Introduction
Section 1:
The Land
Section 2:
Climate and Vegetation
Summary
Geography and the
environment play an
important role in how a
society is shaped over
time. Stories in the news
talk about the importance of
the environment in the United
States and Canada. Studying
the physical geography will
explain the significance of
the region’s natural features
and how the environment
affects the region’s people.
Section 1:
The Land
How has physical
geography affected the
development of the United
States and Canada?
Section 2: Climate and
Vegetation
What factors cause
variations in climate and
vegetation in most of the
United States and Canada?
The Land
How has physical geography affected
the development of the United States
and Canada?
The Land
• divide
• fossil fuel
• headwaters
• fishery
• tributary
• aquaculture
• fall line
• accumulated
• enormous
• crucial
The Land
A. Mount McKinley
B. Rocky Mountains
C. Canadian Shield
D. Appalachian
Mountains
E. Mississippi River
F. Great Lakes
The Land
Mt. McKinley is located in
what Pacific Range?
A. Sierra Nevada
0%
C
A
C. Cascade range
B
A. A
B. B
C. C
0%
0%
B. Alaska Range
Landforms
Water, wind, and geologic forces shape the
landscapes of the United States and Canada.
• Mountains rise at the eastern and western edges of
the United States and Canada.
Landforms (cont.)
• The Pacific Ranges include the:
– Sierra Nevada
– Cascade Range
– Coast Range
– Alaska Range
• The Rocky Mountains link the United States and
Canada.
Landforms (cont.)
• The Appalachian Mountains lie in the east of the
United States and Canada.
• Plains, plateaus, and lowlands:
– The Columbia Plateau
– The Colorado Plateau
– The Great Plains
– The Atlantic Coastal Plain
– Gulf Coastal Plain
Columbia Plateau
Landforms (cont.)
• Islands:
– Hawaii
– Greenland
– Newfoundland
– Manhattan Island
Columbia Plateau
Which of the following is
North America’s oldest
mountains?
A. Alaska Range
B. Rocky Mountains
C. Appalachian Mountains
D. Coast Range
0%
A
A.
B.
C.
0%
D.
B
A
B
C0%
D
C
0%
D
Water Systems
Lakes and rivers in the United States and
Canada are important to economic
development in the region.
• Rivers:
– The Mississippi River
– The Mackenzie River
– St. Lawrence River
– The Colorado
– The Niagara River
– The Rio Grande
Water Systems (cont.)
• Lakes and other waterways:
– Great Lakes
– Great Bear Lake
– Great Slave Lake
– The Great Lakes–St. Lawrence Seaway
System
The Fall Line
One of the world’s busiest commercial
waterways is which river?
A. The Mississippi
B. The Colorado
C. The Niagara
D. The Rio Grande
0%
A
A.
B.
C.
0%
D.
B
A
B
C
0%
D
C
0%
D
Natural Resources
Abundant natural resources have made the
United States and Canada wealthy, but these
resources and the areas in which they are
found need protection.
• Leading natural resources in the United States and
Canada:
– Fossil fuels
– Timber
– Mineral resources
– Fishing
The Growth of Aquaculture
Most farmland is owned
for what purpose?
A. Part of residence
B. Land investment
C. Timber production
D. Part of a farm
0%
A
A.
B.
C.
0%
D.
B
A
B
C
0%
D
C
0%
D
Climate and Vegetation
What factors cause variations in climate
and vegetation in most of the United
States and Canada?
Climate and Vegetation
• hurricane
• timberline
• chaparral
• chinook
• prairie
• blizzard
• supercell
• distinct
• methods
• visibility
Climate and Vegetation
A. Everglades
B. Death Valley
C. Great Plains
D. Newfoundland
E. Yukon Territory
Climate and Vegetation
How many general climate
regions do you think exist in the
United States and Canada?
0%
D
D. 8
0%
C
C. 6
A
B
C
0%
D
B
B. 4
A.
B.
C.
0%
D.
A
A. 2
Southern Climates
Location near the coast, as well as
prevailing wind patterns, results in the warm
and wet climates and warm and dry climates
of the southern United States.
• Climates found primarily in the southern United
States:
– Warm and wet climates
• Subtropical
• Tropical
Southern Climates (cont.)
– Warm and dry climates
• Desert
• Mediterranean
Los Angeles experiences
which type of climate?
A. Subtropical
B. Tropical
C. Desert
D. Mediterranean
0%
A
A.
B.
C.
0%
D.
B
A
B
C
0%
D
C
0%
D
Northern Climates
Variations in climate and vegetation in most
of the United States and Canada are the
result of the combined effects of latitude,
elevation, ocean currents, and rainfall.
●
Interior climates
– Humid continental climate
– Steppe climate
– Highland climate
Northern Climates (cont.)
●
Costal climates
– Marine west coast climate
The United States and Canada: Climate Regions
The United States and Canada: Natural Vegetation
The Great Plains fall under which
type of climate?
A. Humid continental
B. Steppe
C. Marine west coast
D. Highland
0%
A
A.
B.
C.
0%
D.
B
A
B
C
0%
D
C
0%
D
High-Latitude Climates
Parts of the United States and Canada are
located in the high latitudes and experience
a harsh, subartic climate.
• High latitude climates
– Subarctic
– Tundra
– Ice cap
Just How Cold Is It?
The interior of Greenland falls
under which type of climate?
A. Subarctic
B. Tundra
0%
C
A
0%
A. A
B. B
C.0%C
B
C. Ice cap
A. Fossil Fuels
• Petroleum and
natural gas deposits
in Texas, Alaska,
and Alberta
• Coal mined in the
Appalachian
Mountains,
Wyoming, and
British Columbia for
more than 100 years
• Issues of using
fossil fuels while
protecting the
environment
B. Canadian Shield
• Located east of the
Canadian plains
• Rocky core centered
on the Hudson and
James Bays
• Subarctic climate
with coniferous
forests
C. Timber and Fishing
• Timber is important
for the region, but
lumber operations
face the challenge
of harvesting trees
responsibly.
• Coastal waters are
home to fisheries,
but some areas
have been overfished.
D. Great Lakes
• Five lakes created
by movement of
glaciers
• Deposits of coal and
iron fueled industrial
development
• Linked to the
Atlantic Ocean by
the St. Lawrence
Seaway
E. Appalachian
Mountains
• Extend from Quebec
to central Alabama
• North America’s
oldest mountains
shaped over time by
ice, wind, and
running water
• Midlatitude climates
with coniferous and
deciduous forests
F. Rocky Mountains
• Stretch from New
Mexico to Alaska,
linking the United
States and Canada
• Young mountains
created through
tectonic activity
• Highland climate
varies with elevation
G. Mississippi River
• Headwaters in
Minnesota and
mouth in Louisiana
• Drains all or part of
31 U.S. states and 2
Canadian provinces
• One of the world’s
busiest commercial
waterways
Latitude; the average temperatures decreases as
latitude increases.
divide
a high point or ridge that determines
the direction rivers flow
headwater
the source of a stream or river
tributary
a smaller river or stream that feeds
into a larger river
fall line
a boundary in the eastern United
States where the higher land of the
Piedmont drops to the lower Atlantic
coastal plain
fossil fuel
a resource formed in the earth by
plant and animal remains
fishery
areas (freshwater or saltwater) in
which fish or sea animals are caught
aquaculture
the cultivation of seafood
hurricane
a large, powerful windstorm that
forms over warm ocean waters
chaparral
type of vegetation made up of dense
forests of shrubs and short trees,
common in Mediterranean climates
prairie
an inland grassland area
supercell
violent thunderstorm that can spawn
tornadoes
timberline
elevation above which it is too cold for
trees to grow
chinook
seasonal warm wind that blows down
the Rockies in late winter and early
spring
blizzard
a snowstorm with winds of more than
35 miles per hour, temperatures
below freezing, and visibility of less
than 1,320 feet for 3 hours or more
To navigate within this Presentation Plus! product:
Click the Forward button to go to the next slide.
Click the Previous button to return to the previous slide.
Click the Return button to return to the main presentation.
Click the Home button to return to the Chapter Menu.
Click the Help button to access this screen.
Click the Exit button or press the Escape key [Esc] to end the
chapter slide show.
Links to Maps in Motion, static maps and charts, and transparencies
appear near the bottom of slides as they are relevant.
Links to the Reference Atlas and Geography Online are located on
the navigation bar of most screens.
This slide is intentionally blank.