Ch. 1 Section 3 Lands of the United States Review.

Ch. 1 Section 3

Lands of the United States

Review

Name the five themes of geography

• movement• region• location• interaction• place

What city does the Prime Meridian run through?

• Greenwich, England

What are natural resources

• Materials that humans take from the natural environment to survive and satisfy their wants, such as coal, iron, or fish

Lines of latitude measure

• north and south from the equator.

Lesson

Objective: To examine the major forms of land masses and bodies of water.

What are cartographers?

• mapmakers

Island – land area that is surrounded by water

Long Island

Archipelago – chain of islands

Hawaiian Islands

Cape – Narrow point of land that extends into a body of water

Cape Cod, MA

Peninsula – piece of land that is surrounded by water on three sides

Florida

Hill – area of raised land that is lower and more rounded than a mountain

HillsAcadia National Park

Maine

Mountain – high, steep, rugged land that rises sharply above the surrounding land.

Mount McKinley, Alaska

Plain – broad area of fairly level land that is generally close to sea level

PlainsCheyenne River Sioux Reservation

Wyoming

Plateau – large area of high, flat, or gently rolling land

Bateke PlateauGabon, Africa

Desert – area that has little or no moisture or vegetation

Sahara Desert, Africa

Coast – land that borders the sea

Jones Beach

Continent – any of seven large land masses on the Earth’s surface

South AmericaAntarctica

Australia

Asia

EuropeNorth America Africa

Isthmus – narrow strip of land joining two large land areas or joining a peninsula to a mainland.

Isthmus of Panama

Strait – narrow channel that connects two larger bodies of water

Strait of Gibraltar

Tributary – stream or small river that flows into a larger stream or river

River – large stream of water that empties into an ocean, lake, or another river

Hudson and Mohawk Rivers

tributary map of Lake Erie

Bay – part of a body of water that is partly enclosed by land

Jamaica Bay

Gulf – arm of an ocean or sea that is partly enclosed by land, usually larger than a bay.

Gulf of Mexico

Lake – body of fresh water surrounded by land

Great Lakes

Sea – large body of salt water that is smaller than an ocean

Black Sea

Ocean – any of the large bodies of salt water on the Earth’s surface.

A

B

C

DPacific Ocean

Atlantic Ocean

Arctic Ocean

Indian Ocean

Southern Ocean

North America

• Third largest continent• Surrounded by three oceans: Pacific,

Atlantic, and Arctic• Connected to South America by an isthmus• Isthmus - narrow strip of land

How do geographers divided United States into different regions?

• Contrasting landforms• Physical features

Nine Regions• Pacific Coast• Intermountain• Rocky Mountains• Interior Plains

• Appalachian Mountains

• Coastal Plains• Ozark Highlands• Canadian Shield• Hawaii

Pacific Coast

• Westernmost region• Physical features - high mountain ranges

stretching from Alaska to Mexico• San Andreas Fault (600-mile fracture in

Earth’s crust) located there• Important cities include Los Angeles,

Portland, San Diego

Intermountain Region

• Located east of Pacific Coast mountain ranges• Physical features: mountain peaks, high plateaus,

deep canyons, deserts• Grand Canyon is located here• Great Salt Lake, nations largest saltwater lake

located here• Rugged terrain means few major cities• Two examples are Phoenix and Salt Lake City

Rocky Mountains

• Stretch from Alaska through Canada into western United States

• The Rockies have some of the highest peaks in North America with elevation more than 14,000 feet

• Elevation - height above sea level• Denver is a major city

Interior Plains

• Lowland located between Rockies and Appalachian Mountains

• Great Plains - in west, dry• Central Plains - eastern portion• Scientists believe was once an inland sea• Natural resources include coal, petroleum,

fertile land for farming, grasslands for cattle• Major cities include Chicago, Dallas,

Detroit

Ozark Highlands

• Extend across southern Missouri and northern Arkansas, into eastern Kansas

• Thick forests and mountains• Important industry includes forestry,

agriculture, and mining

Appalachian Mountains

• Located along eastern part of North America

• Different names: Green Mountains, Alleghenies, Great Smokey Mountains

• Lower, less rugged than Rockies

Canadian Shield

• Mostly in eastern Canada• Extends into Michigan, Wisconsin, and

Minnesota• Once an area of high mountains; erosion

reduced area to low hills, plains• Erosion - gradual wearing away• Natural resources - rich in minerals

Coastal Plains

• Easternmost region of North America• Flat, lowland area• First region settled by Europeans• Made up of two subregions: Atlantic Plain and

Gulf Plain• Gulf Plain has large deposits of petroleum• New York, Boston in Atlantic Plain• New Orleans, Huston in Gulf Plain

Hawaiian Islands

• 2,400 miles west of California• Wet tropical climate, dense rainforests• Islands are volcanoes