United States and Canada

Physical Geography

Chapter 6, Section 2

Climate and Vegetation

Much of Canada is very cold.

Although mostly cold, Canada has climate zones

ranging from a mild climate to a frigid, polar

climate.

Climate in the United States can vary from tropical and desert to forest and tundra

regions.

The Tundra is a very cold, dry region, covered with snow for more than half the year.It is found in the far northern regions of the United States and Canada.

In the Tundra, when the soil above the permafrost thaws,mosses, grasses and bright wildflowers grow there.

The Grasslands are flat and often, they are rolling land covered with grasses found in the United States and Canada.

Prairies are grasslands of North America. These grasslands are the largest in the world, known as the

Central and Great Plains.

Desert Scrub is a hot region which gets very little rain.

The few people, if any, and wildlife in the area, have learned to adapt to drought conditions.

The Forest region covers

nearly one-third of the United

States andone-half of

Canada

The mild northern climates are suitable for forests of

conifers; fir, pine and spruce trees.

Forests also grow deciduous trees, which shed their leaves in the fall.

Key Term Review

tundrapermafrostprairiesprovinces

The Tundra is a cold, dry region, covered in snow for more than half the

year.

Permafrost is a permanently frozen layer of ground below a

top layer of soil

A region of flat or rolling land covered

with grasses is known as a prairie.

A political division of

land in Canada is known as

a province.