Physical Geography Physical Geography of the United of the United

States and CanadaStates and CanadaChapter 5Chapter 5

A Land of ContrastsA Land of Contrasts

Land AreaLand Area Together the U.S. and

Canada cover more than 7 million square miles.

In total area, Canada ranks 2nd and the U.S. 3rd (Russia is 1st)

Together they fill 1/8 of the land surface of the earth

An Inuit homeland, Nunavut, created in 1999 covers nearly ¼ of Canada’s land area.

Landform PatternLandform Pattern High Western

Mountains: Pacific Ranges (Alaska

Range, Coast Range, Cascade Range, Sierra Nevada)

Rocky Mountains – continental divide

Highest point – Mt. McKinley (20,320 feet) in the Alaska Range

Continental DivideContinental Divide Highest ridge of the Rocky

Mountains is the continental divide in North America.

Separates the waters flowingwest to the Pacific and to theeast toward the MississippiRiver and Atlantic Ocean.

Landform Pattern Central Plains – broad, flat upland

extending for about 400 miles from the Rockies through the central U.S. and Canada

Area is flat with no significant change in landforms

Great Plains Canadian Shield

Landform PatternLandform Pattern

Low Eastern Mountains Appalachian Mountains – 2nd longest

mountain range in North America 1,500 miles extending from Quebec to

Alabama North America’s oldest mountains –

worn down due to erosion

The IslandsThe Islands Canada – 3 huge islands in the

Arctic Ocean – Ellesmere, Victoria, and Baffin

United States – 2 island chains created by volcanic activity Aleutian Islands – off the

coast of Alaska Hawaiian Islands

(politically part of the U.S., but not geographically part of North America) – about 2,400 miles to the SW of the U.S.

Bodies of WaterBodies of Water Mississippi River –

largest river in N.A. in terms of volume and drainage area

Mackenzie River – Canada’s longest river

Many lakes were formed by glaciers during the Ice Age.

Great Lakes HOMES Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, Superior

Land & ForestsLand & Forests

One of the richest natural resources is the land itself.

Fertile soils make North America the world’s leading food exporter.

About 1/2 of Canada is covered by woodlands, 1/3 of the United States.

Both countries are major producers of lumber and forest products.

Mineral ResourcesMineral Resources

Gold Silver Nickel Iron Copper Uranium Zinc

GOLD SILVER

COPPER

ClimateClimate Canada - varies from

temperate in south to subarctic and arctic in north

United States - mostly temperate, but tropical in Hawaii and Florida, arctic in Alaska, semiarid in the great plains west of the Mississippi River, and arid in the Great Basin of the southwest

Waikiki Beach, Honolulu, Oahu

ClimateClimate Pacific Ranges create a rain

shadow and on the leeward side are the Great Salt Lake Desert, Blackrock Desert, Mojave Desert, Death Valley.

Great Plains experience extreme weather conditions due to their distance from large bodies of water.

Most of Canada’s forests are in the subarctic region.

We live in a humid subtropical climate.

Effects of Extreme Effects of Extreme WeatherWeather

Tornado Alley – Great Plains Hurricanes – Atlantic and Gulf Coast Winter snowstorms Flooding

Human/Environment Human/Environment InteractionInteraction

Settlement & agriculture alter the land

1st inhabitants – nomads who migrated from Asia over Beringia, a land bridge that once connected Siberia & Alaska (hunters & gatherers)

Early settlements became permanent after agriculture replaced hunting & gathering

When people began to cultivate crops, they changed the landscape to meet their needs

Building CitiesBuilding Cities

Where do cities develop? Depends a great deal on

the physical setting Water Landscape Climate Weather Availability of natural

resources

Montreal – Adapting to the Montreal – Adapting to the WeatherWeather

Canada’s 2nd largest city & major port

Temperature is below freezing more than 100 days a year

Located on a large island where the St. Lawrence & Ottawa rivers meet

French built a permanent settlement there in 1642

Community was founded at the base of Mount Royal

Large areas of Montreal have been developed underground, including a network of shops & restaurants

MontrealMontreal

Underground city shops

http://www.hoteldeglace-canada.com/360/index.html

Los Angeles – Creating Los Angeles – Creating Urban SprawlUrban Sprawl

Mild climate year-round Along the Pacific coast City expanded into nearby

valleys & desert-like foothills During the 1980’s, L.A.

became the 2nd largest city in the U.S.

Rapid expansion brought with it problems

Air pollution, inadequate water supplies, & construction on earthquake-threatened land

Los AngelesLos Angeles

TransportationTransportation

St. Lawrence Seaway – North America’s most important deepwater ship route

Completed in 1950s as a joint project of the U.S. & Canada

Connects the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean by way of the St. Lawrence River

St. Lawrence SeawaySt. Lawrence Seaway

TransportationTransportation

1st Transcontinental railroad was completed across the U.S. in 1869

A trans-Canada railroad, from Montreal to British Columbia, was completed in 1885

Today, the U.S. has the world’s largest railway system

Canada has the 3rd largest

National Highway SystemNational Highway System

Seattle, WASeattle, WA

Richmond, KYRichmond, KY

TransportationTransportation

U.S. has about 4 million miles of road; Canada has about 560,000 miles

National Highway System – network of more than 46,000 miles of highways that crisscross the U.S.

Started in the 1950s, it connects the U.S. with Canada on the north and Mexico on the south, & also runs east-west across the country.