Compare the physical features and climates of the United ... - Chapter 4.pdf · industries in the economic region of the United States where you live ... called the Colorado Plateau.

Compare the physical features and climates of the United States

Describe the economy of the United States.

Discuss the challenges the United States faces in the twenty-first century.

Examine cultural influences on the people of the United States.

Contiguous

Fossil fuels

Executive branch

Coral reefs

Rocky mountains

Alaska

Nathaniel Hawthorne

Mark Twain

St. Louis

NAFTA

Economic regions of the United States.

Major bodies of water in the United States.

Ethnic groups in the United States.

Climate region of the U.S.

The type of business system the U.S. has.

Know what the electoral college is.

What is the main economic activity of Washington, D. C.? Why?

Name some of the business and industries in the economic region of the United States where you live. (Midwest)

The United States stretches 2,807 miles across the middle part of North America. The 48 states in this part of the country are contiguous, or joined together inside a common boundary.

These states are bound on the east by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by the Pacific Ocean, and on the south by the Gulf of Mexico.

Alaska lies in the northwestern portion of North America and Hawaii is in the Pacific Ocean about 2,400 miles southwest of California.

The United States has five main physical regions.

Coastal Plains

Appalachian Mountains

Interior Plains

Western Mountain and Plateaus

Pacific Coast

The broad lowland the runs along the eastern coast of the U.S. is called the Atlantic Coastal Plain.

The lowlands along the southeast border is called the Gulf Coastal Plain.

Both of these areas contain excellent coastal harbors. They also have excellent areas for the harvesting of seafood.

Along the northeast, the large cities of Boston, New York, Philadelphia, and Washington D.C. form an almost continuous urban area. This is called a megalopolis.

Large cities along the Gulf coast include New Orleans, Atlanta, and Miami.

As you move west from the Atlantic coast you run into the hilly but fertile Piedmont area.

These hills eventually turn into the Appalachian Mountains, which run from Canada to Alabama.

These are the oldest mountains on the North American continent.

Erosion has worn down their peaks to the rounded form that you see today.

After you cross the Appalachians heading west you enter the vast Interior Plains. This region has two parts. Central Lowlands – Located east of the Mississippi River, this is

an area of grassy hills, rolling flatlands, and thick forest.

Great Plains – Located west of the Mississippi River, this areas is blanketed with neat fields of grain and grassy pastures.

In this region you will also find the Great Lakes. This is the largest group of freshwater lakes in the world. Formed by glaciers these lakes are: Lake Superior

Lake Michigan

Lake Huron

Lake Erie

Lake Ontario

The Rocky Mountains begin in Alaska and run south to Mexico.

Along the tops of these mountains is a ridge called the Continental Divide. This ridge separates rivers that flow west toward the Pacific Ocean and those that flow east toward the Atlantic Ocean.

Many large rivers begin in the Rocky Mountains. These include the Missouri, Colorado, Snake and Columbia.

Between the Rockies and the Pacific Coast are plateaus, canyons and deserts. The largest of these plateaus is called the Colorado Plateau.

Near the Pacific Coast rise two other mountain ranges. The Cascade Range runs from Washington State south to California.

Along the eastern side of California are the Sierra Nevada mountain range.

To the west of these Pacific ranges lie fertile valleys. The Willamette valley is in Oregon and the Central Valley is in California.

Mountain ranges also dominate the terrain of Alaska. The tallest mountain in the North America, Mount McKinley, is in the Alaskan range.

Eight large islands and more than 120 smaller islands make up the state of Hawaii. Volcanoes on the ocean floor erupted to make these islands. Some of the islands have coral reefs, formed by the skeletons of small sea creatures.

Because the United States is such a large country, it has a variety of climates.

Look at the map on page 63.

The northeastern U.S. has a humid continental climate. Winters can be cold and snowy. The area around the Great Lakes get heavy snowfall each winter due to the moisture from the lakes.

The Pacific coast from northern California up to Washington has a marine west coast climate. Southern California has a Mediterranean climate.

Much of the Great Plains has a dry, steppe climate. Why is this?

On blank map show the following rivers: Ohio Mississippi Missouri Colorado Rio Grande

On political map label the states. Abbr. is ok.

On physical label mountain ranges and lakes.

On last map label capitals and major cities.

The economy of the United States is based upon the free enterprise system.

Under the free enterprise system individual people have the right to run businesses to make a profit.

Individuals are also free to work in whatever jobs they want.

The government only role is to make sure that the everyone has an equal opportunity to benefit in our system.

Freedom has helped create great economic success.

The United States has benefited from rich natural resources and hardworking, inventive people.

The U.S. Economy is larger than any other economy in the world.

Farms in the U.S. produce about ½ of the world’s corn and about 1/10th of its wheat.

American farmers raise about 20% of the world’s beef, pork, and lamb.

We export more food than any other nation.

Food makes up about 2% of the value of all goods produced in the country.

The United States is also rich in minerals. We have 1/5th of the world’s coal and copper and 1/10th of the petroleum.

We also have huge amounts of iron ore, zinc, lead, silver, gold, and many other minerals.

American factories build cars, farm machinery, airplanes, computers, and appliances. They also process foods and make medicines.

Manufacturing makes up 1/5th of the American economy.

The largest part of the U.S. economy is the service industry.

The service industry provides services to people instead of producing goods. Service industries include banking, finance, entertainment, tourism, computer-based services, and food service.

The United States is divided into 5 economic regions.

Northeast

South

Midwest

Interior West

Pacific

This area has plenty of deep water ports and rivers which make manufacturing, trade, and fishing major industries. The Northeast is also home to some of the first mills powered by coal or water.

Boston, New York City, Philadelphia, and Baltimore are major ports. The are also important centers for banking, insurance, and finance.

New York City is one of the financial centers of the world and home to the New York Stock Exchange. It is also a leader in the fashion, entertainment, and communications industries.

Further south, the nation’s capital – Washington, D. C. –employs hundreds of thousands in government and tourism services.

Agriculture flourishes in the rich soil of the South.

The region’s warm, wet climate helps farmers raise rice and sugarcane. Tobacco is grown in Virginia and the Carolinas. In Florida the citrus industry is a major economic engine. Georgia is home to peanuts and pecans. In several southern states you will find cotton, corn, soybeans, and wheat begin grown.

Texas is home to large livestock ranches. Major oil fields exist here as will as along the gulf coasts of many southern states.

New industries in the South include textiles, electrical, and airplane parts.

Tourism plays a major role in Florida and other areas of the Gulf Coast.

The Midwest of the United States has been called “America’s breadbasket”. It’s flat land and fertile soil allows farmers to grow thousands of acres of corn, soybeans, oats, and wheat.

The northern states in the Midwest are home to large dairy farms and cheese manufacturing.

Large navigable rivers enable major cities to become centers of trade.

Because of the abundance of coal and iron ore, there are several cities that are manufacturing centers.

Magnificent landscapes dominate the Interior West but a shortage of water in the region discourages farming.

Some large ranches do exist for the purpose of raising cattle and sheep.

The discovery of gold and silver in the mountains and riverbeds of the area drew settlers here more than 150 years ago. Mining still plays and important role here.

The cities of Denver, Salt Lake City, Albuquerque, and Phoenix are major tourist destinations.

Yellowstone National Park, Rocky Mountain National Park, and the Grand Canyon draw visitors from around the world.

The Pacific region includes west coast states plus Alaska and Hawaii.

The fertile valleys of California, Oregon, and Washington produced large amounts of food. With the Pacific Ocean nearby fishing is a major industry.

Hawaii is famous for its pineapples, sugarcane, and coffee.

California has large mineral resources in the form of gold, lead, and copper.

Airplane manufacturing is a major industry in California and Washington. The areas around San Francisco and Seattle are world-famous centers for computers and software development.

Los Angles is known as the world capital of the movie industry.

The states in the Pacific region also attract millions of tourist each year.

The American economy faces challenges in the 21st century.

One of these challenges is how to clean up pollution and trash.

Americans burn more fossil fuels than any other country in the world. The United States will be expect to take the lead in reductions in the use of fossil fuels and the development of alternative fuel.

One of America’s strengths has been the research and development of new technologies. Quality schools that produce educated and creative people will be essential.

The United States leads the world in the value of all the imports and exports. Millions of Americans depend on trade for their jobs. American leaders have promoted the idea of free trade and have entered into agreements with other countries to keeps goods flowing freely across country boundaries.

In 1993, the United States, Canada, and Mexico signed the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). This agreement promised to remove all barriers to trade among these countries.