UNIT 2
USA and CANADA
General Landforms
- The landforms in U.S. and Canada are generally the
same and share the same locations
- They have tall snow capped mountains in the west,
fertile plains in the center, and lower mountains and
rolling hills in the east
- Both countries are filled with many various
waterways such as rivers, lakes, bays, inlets, etc.
- The U.S. and Canada border the Great Lakes
Mountain Ranges
- A series of mountains ranges cover the western coast
of the U.S. and Canada caused by collisions of Earth's
tectonic plates
- these mountain systems are known as the Alaska
Range, the Coast Range, the Cascade range, and the
Sierra Nevada; together they are known as the Pacific
ranges.
- Just east of the Pacific Ranges is the Rocky Mountain
Range, and it stretches from northern Canada to
Mexico
Gen. Landform’s cont.
- The area between the Pacific Mt. Ranges and the Rockies is
known as the intermontane and plateaus.
- Columbia Plateau -- located in Northwestern U.S. and
Southwestern Canada, was created by lava from the Earth’s
surface
- Colorado Plateau -- located in the southwest U.S. within AR,
NM, CO, UT, is heavily eroded and contains the Grand Canyon
- Frasier Plateau -- northern most plateau on Canada's west
Coast
- Nechako Plateau -- southern most plateau on Canada's west
Coast
- The Great Basin -- located between the Columbia and
Colorado plateaus in the U.S., this is the hottest, driest area of
the U.S. It contains Death Valley.
WATER SYSTEMS
-
Continental Divide-- also known as the great divide is a line that runs
along a high ridge of the Rocky Mountains in the U.S. and Canada and
separates rivers that flow toward opposite ends of the continent.
-- All waterways to the west of the line flow to the Pacific Ocean
-- all waterways to the east of the line flow to into the Mississippi River,
which empties into the Gulf of Mexico, or directly out into the Gulf of
Mexico or Atlantic Ocean
- Height
of Land -- is another land divide located in Canada that joins the
Continental divide. This divide separates waterways flowing into the Arctic
Ocean to the north.
- Headwaters -- water
sources or the beginnings of rivers. Many of the
rivers in the Unites States headwaters are located in the Rocky Mountains or
the Appalachians.
- Mississippi
River -- largest river in North America. It runs 2,340 miles
from its source in Minnesota near the Canada U.S. border to its outlet in
Louisiana into the Gulf of Mexico.
- Great
Lakes: Lake Superior, Lake Huron, Lake Ontario Lake Erie, Lake
Michigan. Located in Central North America along the Canada/U.S. border
.
RESOURCES
- Mineral resources in U.S. and Canada include gold, silver,
nickel, iron, copper, uranium and zinc.
- The Rocky Mountains contain a wealth of gold, silver,
and copper
- The Appalachian Mountains in both the U.S. and Canada
contain huge deposits of coal
- Timber reserves are found in huge forests that cover 1/3
of each country. North America is one of the largest lumber
production areas in the world
- These forests contain over 1,000 different animal species
CLIMATE REGIONS
- most of earth's climates are represented in North America including tundra,
highland, subarctic, desert, Mediterranean, subtropical, marine coast, humid
continental, and even a tropical rainforest in Hawaii.
- Marine west coast -- winds, ocean currents, and protective mountains
along the Pacific coast create a marine west coast climate from northern
California through British Columbia in Canada all the way to southern
Alaska
-- As winds are forced over mountains the air cools and moisture falls as rain
in the western coast of the continent
- Desert -- the area around the south eastern portion of the Rocky Mountains
in the U.S.A is known for its hot, arid climate. The only deserts in North
America are the Great Salt Lake desert, the Blackrock desert, and Death
Valley; all are located in the southwestern region of the U.S.
- Subarctic -- large areas of Canada and Alaska are subarctic with
extremely cold winters
- Tundra -- even farther north across Arctic coast line of Canada is the
tundra. This area has bitterly cold winters, and extremely cools summers.
-- The vast majority of this tundra land is a wilderness that is inhabited by
very few if any people
-Humid Continental -- the Great plains are so far from Oceans or any
other large bodies of water
-- It still has normal rainfall due to from the Rockies the Gulf of Mexico
-- This area has hot, humid summers and very cold winters
- Humid Subtropical - most south eastern states are. This is similar to
humid continental, with hot, humid summers, but milder winters with
less snowfall.
Climate Regions
What type of climate dominates the far northern areas of Canada
and Alaska?
What type of climate is present in the south eastern United
States?
Which region has a humid continental hot summer climate?
How does location affect the climate of western coast of Canada
and the United States?
Vegetation Regions
What type of Vegetation dominates the Great Plains?
What areas of North America are classified as tundra?
What areas of North America are classified as a desert?
WEATHER CONDITIONS
- Blizzards -- snowstorms with winds in excess of 35 miles
per hour, temperatures below freezing, and visibility of less
than 500 ft for 3 hours or more
- Tornadoes -- swilling columns of air whose winds can
reach 300 mph.
-- Most prevalent in the Great Plains and south eastern
United States
-- Late summer and early fall is the main season for
tornadoes
- Hurricanes -- ocean storms hundreds of miles wide with
winds of at least 74 mph, with large amounts of rain
-- occur in on the Atlantic and gulf coasts in southeastern
U.S.
- Typhoons -- hurricane type storms that occur around the
Pacific Islands including Hawaii
- Chinook -- winds that blow down the Rocky Mts. in the
winter and early spring, melting the snow at the base of the
mountains revealing grass for cattle and other wildlife to
graze one
VEGITATION
- Before settlers from Europe arrived in N. America,
over half of the continent was covered in forests; over
3 million square miles
- Over the past 2 centuries, humans have permanently
cleared over a half a million miles of that original
forest land
- Today, there is still a huge forest area that expands
over northern Canada that is virtually untouched
- Timberline -- elevation on mountains above which
trees cannot grow
- The plains of N. America are covered in different
native grasses
POPULATION CHARACTERISTICS OF NORTH
AMERICA
- Both the U.S. and Canada are home to many native
peoples
- Both also contain large numbers of immigrants
Immigrants -- people who have left their home countries
to settle in other countries
- Over 300 million people live in North America; this is
over 5 % of the entire world population
- Over 270 million live in the U.S.A = population density
of 76 people per square mile
- Only around 31 million people live in Canada =
population density of 9 people per square mile
- The north eastern part of United States and Southeastern
part of Canada are the most densely populated areas
- As time passed many people migrated west and south.
The south eastern part of the U.S. is known as the Sunbelt
due to its mild climate
- Most Canadians live along the St. Lawrence River around
the Great Lakes in Quebec and Ontario. The other 2/3's of
Canada is sparsely inhibited
Urbanization of North America
Suburbs -- small communities located just outside of a city
Metropolitan area -- a central city and its surrounding suburbs
Megalopolis -- cities that are so close to each other that there
outlying areas overlap
- There are over 70 urban areas in North America with
populations over 500,000 people
Canada's Government
British North America Act of 1867 - made Canada a free, selfgoverning nation with close ties to Great Britain, who controlled
most of the area prior to the Act
Constitution Act of 1982 - gave Canada the right to make
constitutional changes without the approval of Great Britain
- The British king or queen appoints the Governor General in
Canada, who performs only ceremonial duties and has little
power.
- The Prime Minister is elected, and is the actual working head
of state (head of the government)
Canada's Makeup
- Canada is made up of 10 provinces and 3 territories
- Provinces: Ontario, Quebec, New Foundland, British
Columbia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia,
Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Alberta
- Territories: Yukon Territory, Northwest Territory, Nunavut
Territory; these territories are mainly uninhibited
- Major Cities: Toronto, Ontario, Ottawa, Vancouver
U.S.A Makeup
- 50 states
- U.S. owned territories -- Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands,
Guam, and Pacific Islands