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The Western USA

The Western USA. Main Idea: The availability and distribution of natural resources affect where people live and work in the West. Breathtaking Landscape. Rocky mountains & their towering snow-capped peaks Rivers have carved spectacular canyons Broad plains

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The Western USA

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  1. The Western USA Main Idea: The availability and distribution of natural resources affect where people live and work in the West.

  2. Breathtaking Landscape • Rocky mountains & their towering snow-capped peaks • Rivers have carved spectacular canyons • Broad plains • Massive glaciers in the Alaskan waters • Smoking volcanoes in the Hawaiian land

  3. Available Water • Physical characteristic that most affects the West is water • There is either an abundance or scarcity of water • Major factor in shaping the West’s natural vegetation, economic activity, and population density • Most of West has arid or semiarid climate

  4. Vegetation • In dry areas, the natural vegetation consists of short grasses, hardy shrubs, sagebush, and cactus. • Ex. San Diego, CA (9 inches of rain per yr) • In areas that receive more rainfall, deciduous and coniferous forests can be found. • Ex. Seattle, WA (39 inches of rain per yr)

  5. Hawaii and Alaska: A World Apart • Hawaii = wet tropical climate and dense tropical rainforest vegetation • Alaska = the tundra in its Northern region is a dry, treeless plain that sprouts grasses and moss only in summer

  6. Natural Resources • Minerals are found in the Rocky Mountains and the Sierra Nevada • Gold, silver, uranium • Rumors of finding gold drew people to the region • Most was too deep undergound so mining companies were more successful • Natural gas and oil can also be found • Major oil field in Prudhoe Bay, Alaska • Forestry and commercial fishing • Half of the nation’s construction lumber

  7. Western Cities • 1869: Transcontinental railroad spurred the growth of towns and cities along the tracks • A higher percentage of people prefer to live in cities because of the harsh landscape and climate • Los Angeles, CA is the nation’s second largest city • Began as a cattle town, providing beef for people during the Gold Rush. • Has to obtain water via aqueducts (large pipes that carry water over long distances)

  8. Conquering Western Distances • Alaska • Largest state, but least populated • Very few roads • Juneau, the state’s capital, can only be reached by boat or airplane • Anchorage, a city of more than 250,000, has only two roads leading out of town.

  9. Hawaii • 8 main islands and more than 100 smaller islands • More than 2,000 miles from the US mainland • Hawaii’s distant location drew the attention of the US government in the late 1800s • US wanted to control islands it could use as refueling stations for its ships when trading with China and Japan • 1959: Hawaii became the 50th state • Jet travel has made Hawaii popular with tourists from North America and Asia

  10. Review • How does the abundance or scarcity of water resources affect the natural vegetation in the West? • What major natural resources have influenced economic activity in the western United States? • How have geography and distance affected where people live and work in the region? • What might be the consequences of continued population growth in the West?

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