Transcript Exploring the Land - worldgeographycylakes

Exploring the Land
Physical Geography
of Anglo America
America the Beautiful
• O beautiful for spacious skies,
For amber waves of grain,
For purple mountain majesties
Above the fruited plain!
America! America!
God shed his grace on thee
And crown thy good with
brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!
• Atlantic Coastal Plains –
NE United States
• Gulf Coastal Plains –
Southern United States
• Piedmont- rolling hills
with fast streams and
rivers
Coastal Plains
Appalachian Highlands
• Appalachian Mountains: mountain chain that extends 1,600
miles from Canada to Alabama.
• The Appalachian Mountains are more than 400 million years
old and have been eroded down by the elements.
• Many of the peaks are only between 1,200 and 2,400 feet high.
The Great Plains
Plains of the United States
Great
Basin
The Great Plains = Midwest
• The Great Plains is known as
“America’s Breadbasket” due to
its fertile soil and vast
grasslands.
• The Canadian Shield lies farther
north of the Interior Lowlands.
It is mostly rocky flat land near
the Hudson Bay.
Mountains and Plateaus
^ Mt. Whitney
^ Pike’s Peak
Alaskan Range
^ Mt. McKinley
The West: The Rocky Mountains
• The Rocky Mountains extend 3,000
miles from Alaska to New Mexico.
• The Rocky Mountains are still a
young mountain change (80 million
years old), so the erosion process has
yet to start.
• The highest peak reaches 12,000 feet
high!
Continental Divide
The Continental Divide is the highest
points in the Rocky Mountains. It marks
the separation between rivers flowing
west and east.
Islands
• Canada has three islands near
the Artic circle: Ellesmere,
Victoria, and Baffin
• Greenland is the largest island
in North America
Ellesmere Is.
Greenland
Victoria Is.
Baffin Is.
Islands
• The Hawaiian islands lie in the
central Pacific Ocean.
• The Hawaiian islands are not
geographically part of North
America, but are politically part of
the United States
• The Hawaiian Islands are known for
its lush tropical vegetation, volcanic
activity, and pretty beaches….perfect
vacation hot spot!
Deserts
• Mohave Desert – 3,000
• Death Valley, CA - 3.3 million acres, 95%
wilderness.
Bodies of Water
Great
Salt Lake
Chesapeake
Bay
Lake
Okeechobee
The Great Lakes
Using the Great Lakes…
Niagara Falls
Canadian side
US side
Rivers
Columbia R.
Potomac R.
Ohio R.
The Mississippi: America’s
Great River Road
•The “Big Muddy”.
• 2,350 miles.
• Draining all or part of 31
states & 2 Canadian provinces.
• Covers 40% of the U. S.
The Great Salt Lake
•2000 square miles.
• 10’ – 28’ deep.
• 6 times saltier than the oceans.
National Forests
Glacier National Park, MT
Mt. Rushmore
National Park, SD
Grand Teton National Park, WY
Everglades National Park, FL
Yellowstone National Park, MT
Grand Canyon
National Park, AZ