The Geography of the American West By Yuan Lee

1. The Geography of the American West  By Yuan Lee

3. The Great Plains The Great Plains stretch from Mississippi river in the East to the rocky mountains in the West. The plains was windy all year round because of the lack of trees. Landscapes- In 1840 the Great Plains was a region of gently rolling grasslands and slow-flowing rivers. In the north were the Black Hills, wooded hills surrounded by the �Badlands�, where soft rock was eroded into fantastic shapes.

4. The Great Plains Vegetation- In the West, near the Rocky Mountains, the grass was short. Towards the east it grew taller; this was the prairie grass. In some of the river valleys, and in the area closest to the River Mississippi, there was woodlands . Berries, root plants and wild fruits grew in places Wildlife- Variety of wild animals and birds had been well adapted to live in this region. These included antelope, coyote, deer, gophers, rabbits and the great herds of buffalo, plus eagles, grouse and hawks. Climate- the climate of the region was, and still is, one of the extremes of temperature with strong winds all year round. In winter these winds brought blizzards and freezing cold weather. In the summer it was very hot, drying up the land and rivers.

5. The Plains Indians The Indians were well adapted to live in this region, to them it weren�t a desert. The Indians were hunters who follow the herds of buffalo as they move along the Great Plains to survive. In summer they moved northwards away from the scorching heat and in the winter they camped in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, sheltered from the wind-driven blizzards. To outsiders they were nomads, people who did not live settled in one place. But the Plains Indians would disagree. They did live in one place, the Great Plains. The Indians used the buffalo for many different thing from dung as fuel to tongue as hairbrush.

7. The Rocky Mountains The Rocky Mountains extend from Alaska in the North to New Mexico in the South. Mountains regions surround high Plateaux. The Highest mountain is mount Elbert 14,431 feet. In the South, the Rocky Mountains are characterised by thick wood and used to be inhabited by grizzly bears, mountain lions and beavers. The Grand Canyon can be found in the Rocky Mountains. The Plateaux tend to be areas of semi-desert. People moving to the West had to climbed upwards into the foothills of the Rockies. The next part of the journey was through Sioux territory but they were unlikely to meet any, except those who wanted to trade or be paid as guides. This was desolate country, where the water-holes were so tainted with salt that even the animals would not drink.