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The Culture of the United States. Ms. Tims’ Super amazing 6 th grade World Cultures class. Physical Geography . Physical Geography. The United States stretches 2,807 miles across the middle part of North America. 48 States are contiguous, or joint together with a common boundary.
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The Culture of the United States Ms. Tims’ Super amazing 6th grade World Cultures class
Physical Geography • The United States stretches 2,807 miles across the middle part of North America. • 48 States are contiguous, or joint together with a common boundary. • Alaska (the largest state) lies in the Northwestern part of North America • Hawaii in the Pacific Ocean about 2, 400 miles south west of California • The US is the 4th largest country in the world behind Russia, Canada, & China
5 Main Physical Regions • The Coastal Plains • The Appalachian Mountains • The Interior Plains • The Mountains and Basins • The Pacific *Alaska and Hawaii each has their own set of Physical Landform
The Coastal Plains • Lowlands in the Southeast boarder the Gulf of Mexico are called the Gulf Coastal Plains • Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, & Washington, D.C line in the Atlantic Coastal Plains • These cities and their suburbs link together in a continuous line called Megalopolis.
The Appalachian Mountains • The Oldest Mountains on the Continent • The Highest peak is Mount Mitchell in North Carolina at 6,684 feet
The Interior Plains • The Regions are broken into two Parts • Central Lowlands • The Great Plains Central Lowlands • Are east of the Mississippi River • You will find grassy hills, rolling flat lands, & thick forest • Lands are fertile • Major waterways included Great Lakes The Great Plains • Boarders are the Rocky Mountains, North into Canada, & South to the Mexican Boarder • A lot of Farms and Ranches
Mountains and Plateaus • Rocky Mountains which lies on the Continental Divided • All Rivers east flows towards the Mississippi River, all rivers west flows towards the Pacific Coast. • Home of the Grand Canyon • Canyon is a deep valley with steep sides
The Pacific Coast • Two Main Mountain Ranges • Cascade Range & Sierra Nevada • Fertile Valleys • Willamette Valley in Oregon • Central Valley in California • Both Valleys are fertile and produce abundant crops
Alaska • Mount McKinley • Tallest Mountain in North America standing at 20,320 feet tall. • Most people live along the Southern Coastal Plains
Hawaii • Eight Large islands and more than 120 smaller islands make up Hawaii. • Volcanoes that erupted and formed islands • Some of the islands have coral reefs, formed by the skeletons of small sea animals
America has a free trade enterprise system which is build on the idea that individual people have the right to run a businesses to make a profit with limited government interference. • In other words, free to start their own business and keep the money they make.
World Leader • World’s largest economy in terms of how much money is made from the sales of its goods and services. • Largest economic system next to China and Japan's.
Agriculture • 2% of America’s economy comes from Agriculture • ½ of the world’s corn comes from American and 1/10 of its wheat • 20% of the world’s beef, pork, and lamb comes form American ranchers
Mineral Resources • 1% of the Countries economy is made up of the mining industry • 1/5 of the world’s coal and copper comes from America • 1/10 of the world’s petroleum comes from America • The country also has large amounts of iron, zinc, lead, sliver, and gold.
Manufacturing • 1/5 of the country’s economy • Leading in building cars and airplanes • ex. Ford • Major computers and appliances manufacturing • Ex. GE, Dell
Services and Information Industry • Largest part of the U.S. economy and makes up ¾ • Provides services to people instead of producing goods • Examples include: banks and finances as well as entertainment, tourism, and computer based, online services
America in the Twenty-First Century • Pollution • America burns fossil fuels (coal, oil, & natural gas) to power their factors and run their cars • The burning from the power plants and nitrogen oxides from cars mixed with moisture in the air creates acid rain with harms trees, rivers, and lakes • Trash • People generate huge amount of trash causing landfills and lead the way for prompting recycling
America in the Twenty-First Century • World Trade • Promotion of free trade • Taking down trade barriers such as tariffs or quotas so goods can flow freely between countries • NAFTA: North American Free Trade Agreement with established between Canada, Mexico, and the US in 1994
Melting Pot • With America’s rich history of exploration and colonization led to migration of people from all over the world • French colonized around great lakes and interior rivers • Spanish in Texas, Florida, and California • British along the Atlantic coast from Georgia up to Massachusetts • With the mixture of all of the different cultures in American it has became the melting pot of the world
Government • Federal Republic • On July 4, 1776 United States won their independence from Britain and by 1788 they adopt a new constitution creating a federal republic • We vote for a president which is also known as a representative democracy • Our government is divided into three branches that provide a check and balance system • We have a constitution with amendments which create the laws of the land
World Leaders • In the early 1900s, US becoming the leading economy in the World with cars, electricity, and other technologies • WWII: • US leaders urged people to fight for their freedoms and provided countries • American Factories built tanks and airplanes, while American soldiers helped with the wars
Culture of the United States • 285 million people live in the United States • 3rd most populated country after China and India • Most people live along the east coast and the west coast of the country • America has a high standard of life with people living to the average of 76 years
Language • The main language of the US is English but it is not the official language of the country. • It has caused great debates on what should be spoken in schools. • Many believe they should stay true to their culture as others believe that bilingual education discourages that sense of being American.
Religion • One of the 1st law pass in American History stated that the government can not tell people what to believe or allow government money to support a specific religion • However, Religion is still popular in America with 80% of Americans consider themselves religions with 50% regulating attending services • Most Americans follow: Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism
Mobility of Americans • Americans have always been mobile, moving from place to place. • At one time, our nation was made up entirely of rural, or countryside, areas. • Now the majority of the nation live in urban (in the city) or in suburbs, smaller communities surrounding a larger city.
Security • After the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 many Americans did not feel safe in their own country. • President Bush resound by creating the Office of Homeland Security to fight terrorism and the Department of Homeland Security was open on Nov. 25, 2002
American Culture • Artists: • Native Americans craved wooden masks, pottery • Georgia O’Keeffe paint the colorful cliffs and deserts of the Southwest • Thomas Eakins painted scenes of city life • Two themes of American literature • Focus on the rich diversity of the people in the US • Focus on the landscape and history of particular regions • Ex. Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn
American Culture • Sports • Baseball • football • Stock-car acing • rodeos • Recreation • Watching TV • Playing video games • Using computers • Riding bikes and hiking