The United States
 3rd in population (behind China and India)
 3rd in size (behind Russia and Canada)
 Most stable government in existence
 Long history of freedom
 Varieties of natural resources
 Can’t produce everything, must trade with other
nations
 Landmass: stretches from
Atlantic to Pacific, large
peninsula of Alaska,
Hawaiian islands, several
territories in the Pacific and
Caribbean
 Boundaries– two main
borders: Canada, Mexico
 Immigration pg. 211
 Map on pg. 213
 Appalachian Mountains-from Canada to N. Alabama
 Smokies, Allegheny, Catskills, Blue Ridge
 Eastern Continental Divide
 Central Plains-fertile rolling hills, Great Lakes and
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Mississippi river supplies water for rich soil
Great Plains- from Central Plains to Rocky Mountains,
flat grasslands
Rocky Mountains
Western Continental Divide
Pacific Mountain Range-several mountain ranges make
up the system
 Sierra Nevada, Cascade (Mt. St. Helens), Coastal Ranges
Can you name the top 5 largest
states?
 Alaska- 594,004 sq. miles
 Texas- 266,807 sq. miles
 California-156,537 sq. miles
 Montana-145,603 sq. miles
 New Mexico-121,593 sq. miles
 Diverse is the best word to describe the American
people
 Most of us are descendants of immigrants who
brought their language, customs and culture to the US
 Core Values
 Freedom
 Equality
 Individualism
 Est. population of 296 million people
 79% live in urban areas
 Life expectancy- 77 years
 Minority groups are growing and tend to clump
together
 Estimates indicate that more than half of the nation’s
population could be minorities by 2050
 Federal Republic
 Power is shared between national government and the
government of the 50 states
 Free Enterprise Capitalism
 Private individuals own industries
 More government control since Great Depression and
WWII, still freest in the world
 New England
 Upper New England
 New Hampshire (Concord)-one of original 13 colonies,
northern part known for Christmas tree farms
 Vermont (Montpelier)- only landlocked NE state, lowest
population, famous for maple syrup
 Maine (Augusta)- largest NE state, famous for lobster,
trees in this region provide most of the nations’
toothpicks
 Lower New England
 Massachusetts (Boston)- first NE colony to be established by
Pilgrims in 1620 by the Mayflower Compact, major base for
American Revolution, home to leading political families
 Rhode Island (Providence)-founded by Roger Williams,
considered the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution in the
New World
 Connecticut (Hartford)- first colony to write a constitution to
describe its government, famous inventors (Colt and
Whitney)
 Middle Atlantic
 New York (Albany)-most populous Mid Atlantic state, NYC is
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the largest city in the nation
New Jersey (Trenton)- very fertile soil-Garden State
Pennsylvania (Harrisburg)-planned out by Quaker founder
William Penn, has landmarks like Independence Hall ,Liberty
Bell, and Gettysburg battlefield
Maryland (Annapolis)- shares the Delmarva peninsula with
Delaware and Virginia, capital is home to US Naval Academy
Delaware (Dover)- second smallest state
 Not part of any state
 District run by Congress
 Overlooks the Potomac river,
city built on Capitol Hill
 Current location: compromise
between NYC and
Philadelphia
•Symbol of freedom and opportunity in the
United States
•Gift from France to celebrate the United
States’ first 100 years of independence
•Tallest statue ever built, 111 feet tall, because
of oxidation the copper has turned green.
•Her nose alone is the size of a person
“Give me your tired, your poor, your
huddled masses yearning to breathe
free…”
 The Upper South
 Virginia (Richmond)- first settlement in Jamestown, still
producing many agricultural products
 West Virginia (Charleston)-split from rest of Va in 1861
during the Civil War, best known for production of
bituminous coal
 North Carolina (Raleigh)-nation’s leading turkey, sweet
potato and tobacco producer, Research Triangle in
Raleigh-Durham is leading center for biotechnology and
computers
 Kentucky (Frankfort)- mountains in the East, flat areas
in the Bluegrass region and low plains in the West, first
in livestock and horse exports
 Tennessee (Nashville)- diverse economy- agriculture and
commerce, Music City USA
 Arkansas (Little Rock)- smaller pop. than any other
southern state besides West Virginia, headquarters of
Walmart
 The Lower South
 South Carolina (Columbia)- produces more peaches than GA,
tourism is top money-maker
 Georgia (Atlanta) Atlanta lies in the Piedmont (foothills) and
has the South’s highest skyscraper, headquarters for Coca-Cola
 Florida (Tallahassee)- only state with coasts on both the
Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico, oldest city St. Augustine,
southernmost part of US = Key West
 Alabama (Montgomery)- more than half of the state is Gulf
Coastal Plain, northern part has tail end of Appalachian mts.
Cotton is still the chief crop
 Mississippi (Jackson)- Mississippi river dominates
the area, cotton is profitable due to rich soil,
historically the poorest state in the nation
 Louisiana (Baton Rouge)- located at the mouth of
the Mississippi river, swampy areas called bayous,
Hurricane Katrina in 2005 flooded 80% of New
Orleans
 Texas (Austin)- largest of Southern states, first in
nation in cattle and cotton production, 3 of 10
largest cities in the nation (Houston, Dallas, San
Antonio), shares characteristics and culture of
surrounding areas (Hispanic, Southwest, Midwest)
 Around the Great Lakes, transportation
hub, Breadbasket of the Nation
 Ohio (Columbus)- Lake Erie and Lake
Michigan border in the north, Akron is
famous for tires
 Indiana (Indianapolis) several industrial
areas: Fort Wayne, Evansville, Gary and
Elkhart (leads the nation in making brass
instruments), Indianapolis has the Indy
500
 Illinois (Springfield)- Chicago is on Lake
Michigan- largest city in the Midwest and
the transportation capital of the nation
 Michigan (Lansing)- only state with a
shoreline on 4 of the 5 Great Lakes, split in
two by Lake Michigan- lower part has the
greater population, Detroit= Motor City
because the 3 big auto makers
headquartered there (Ford, GMC, DaimlerChrysler)
 Wisconsin (Madison)- known as America’s Dairyland-
¼ of all cheese produced in USA, one dairy cow for
every two people
 Minnesota (St. Paul)- “Land of Ten Thousand Lakes”-,
half of the population lives in the twin cities of
Minneapolis and St. Paul- divided by the Mississippi
River, Minneapolis is home of the Mall of America
 Iowa (Des Moines)-the Drift Prairie
produces 7% of nation’s food supply,
has 4 hogs for every 1 person in the
state
 Missouri (Jefferson City)- “Gateway to
the West”, St. Louis developed at the
convergence of Mississippi River and
Missouri river, jumping off point for
travelers heading out west, the Gateway
Arch is the largest monument in the
nation, Pony Express and Oregon Trail
had their beginning post in Missouri
 North Dakota (Bismarck)- shares border with
Saskatchewan, Canada, agriculture is still the state’s
main industry and source of income, 3 Indian
reservations in the west, Badlands National Park
 South Dakota (Pierre)- 9 Indian Reservations, Mount
Rushmore, gold is the most important mineral
 Nebraska (Lincoln)- farms cover 95% of the land, only
state to have a unicameral legislature, Omaha and
Lincoln are major cities for insurance companies
 Kansas (Topeka)- leads the nation in sunflower seeds,
manufacturing and service industries are larger than
agriculture, Wichita has large aircraft industry
producing mainly private planes
 Oklahoma (Oklahoma City)- Means “red man,” gets
name from the 5 Civilized Tribes that were forced to
relocate to Oklahoma in the 1800s, most important
product: oil
 Continental West is a land of extremes- hottest,
coldest, highest and lowest, riches beyond the
early settlers wildest dreams
 Montana (Helena) “Big Sky Country”, leads the
nation in production of talc, platinum and gem
sapphires
 Wyoming (Cheyenne)- Yellowstone National Park
(Old Faithful)- first such park in the nation, largest
industry is mining
 Idaho (Boise)- Produces more potatoes than any
other state, first white people to live in Idahomissionaries to the Nez Perce Indians
 Colorado (Denver)- almost half of the state is flat plains,
largest cities are at the foot of the Rockies, very fertile
area, tourism is a major part of the economy
 Utah (Salt Lake City)- Great Basin, headquarters of
Mormonism, not great soil, main agricultural products
are cattle and poultry
 Mormons--
 New Mexico (Santa Fe)-very dry climate- not a
major agricultural center, very rich in mineral
resources, Carlsbad Caverns bring in money
from tourists
 Arizona (Phoenix)- southern part is the Sonoran
Desert- only place where saguaro cactus grows,
sights for tourists: Petrified Forest, Painted
Desert and the Grand Canyon, major retirement
destination
 California (Sacramento)-3rd in size and 1st in
population, Death Valley- lowest spot on the
continent (282 ft. below sea level), Sierra Nevada
mountain range includes Mt. Whitney the
highest mountain outside Alaska, home of
Silicon Valley- computer tech area, Hollywoodcenter of motion picture industry
 Nevada (Carson City)- driest of all states, Hoover
Dam built on the Colorado River to supply
drinking water and irrigation, many jobs in the
gambling industry
 Oregon (Salem)- fertile soil and mild weather all year—
this region was the lure for travelers on the Oregon Trail,
leading lumber producer
 Washington (Olympia)- Olympic peninsula gets more
rain than any other place in the US besides Hawaii,
Puget Sound is an arm of the Pacific Ocean – gives
Washington great harbors, Mount St. Helens in the
Cascade Mountains blew up in 1980, leading producer of
apples
 Outlying States
 Alaska (Juneau)- distance from E to W—greater than
between Maryland and California!, some national parks
are larger than other states, half of population lives in
Anchorage, Mt. McKinley is the highest mountain in the
US, first in commercial fishing, last in farming; most
valuable resource: oil
 Hawaii (Honolulu) – 2400 miles
from continent, 132 islands make up
state, top producer of coffee, orchids
and macadamia nuts
 Hawaii (the Big Island) makes up
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almost half of the landmass, Mauna
Loa and Kilauea volcanoes are still
active
Lanai- the Pineapple Island
Maui- great beaches, tourist
destination
Molokai- Forgotten Island, sparsely
populated
Oahu- capital of Honolulu is here,
Pearl Harbor
Kauai- Island of Discovery, very green
landscape