Natural Vegetation & Wildlife1 Natural Vegetation & Wildlife Harshdeep Singh.
The West. Water - shapes natural vegetation, economic activity, and population density. Dry Areas...
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Transcript of The West. Water - shapes natural vegetation, economic activity, and population density. Dry Areas...
Available Water
Water- shapes natural vegetation, economic activity, and population density.
Dry Areas (little precipitation)- natural vegetation: short grasses, cactus- example: Reno, Nevada
Available Water Wet Areas
- receive enough rainfall to contain deciduous and coniferous forests- Example: Seattle, Washington
Tropical- Example: Hawaii
Tundra- a dry, treeless plain that sprouts grasses and mosses only in the summer, when the top layer of soil thaws- Example: Alaska
Natural Resources
Mining- Rocky Mountains, Sierra Nevada contain minerals of gold, silver, copper, tin, etc.- 1800’s people rushed to the West seeking fortune.- Businesses were set up to provide goods and services to miners- and population grew
Natural gas and oil- 1960’s- Trans-Alaska Pipeline carries oil across the tundra
Natural Resources
Forestry- half of nation’s construction lumber is from the forests of the Pacific Northwest
Commercial Fishing- fish caught in Alaska, Hawaii, and other Pacific Coast states bring in billions of dollars.
The Growth of Western Cities
Transcontinental Railroad- 1880’s
- railroad fare was lowered between the Midwest and Los Angeles
- people began to move West- most live in cities
The Growth of Western Cities
Los Angeles, California- second largest city-1920’s aircraft and motion picture industry- aqueducts – large pipes that carry water over long distances (to support growing population)