GACE Study Guide
By: Laura Beth Cantrell
GPS Standard:
SS4G1 The student will be able to locate important physical and man-made features in the United
States.
A. Locate major physical features of the United States: include the Atlantic Coastal Plain, Great Plains,
Continental Divide, Great Basin, Death Valley, Gulf of Mexico, St. Lawrence River, and Great
Lakes.
B. Locate major man-made features: Include New York City, NY; Boston, MA; Philadelphia, PA; and
Erie Canal.
Physical Features in the United States:
1. Atlantic Coastal Plains: The Atlantic coastal plain is a relatively flat landform Georgia/Florida section of
the Eastern Continental Divide. The coastal plain is bordered on the west by the Piedmont plateau, to the
east by the Western Atlantic coastline, and to the south by the Floridian province.
2. Great Plains: The Great Plains is the broad expanse of prairie and grassland which lies east of the
Rocky Mountains in the United States and Canada.
3. Continental Divide: separates the watersheds of the Pacific Ocean from those of the Atlantic or Arctic
Oceans. It runs from the Seward Peninsula in Alaska, through western Canada along the crest of the
Rocky Mountains to New Mexico.
4. Great Basin: a large, arid region of the western United States that has an adjoining watershed, roughly
between the Rocky Mountains and the Sierra Nevada and has no natural outlet to the sea.
* Great Basin is in Orange
5. Death Valley: is a valley in the U.S. state of California, and is the location of the lowest elevation in
North America.
6. Gulf of Mexico: is the ninth-largest body of water in the world. It is a partially landlocked
ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba.
7. St. Lawrence River: is a large river flowing approximately from southwest to northeast in the
middle latitudes of North America, connecting the Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean.
8. The Great Lakes: are a collection of freshwater lakes located in northeastern North America,
on the Canada – United States border.
Man-Made Features in the United States:
1. New York City: is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New
York metropolitan area, which is one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world.
2. Boston, MA: is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the
United States. It is the largest city in New England and the unofficial capital.
3. Philadelphia, PA: is the largest city in Pennsylvania and the fifth-most-populous city in the
United States.
4. Erie Canal: is a waterway in New York that runs about 363 miles (584 km) from Albany, New
York, on the Hudson River to Buffalo, New York, at Lake Erie, completing a navigable water
route from the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes.
Works Cited
Geography of the United States. 2011.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geography_of_the_United_States>.
Physical Geography.2005. HighBearn Research.
<http://www.yourchildlearns.com/mappuzzle/us-features-puzzle.html>.
United States Features. 2010.
<http://www.yourchildlearns.com/mappuzzle/us-features-puzzle.html>.
Maps: Google maps.com