PHYSICAL REGION OF NORTH AMERICABy: Michael. Xiong Social Studies 9 Block D(It is recommended to play with sound on)

PHYSICAL REGIONS

The eight physical regions:

1. The Appalachian Region

2. The Coastal Plains

3. The Great Lakes and

Saint Lawrence Region

4. The Interior Plains

5. The Canadian shield

6. The Western Cordillera

7. The Intermountain Region

8. The Arctic Region

Topography:

• Gentle rolling hills from erosion

• Fertile plateaus and river valleys

• Extends for ~2400 km

• 160km ~ 480km in width

Climate:

• Icy water from Labrador current

• Warm water from Caribbean gulf

• Freezing winter in northern area

Vegetations:

• Mixed with coniferous and deciduous

• Able to survive poor mountain soil

•Vegetations in river valleys with rich soil

Economic Activity

• Large scale logging

• Coal mining and gas mining

• Farming crops (corn, squash, tobaccos… etc.)

Environmental concerns

• Mining clears forests areas

• Over logging

• Destructions of landscapes

THE APPALACHIAN REGION

Topography:

• Elevation: 200~30 meters above sea level

• Flat or gentle rolling

• Numerous swamps and marshes

• Sediments formed Mississippi Delta

Climate:

• North have humid summer & snowy winter

• South have relatively warm winter

• South have hurricane in summer & winter

Vegetations:

• Plants adapt to sandy soil

• Lush forest developed (Mexico)

• Originally pine forest

Economic Activity

• Tourism and sightseeing

• Fishing at coast

• Forestry (paper making, logging, lumbering… etc.)

Environmental concerns

• Expansion of cities

• Air pollution from urban sprawl

• Building of dams disrupting rivers

COASTAL PLAINS

Topography:

• Smallest region in Canada

• Rolling landscape from glaciations

• River valleys, flat plains, hills and escarpment

• Contains the three great lakes. (Ontario, Erie, Huron.)

Climate:

• Continental climate

• With little influence of sea & large temperature range

• Humid due to lakes

• Lakes cools down temp during summer

• Lakes warms up temp during winter

• Temp varies from stored energy in lake

Vegetations:

• Once filled with trees. (maple, oak, birch, ash … etc.)

• Fertile and moist soil provide resource for vegetations

• Once have large broad leaf forest

Economic Activity

• Lake provide transportation for trades

• Advance in automobile development

• Tourisms and sightseeing

• Steel /metal industries

Environmental concerns

• Invasive species

• Native species decreasing

• Industrial pollutions

• Water withdrawal

THE GREAT LAKES – ST. LAWRENCE LOWLAND

Topography:

• Runs between Rocky Mountains & Appalachian Mountains

• 600~1500 m from sea level

• three elevations separated by escarpments

• Northern part reaches Arctic ocean

Climate:

• Continental climate

• Little overall precipitation

• Hot summer and cold winters

• Some parts affected by tornadoes

Vegetations:

• Prairie area full of grass

• Trees around eastern Mississippi

• Trees also in river valleys

Economic Activity

• Agricultural activity. (cattle, pigs, poultry)

• Mining for gas and oil

• Farming. (wheat, barley, oats, starches… etc.)

Environmental concerns

• Over farming and grazing

• Pollutions from agricultural activity

• Disposing wastes & land fills

THE INTERIOR PLAINS

Topography:

• Mix of rocks, rivers, swamps and muskegs

• 100~500 m above sea level

• Cover more than half of Canada

• Volcanic mountains from erosion

Climate:

• Varies among areas

• North have long winter and short summer

• South have longer summer

Vegetations:

• Boreal forest

• Trees presented around south

• Northern area hard to support plants

Economic Activity

• Minerals mining (gold, lead, copper, zinc, nickel…)

• Logging boreal forest

• Tourism and sightseeing

• Hydro electricity generation

Environmental concerns

• Acidic/toxic rain

• Acidification of lakes

• Coal powered energy plant pollutions

THE CANADIAN SHIELD

Topography:

• Consists of mountains (higher than Appalachians,)

• West side rivers flow to Pacific

• East side rivers flow to Hudson Bay

Climate:

• Maritime climate affect by sea w/ high precipitation

• Wet and moist

• Mild winter w/ cooler summer

• Windward slopes more moisture

Vegetations:

• Windward parts have coniferous trees

• Leeward parts have grass & cactuses

• South have no evergreens

Economic Activity

• Forestry (large area of trees)

• Fishing (Salmon fish)

• Agriculture (course grains & oil seeds

Environmental concerns

• Oil pipe constructions

• Over harvesting timbers

• Over grazing

• Oil explorations & over mining

WESTERN CORDILLERA

Topography:

• Lies between Rocky & coastal mountains

• Rivers may flow to brackish lakes

• Contains deserts

• Contains Plateaus

Climate:

• Varies among locations

• South have dry, mild and short winter

• North have moist and long winter

Vegetations:

• Grassland areas

• Cactuses & plants adapted to deserts

• Higher areas have pine forests

Economic Activity

• Logging of pine trees

• Cattle ranching

• Mining in the mountains

Environmental concerns

• Destruction of ecosystem

• Birds endangered from human activity

• Dry air/ air pollutions

• Over logging

INTERMOUNTAIN REGION

Topography:

• Tundra area

• Mix of lowland islands & mountains

• Land near ocean is flat

• Parts covered by glaciers

Climate:

• Extreme climate due to distance from equator

• Winter lasts more than 10 months

• Little precipitation (making it a desert)

Vegetations:

• Few plants grow

• Trees can’t survive

• Shrubs and lichens manage to live

Economic Activity

• Oil/gas development

• Hidden minerals in the region

• Rich source of fishes

Environmental concerns

• Global warming and melting glaciers

• Toxic gases released from melted ice

• Changing of sea levels due to melted ice

• Destructions of ozone layer

THE ARCTIC REGION

Sources ( in MLA format):

. N.p.. Web. 17 Feb 2014.

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Appalachia>.

. N.p.. Web. 17 Feb 2014.

<http://www.umich.edu/~econdev/arc/>.

. N.p.. Web. 17 Feb 2014.

<http://www.slideshare.net/segrey/gepgraphic-regions>.

. N.p.. Web. 17 Feb 2014. < http://earthreform.org/where-

mountains-once-stood-coal-mining-in-the-appalachians/>.

. N.p.. Web. 17 Feb 2014.

<http://www.jstor.org/discover/10.2307/4353276?uid=37394

00&uid=2&uid=3737720&uid=4&sid=21103496583643>.

. N.p.. Web. 17 Feb 2014.

<http://www.ask.com/answers/43443121/what-is-an-

economic-activity-in-the-coastal-plains>.

. N.p.. Web. 17 Feb 2014.

<http://www.texaslegacy.org/bb/regions/coastalplain.html>.

. N.p.. Web. 17 Feb 2014. <

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Lakes_region>.

. N.p.. Web. 17 Feb 2014.

<http://www.environmentreport.org/topten.php>.

. N.p.. Web. 17 Feb 2014. <

http://interiorplains.weebly.com/economic-

activities.html>.

. N.p.. Web. 17 Feb 2014. <

http://ca.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=2010050

5173826AAUIqep >.

BIBLIOGRAPHY. N.p.. Web. 17 Feb 2014. <

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_The_Canadian_Shield_known_for_

the_major_economic_activity>.

. N.p.. Web. 17 Feb 2014. <

http://hrsbstaff.ednet.ns.ca/phillie/InternationalExchange/Canada/Ph

ysical Regions/Physical_Regions/shield.htm>.

. N.p.. Web. 17 Feb 2014. <http://partner.galileo.org/schools/gibson/4-

5_fp/geography/issue/canadianshield_i/canadianshieldi_2.htm>.

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<http://ca.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20100113063354AA1

BznJ>.

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cordillera-region-western-canada-7813884.html>.

. N.p.. Web. 17 Feb 2014.

<http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/506418/Rocky-

Mountains/39936/Environmental-concerns>.

. N.p.. Web. 17 Feb 2014. <

http://prezi.com/s6yz8ae9ud6f/intermountain-regions/>.

. N.p.. Web. 18 Feb 2014.

<http://ca.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20100126230337AA

QZFWr>.

. N.p.. Web. 18 Feb 2014. < http://quizlet.com/1005311/north-americas-

regional-geography-flash-cards/>.

. N.p.. Web. 18 Feb 2014. <

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_are_the_environmental_concerns_of_t

he_Intermountain_Region?

Sources ( in MLA format):

. N.p.. Web. 18 Feb 2014. < http://prezi.com/xdi0uvo7psek/the-intermountain-

region/>.

. N.p.. Web. 18 Feb 2014. <

http://www.grida.no/publications/vg/arctic/page/2670.asp&xgt;.

. N.p.. Web. 18 Feb 2014. <

http://www.freeusandworldmaps.com/images/World_Regions_Print/NAmericaP

rintNoText.jpg>.

. N.p.. Web. 18 Feb 2014. <

http://www.parl.gc.ca/content/lop/researchpublications/prb0804-e.htm >.

. N.p.. Web. 18 Feb 2014. < http://blog.otel.com/wp-

content/uploads/2012/03/Plains-of-Rohan.jpg>.

. N.p.. Web. 18 Feb 2014. <http://www.kidsgeo.com/images/swamp.jpg>.

. N.p.. Web. 18 Feb 2014. <

http://www.rei.com/graphics/adventures/trips/weekend/SMB_LRG.jpg>.

. N.p.. Web. 18 Feb 2014. <

http://270c81.medialib.glogster.com/media/a3/a38fd7dab5dbd608f2b1530ea37c

b24468ccf459e3022e017cddca876ceab152/st-lawrence- lowlands-great-lakes.jpg>.

. N.p.. Web. 18 Feb 2014.

<http://fc05.deviantart.net/fs71/i/2013/288/b/2/beside_the_shire_woods_by_joj

o22-d6qjxue.jpg>.

. N.p.. Web. 18 Feb 2014. <http://images.nationalgeographic.com/wpf/media-

live/photos/000/367/cache/georgian-bay-

islands_36736_600x450.jpg?01RI=758296D41AC70CE,cm:akamai.mathtag.com/e

vent/img?akam_state=0&akid=31X9WF0ph30Yqpp6ivLmI4slYyHsQu2T5-

x55g7e1elYsBb_8LPXUgQ&no_log&mt_nsync&mm_bnc&01NA=ck&>.

. N.p.. Web. 18 Feb 2014.

<http://static2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20121218023118/lotr/images/1/15/Mist

y_Mountains.jpg>.

. N.p.. Web. 18 Feb 2014. <http://forums.steves-

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jI/102_The_Shire.html>.

BIBLIOGRAPHY II

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