Landforms and Natural Resources. U.S. and Canada are bound together by both physical geography and cultural heritage as well as strong economic and political.
Post on 29-Dec-2015
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U.S. and Canada are bound together by both physical geography and cultural heritage as well as strong economic and political ties
Both rank among the largest in the worldBoth are rich in natural resources
Fertile soils, ample supplies of H20, vast forests and large deposits of a variety of minerals
Popular with immigrants from around the world
Landforms and Resources
Eastern Lowlands Flat, coastal plain along
the narrower Atlantic coast from the Northeast to Florida
Offers many excellent harbors
Gulf Coastal Plain is much broader from Florida to Texas
Low plateau – called the Piedmont (rolling hills) – connects the lowlands to the mountains
Runs north to south from Alabama into Canada
Contain several other mountain ranges w/in (Catskill, Blue Ridge, Great Smoky Mountains)
Varied LandformsAppalachian Highlands
Interior Lowlands Mainly level lands flattened
by huge glaciers 1000’s of years ago Includes lowland, rolling
hills, thousands of lakes and rivers + some of the most fertile soil
Divided into 3 sub-regions: Interior Plains –
Appalanchains to 300 miles west of Mississippi
Great Plains – largely treeless area up to 4,000 ft.
Canadian Shield – rocky, mainly flat area covering 2 million sq. mi.
Rocky Mtns – Massive & rugged Relatively young - 80 million
years old – not eroded like Apps
Continental Divide – highest point of the Rockies that splits rivers flowing east and west
Sierra Nevadas & the Cascade Range run parallel to Pacific coastline Highest peak is Mt. McKinley
20,320’ Steep cliffs, deep canyons and
lowland desert areas called basins
Varied LandformsMtn. Plateaus & Basins
The Islands Canada’s northernmost
lands are islands near the Arctic Circle 3 islands – Ellesmere,
Victoria & Baffin – are only smaller than Greenland
U.S. - Aleutian Islands - volcanic, rugged and treeless - off of Alaska and Hawaii – lush, tropical – both reside outside of continental U.S.
Oceans and Waterways Atlantic, Pacific, Artic and
Gulf of Mexico Great Lakes – Superior,
Michigan, Huron, Erie and Ontario
Lands and Forests Minerals and Fossil Fuels
Gives U.S. & Canada means to industrialize
U.S. = world’s biggest consumer of energy resources Canada’s exports to energy
to U.S.
Varied Landforms
Natural Resources
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