Lesson 1 - Land and Regions
I. LANDFORM REGIONS
A. Areas with the same or similar landforms ( Ex. - mountains, hills, valleys, plains)
1. landforms = physical features on the Earth’s surface
II. AMERICA'S LARGEST MOUNTAINS
A. Mountain range = a group of connected mountains
B. Appalachian Mountains
1. eastern U.S. – from Canada to Alabama
2. more than 250 million yrs. old - peaks worn down (rounded) over time by weather
3. highest peak < 7000 ft.
C. piedmont = area of land at the foot of a mtn. (French - pied = foot, mont = mountain)
D. Rocky Mts.
1. western U.S. – from Alaska to Mexico
2. more than 30 million yrs. old - peaks sharp, jagged (pointy)
3. highest peaks > 14,000 ft.
III. PLAINS REGIONS
A. Coastal Plain
1. eastern U.S. from Florida to Massachusetts – Atlantic COAST
2. south U.S. across Texas – Gulf of Mexico COAST
3. low, flat land
B. Sea level = level of the surface of the ocean – used to measure height & depth of landforms
C. Interior (Inside) Plains
1. center U.S. from Canada to Mexico
2. flat land, some small hills
3. East = Central Plains -- from Appalachian Mtns. To Miss. River
4. West = Great Plains -- from Miss. River to Rocky Mtns.
D. Canadian Shield – protects Eastern US from Arctic wind
E. plateau = wide area of high, mostly flat land (think hat – flat land, high sides, flat top)
IV. BASINS, RANGES, PLATEAUS
A. Intermountain Region = "between the mountains"
1. Great Basin = Nevada & 5 neighbor states
B. basin = low, bowl-shaped land with higher ground all around it. (kitchen sink & counter)
C. also small mountain ranges
D. large plateaus - Columbia Plateau & Colorado Plateau
E. Grand Canyon - carved by Colorado River over 1000's of years. (an example of a gorge)
V. More Mountains & Valleys
A. Pacific Mtns. & valleys – from Alaska to Mexico
1. Sierra Nevada Range - (Spanish = "Snowy Mtn. Range") --- north to south Calif.
2. Cascade Range - north Calif., Oregon, Washington
B. Volcano = an opening in the Earth from which hot lava, ash, gas & rocks may pour out
C. Alaska Range
--- Has Mt. McKinley - 20,320 ft. high – highest in US
--- Mt. McKinley called "Denali" by natives - means "High One" or "Great One"
D. Coast Ranges - along Pacific coast - low mtns. go right into ocean