Transcript Physical Geography of the U.S. & Canada

Part III
Eastern Mountains
• Appalachians: formed 300 million yrs ago
– Oldest mts; eroded to 5,000-6,000 ft
– Eastern NA plate collided with African plate
– From Quebec to central Alabama
– Valleys great for agriculture
Piedmont & Lowlands
• Piedmont: E of Appalachians
– Plateau region that drops (Fall line) into
the coastal lowlands
– Many 1st cities originated here:
Philadelphia, Richmond, Baltimore,
D.C…. WHY?
• Rapids/waterfalls = hydroelectric power and
blocked from moving inland
Lowlands
• Atlantic PlainCarolinas,
narrower as move
North
• Gulf Coastal Plainwest toward TX
Water
• US/Canada wealthy b/c of abundant water- power,
transportation
Water
• Mississippi: 2,350
miles
– Starts as stream in
Minnesota
– Gets to width of 1
½ miles & empties
into Gulf of MX
– Affects all/part of
31 states and 2
provinces
– One of world’s
busiest waterways
Water
• St. Lawrence River:
one of Can. most
impt. Rivers
– From Great Lakes to
Atlantic, forms country
border
• Niagara Falls:
– Tourist attraction, and
major source of
hydroelectric power
– Form border of Ontario
and NY
Water
• Glacial Lakes
– Great Bear Lake & Great Slave Lake formed
by glacial dams
– Great Lakes (Huron, Ontario, Michigan,
Erie, Superior) formed by glacial gouges
• St. Lawrence Seaway- series of canals & rivers
• Helped build industry in NE
Islands
• NYC’s Manhattan Island: impt. economic
center
• Hawaii: volcanic island state, big tourism
• Newfoundland, P.E.I., Vancouver I.:
Canada’s most impt.
• Greenland: world’s largest island,
Denmark territory (Alaska + TX)
Resources
• Fuels
– petroleum & nat. gas: TX and Alaska, & Alberta
lead
– Coal: Appalachians, Wyoming, & British
Columbia
• Minerals
– Gold, silver, copper: Rockies
– Iron & nickel: Canadian Shield
Resources
• Timber
– Today cover <50% of Canada & 1/3 of US
– Conservation of forests and animals is high priority
• Fishing
– Grand Banks (Can.), Atlantic, Pacific, and Gulf of
MX
• Cod fishing banned in Grand Banks in ’92 due to
overfishing