Geography of United States

Physical Features of the United States

• Traveling East to West the following Phyical Features will be seen

• Atlantic Coastal Plains: Located between the Atlantic Ocean and the Appalachian Mts. The plains run from Maine to Florida.

Gulf coastal Plains

• Gulf Coastal Plains: Located in the southeastern United States from South Carolina and Florida to Eastern Texas.

Appalachian Mountains

• A Series of Mountain ranges running from Maine to Alabama.

• Older mountains that over time have been worn and smoothed by erosion.

• Major part of the mountain chain is a series of parallel ridges and valleys

Interior Plains

• Interior Plains are found between the Appalachian Mts. And the Mississippi River.

• Region includes the Great Lakes and part of the Mississippi River System.

• Eastern half of the plains the interior Plains

Great Plains

• The Great Plains Stretch from Canada to Mexico.

• The Great Plains are found from about 100 degrees West Longitude to the Rocky Mts.

• The closer to the Rocky Mts. The higher the elevation of the flat rolling plains

Rocky Mountains

• Rocky Mountains run from Canada to Mexico going north to south

• From the Great Plains to the intermountain region going east to west

• A series of Mountain Ranges separated by high plains and valleys

Intermountain Region

• Located between the Rocky Mts. And the Cascade Mts. And Sierra Nevada Mts. To the west.

• The region includes the Great Basin.

• The intermountain region consists of high plateaus, deep canyons, isolated mountain ranges, and desert basins

Pacific Coastal Mountains

• Cascade Mts. Located in Pacific Northwest

• Mountains are formed from volcanoes. Mt. Hood and Mt. St. Helens

• Sierra Nevada Mts. Located in Eastern California. Run the length of California. These are faulted mts.

Pacific Coast

• Found along the Pacific coast is range of coastal mts.

• Between the coastal mts and Sierra Nevada Mts. And Cascade Mts. Is a region of valleys. Puget Sound lowland, Willamette Valley, and the Central Valley of Californial

Great Lakes System

• The Great Lakes are the largest fresh water system in the World.

• Contains one-fifth of all the world’s fresh water

• The five Great Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario

• The Great Lakes empty into the Atlantic Ocean by the way of the St. Lawrence River(Seaway)

Mississippi River System• the perspective of natural

geography and hydrology, the system consists of the From Mississippi River itself and its numerous natural tributaries and. The major tributaries are the Ohio, Illinois, Arkansas, Red and MissouriRivers and, indirectly, such major Ohio River tributaries as the Allegheny, Tennessee, and Wabash Rivers.

Colorado River• The Colorado River is a in the

Southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico, approximately 1,450 miles (2,330 km) long,[ draining a part of the arid regions on the western slope of the Rock Mountains. The watershed of the Colorado River covers 246,000 sq mi in parts of seven U.S. states and two Mexican states. The natural course of the river flows from the Continental Divide at La Poudre Pass in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado, into the Gulf of California between the Baja California peninsula and mainland Mexico.

Climate and Ecosystem

Climates of The United States

• There are two major climates found east of the Mississippi River Humid Continental found in the northern regions of U.S. as far south as Tennessee.

• Humid Subtropical climate is found in most of the Southeastern region of the U.S.

• Tropical Wet and Dry is found in the very southern tip of Florida and the Florida Keys

Climates of U.S.

• Humid Continental and Humid Subtropical continue west to about the Great Plains region then a Semi-Arid climate is found.

• A Highland climate is found in the region of the Rocky moutains.

• Southwestern region of the U.S. is found arid and semi-arid climates.

• The Pacific Northwest a Marine West Coast Climate is found as far south as Northern California

• Southern California is found a Mediterranean climate.

Vegetation of U.S.

Vegetation of U.S.

• Most of the Eastern region of the United States is forest.

• The northern region of U.S. is a mixed forest of Deciduous and conifers. The farther north conifer forests dominate.

• The southern region goes from deciduous forests in Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee area and conifer forest the in the more southern regions of Eastern U.S.

Vegetation in U.S.

• As one moves west the forest give way to tall grass Prairies.

• As one moves onto the Great Plains the prairie gives way to a short grass steppe vegetation.

• Most of the Rocky Mountain region is forests and short grass steppe vegetation

• The Pacific Northwest is a forest vegetation with large conifer forests

• The Southwest is mostly short grass and desert vegetation

Human Geography

• The population of the United States is over 300 million people the 3rd largest country in the world.

• The United States is an ethnically diverse country.

• The population in the United States continues to shift from the former industrial north to the south and southwest regions (sun belt)

Human Geography

• New York, Los Angles and Chicago are the 3 largest cities in the United States

• The East Coast and California is where the largest concentration of people are located.

• The United States is predominantly a Christian in religion.

Economic Geography

• The United States has an abundant amount of resources available to the country.

• It has energy resources that if used correctly can power the United States for a long time

• The Corn belt and Wheat belt are some of the most productive farm land in the World.

• Less than 2% of the U.S. population is involved in agriculture, but we are the largest producers of agricultural producers in the World

Economic Geography

• The U.S. is a leader in Industrial development• Over the past 50 years the United States has

changed from an industrial country to a service industry country.

• Many of the things once made in the United States are now being made outside the United States for American owned companies.

• The highway system, automobile, and cheap gas has mad Americans a very mobile society

Economic Geography

• The major issues facing the United States today is the widening gap between rich and poor.

• The budget deficit and along with the high rate of unemployment.

• The wars in the Middle East are draining resources needed to improve the conditions at home.

Questions on Geography of United States

1. What are the major physical regions of the United States?

2. What are the major climate and vegetation regions of the United States?

3. Why are the Mississippi River System and the Great lakes important resource for the United States?

4. How do the Rocky Mountains dominate the western region of the United States? How do the mountains affect the development of the region

Questions on Geography of United States

5. How do the resources of the United States help to define the country in the past, present and in the future?

6. How well the shifting of the United States population affect the country in the future?

7. What do you think are the 3 most important issues facing the United States tody.