Canada and into the Alaskan panhandle.
The Western region has the highest and lowest points in North America. Mount
McKinley in Alaska is the highest point on the North American continent at
Death Valley in California is the lowest point on the North American continent
The important rivers in this region are the Columbia in Washington, the Snake
in Idaho and Washington, the Willamette in Oregon, the Sacramento in
California, the Yukon in Alaska, and the Colorado in Utah and Arizona.
THE PACIFIC STATES
The Pacific States are places where the earth is not predictable. Alaska,
Washington, Oregon, and California are all located on faults in the earth where
earthquakes often occur.
THE WEST - NATURAL RESOURCES AND CLIMATE
Natural Resources
Like the other regions of the country, the West also has a wealth of natural
resources.
 wood pulp and lumber. among the world's tallest trees.
 Beneath the fertile soil lie deposits of soda ash, iron ore, petroleum,
natural gas, gold, copper, zinc, silver, lead, tungsten, and uranium.
 The fishing industry nets catches of salmon, halibut, cod, mackerel, trout, shad,
and bass from western waters. The Pacific fleets haul albacore, bonita tuna,
and swordfish into the Western ports.
Climate
The climate in the Western region is varied. In the northern part of the West, the
winters are cold and snowy. In Alaska,COLD. In the southern part of the West
and along the coast, the winters are mild. In the summer, the southern part of
the region is very hot and the northern part is mild. However, one area in the
West is different. The area east of the Rocky Mountains is in the rain
shadow of the Rockies. Rainfall in this area is reduced because of the
presence of the mountains. Here, the summers are hot and the winters are
severely cold.
CANADA AND GREENLAND
CANADA - LANDSCAPE
Borders: ARTIC,PACIFIC,ATLANTIC OCEANS,USA, ALASKA
Four of the five Great Lakes—Superior, Huron, Erie, and Ontario—lie both in
the U.S. and Canada. Canada's largest lake is Great Bear Lake in the
Northwest Territories. Its deepest lake is Great Slave Lake.
Atlantic Provinces. The southeastern provinces of Newfoundland and
Labrador, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick are known
as the Atlantic Provinces. These provinces are often referred to as
the Maritime Provinces because all have an eastern border along the Atlantic
Ocean.
The Grand Banks extend about four hundred kilometers off the east coast of
Nova Scotia and Newfoundland.
The Canadian Shield .
The Ontario Province is home to the Great Lakes–St. Lawrence Seaway
System. .
The Appalachian Mountains extend along the southeastern border of the
province of Quebec.
Prairie Provinces. The Prairie Provinces in southwestern Canada include
Alberta, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan.
The interior continental plain, covering southern Manitoba and Saskatchewan
and most of Alberta, is home to the main farming areas in Canada. These plains
are separated by a forested plateau bordering the Great Lakes Superior and
Huron.
British Columbia. British Columbia is Canada's most western province.
Northern Territories.
CANADA - NATURAL RESOURCES AND CLIMATE
Natural Resources
Canada benefits from plentiful natural resources. Nine percent of the world's
freshwater supply lies within its borders. Canada's other natural resources
include minerals, fish, timber, wildlife, coal, petroleum, and natural gas.
Climate
. In fact, the southwestern area along the coast has a temperate climate, and
weather conditions are relatively mild. Coastal areas in the east are colder as a
result of the Labrador Current that flows along the shores.
GREENLAND - LANDSCAPE
, Greenland is mostly ice.
What are the borders of Greenland?
Pacific Ocean
Canada
Atlantic Ocean
Arctic Ocean
U.S.
GREENLAND - NATURAL RESOURCES AND
CLIMATE
Natural Resources
Although the soil of Greenland is fertile, it does not support the growth of crops.
The waters that surround the country provide valuable catches of fish, seals,
and whales. Other resources include minerals, oil, and natural gas.
Climate
This means that the poles are much colder than the equator.
Because of its location near the North Pole, Greenland's climate is cold and dry.
MEXICO
MEXICO - LOCATION AND POLITICAL DIVISIONS
Mexico lies south of the United States.
Here you will find tropical rain forests, snow-covered mountains, deserts,
volcanoes, and beautiful beaches.
Natural Resources
As a whole, the soil quality in Mexico is poor. Only 13 percent of the land can be
farmed. Although crops can be grown on the Altiplano Central, they often need
irrigation. The plains along the coast are narrow and do not provide much
farmland either. Similarly, the Yucatán Peninsula is flat, but the soil is very poor.
Natural gas and petroleum are the nation's most valuable resources. These can
be found along the plains of the Gulf Coast and in its waters. Other important
resources include minerals and timber.
Climate
You may recall that places get cooler the farther they are from the equator. .
Areas south of this latitude are primarily tropical, meaning the climate is hot and
humid.