Chapter 19 section 1A vast, scenic land

Pg. 502-506

Contiguous

• Joined together inside a common boundary

• 48 states in the contiguous United States• Alaska and Hawaii are not in the

contiguous states

U.S. is the 4th largest country in the world

• Russia, Canada, and China are larger

5 main physical regions

1. Coastal Plains2. Appalachian Mountains3. Interior Plains4. Mountains and Basins5. Pacific Coast

Coastal Plains• Includes the Atlantic coastal plain and Gulf

coastal plain

• Megalopolis- Cities and their suburbs form a huge settlement– Cities that form a megalopolis in the U.S.:

New York

Boston

Philadelphia

Baltimore

Washington D.C.

The biggest concentration of lights (from top to bottom) are the cities of Boston, New York, Philadelphia and Washington.

MiamiHouston

Dallas

Chicago

Still daylight in California.

Puerto Rico

Appalachian Mountains

• On western edge of Atlantic coastal plain• Oldest mountains in U.S.

– Rounded peaks show age

Interior Plains

• Includes:– Great lakes area– Mississippi river area– Great plains

Mountains and Plateaus

• Rocky mountains run from Alaska to Mexico

• Continental divide separates rivers that flow east and west

The Pacific Coast

• Includes the Cascade mountain range and Sierra Nevada mountain range and fertile valleys.

Alaska and Hawaii

• Borders the arctic circle• Made from ocean volcanoes• Has coral reefs

– Submerged structures made from skeletons of small sea animals