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Chapter 4. The United States & Canada. Section 1 From Sea to Shining Sea. The United States is located on the continent of _________________________. North America The United States stretches ____________ miles from coast to coast. 2,807
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Chapter 4 The United States & Canada
Section 1From Sea to Shining Sea • The United States is located on the continent of _________________________. • North America • The United States stretches ____________ miles from coast to coast. • 2,807 • There are 48 states in the ______________ United States • What two states are missing? • Alaska • Hawaii
The United States • The U.S. is the __________largest country in the world. • A: 4th • What countries are larger than the U.S. • Russia • Canada • China
The United States • 5 Physical Regions of the United States • Coastal Plains • Atlantic Coastal Plains • Gulf Coastal Plains • Appalachian Mountains • Peidmont Plateau • Interior Plains • Central Lowlands • Great Plains • Mountains and Plateaus • Rocky Mountains • Continental Divide • Pacific Coast • Willamette Valley (Oregon) • Central Valley (California) • Cascade Mountains • Sierra Nevada
Coastal Plains • Lowland that runs along the eastern and southeastern coasts of the United States. • Eastern Lowlands are called ATLANTIC COASTAL PLAINS • The southeastern lowlands are called the GULF COASTAL PLAINS because they run along the Gulf of Mexico. • The Gulf Coastal Plain is wider and has better soil than the Atlantic Coastal Plain.
Coastal Plains • When large cities are clustered into a region such as those in the Atlantic Coastal Plains geographers call this a _______________________________. • A: megalopolis
The Appalachian Mountains • West of the Atlantic Coastal Plains is a very hilly region known as the __________________. • A: Piedmont Plateau • These hills run into the APPALACHIAN MOUNTAINS. • The Appalachians rum from Alabama all the way into Canada in the East.
The Appalachian Mountains • Did you know that the Appalachians are the oldest mountains on the continent? The highest peak on the Appalachians is Mount Mitchell in North Carolina reaching a height of 6,684 feet. • How do you think scientist can tell this fact? _____________________________________________.
Interior Plains • When you have crossed the Appalachians moving westward, the next physical feature you will find is the INTERIOR PLAINS. • There are two parts to the INTERIOR PLAINS. • 1) East of the Mississippi River -__________________ • A: Central Lowlands • 2) West of the Mississippi River –________________ • A: Great Plains
Interior Plains • The CENTRAL LOWLANDS consists of grassy hills, rolling flatlands, and thick forests. This is a farming area because the land is extremely fertile. • In the central lowlands you can also find the largest group of freshwater lakes in the world the ___________________________. • A: Great Lakes • Name them: _______________________, ______________________, ________________, _______________________, ____________________ A: HOMES
Interior Plains • The GREAT PLAINSis a checkerboard pattern of grassy pastures and fields of grain. • The Great Plains are around 500 miles wide and stretch west to the Rocky Mountains, north into Canada, and south to the Mexican border. • What resources was the Great Plains a major source of in the 1800 hundreds? • A: Bread giving it the name the BREAD BASKET
Mountains and Plateaus • ROCKY MOUNTAINS – begin in Alaska and run south into Mexico. • CONTINENTAL DIVIDE - a ridge that lies on the top of the Rocky Mountains which separates the rivers that will flow west into the Pacific Ocean and eastward toward the Mississippi river. • Name some rivers that flow west from the Continental Divide? ______________________, _______________________. Some that runs east ________________________, ______________________.
The Pacific Coast • There are two other mountain ranges in the Pacific Coast region. The Cascade Rangeand the Sierra Nevada Ranges. • The Cascade Range reaches from Washington State south to California. The Sierra Nevada ranges along the California’s eastern side. • Does anyone know what Nevada means? _________________________________ • A: snow covered
The Pacific Coast • West of the Pacific Ranges are two fertile valleys. • Willamette Valley ( Oregon) • Central Valley (California) • These valleys are both very rich in nutrients and therefore are able to produce abundant crops.
Alaska • Alaska is the home to many mountain ranges. Part of one of these mountain ranges is the tallest mountain peak in North America ______________________________ which reaches 20,320 feet high. • A: Mt. McKinley • Most people in Alaska live in the southern coastal plain or in the Yukon River Valley.
Hawaii • Hawaii consists of eight large islands and more than 120 smaller ones. • Hawaii was formed by _________________________ • A: Volcanoes • Some of the islands have _______________________ which formed from the skeletons of small animals. • A: Coral Reefs