U.S. & CANADA PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY

WHY IT MATTERS

  • The U.S.Canada are ______that share the longest ______border in the World (5,525 miles long)
  • Both countries have similar ways of ______& democratic ______
  • Both countries conduct ______trade with one another have similar______

WHAT MAKES IT A REGION

  • Landforms, ______systems & natural ______play an important & changing role in the development of the U.S.Canada
  • The U.S.Canada form a ______region of enormous ______variety & natural ______ which includes breathtaking landforms shaped by the ______of water, wind & geology over millions of years
  • These landforms, such as the rugged, mountainous areas near ______National Park have attracted adventurers & inspired ______for decades
  • Physical Geography
  • Plains & Plateaus – Sandstone Rock & Two Mittens attract ______from around the World
  • Lakes & Rivers – Use rivers such as the ______in British Columbia, Canada to ______with U.S.
  • Mountains – Rocky Mountains (______in North America stretch from British Columbia, ______to New Mexico, U.S.)
  • Natural Resources – Oil (Trans ______Pipeline runs 800 miles) 1 ______barrels of oil daily
  • Cultural Geography
  • Economy – ______Industry employs most of the ______in the U.S.Canada
  • ______– Immigration has had an effect on ______of CanadaU.S.
  • People – North America is the land of ______

LANDFORMS

  • ______between ______plates millions of years ago thrust up a series of sharp-peaked mountain called the ______Ranges
  • These ranges include the Sierra ______, the CascadeRanges, the ______Ranges & the ______Range
  • The Alaska Range is the home of the ______point in North America---______ (20,320 feet)
  • It is the ______most prominent peak in the world after Mount______Aconcagua is the centerpiece of ______National Park Preserve

Rocky Mountains

  • Like the PacificRanges the Rocky Mountains grew as ______forces heaved slabs of ______upward
  • The Rocky’s ______the U.S.Canada______for more than 3,000 miles from New Mexico to Alaska with some peaks over 14,000 feet

Grand Canyon

  • The Grand Canyon is a steep-sided canyon ______by the ______River in the U.S. in the state of ______(Grand CanyonNational Park)
  • President Theodore ______was a major proponent of preservation of the Grand Canyon area & it is considered one of the ______Natural Wonders of the ______
  • The Grand Canyon is ______miles long, up to ______miles wide & attains a ______of over a ______
  • The ______River established its course through the canyon at least 17 ______years ago & since that time, the Colorado River continued to ______form the canyon to its present-day configuration
  • The Grand Canyon is a huge ______in the Colorado______that exposes uplifted Proterozoic Paleozoic strata but it is not the ______canyon in the world (Kali Gandaki Gorge in Nepal), nor the widest (Capertee Valley in Australia); however, the Grand Canyon is known for its visually overwhelming ______its intricate ______landscape
  • Geologically it is significant because of the thick sequence of ______rocks that are beautifully preserved ______in the ______of the canyon
  • These rock layers record much of the early geologic ______of the North American ______

Canadian Shield

  • The Canadian Shield is a vast geological ______covered by a thin layer of ______that forms the nucleus of the North American Craton (is an old & stable part of the continental lithosphere that survived cycles of ______of continents)
  • It is an area mostly composed of ______rock (volcanic rocks) has a deep, common, joined bedrock region in ______Canada & stretches North from the ______Lakes to the Arctic Ocean, covering over ______of Canada
  • It also extends South into the Northern reaches of the U.S. in the ______Mountains
  • ______population is sparse & industrial development is ______but mining is very prevalent
  • The Canadian Shield is ______, but almost semi-circular, which yields an appearance of a warrior's shield

Appalachian Mountains

  • The Appalachian Mountains are a system of mountains in ______North America
  • Theywere formed roughly ______million years ago & once reached elevations similar to those of the Alps & the Rocky Mountains before they were ______
  • The Appalachian chain is a ______to east-west travel as it forms a series of alternating ______oriented in opposition to any road running east-west
  • The range is ______located in the U.S. but extends into ______Canada
  • The system is divided into a series of ______, with the individual mountains averaging around _____ feet
  • The highest of the group is Mount______ in North ______at 6,684 feet which is the highest point in the U.S.______of the Mississippi River

Hawaiian Islands

  • The Hawaiian Islands are an “______” (island chain) of eight major islands, several “______” (coral islands that encircle lagoons), numerous smaller “______” (very small islands) & undersea seamounts in the North______Oceanthatform the U.S. state of ______
  • The islands are the exposed ______of a great ______mountain range known as the Hawaiian-______seamount chain, formed by ______activity over a hotspot in the Earth's mantle
  • The Hawaiian islands are about 1,860 miles from the nearest ______

WATER SYSTEMS

  • Freshwater ______have helped make the U.S.Canada______
  • Abundant water satisfies the needs of ______& rural areas, provides ______for homes & industries & ______resources across the continent

Continental Divide (Great Divide)

  • A high ______of the ______that determines the direction in which rivers ______in the U.S.
  • ______of the Divide, waters flow towards the ______Ocean, Hudson Bay, ______Ocean & Gulf of ______
  • ______of the Divide waters flow into the ______Ocean
  • The ______Rivers have their ______(where the river gets its water from) in the Rocky Mountains
  • Many ______(smaller rivers & streams) connect with one of these two large rivers making it a river ______

Mississippi River

  • One of North America’s ______rivers, flows ______miles from its source as a ______(a person can jump across) in ______
  • As the river flows south towards the gulf of ______it reaches a width of ______miles
  • The river ______1,200,000 square miles of land including all or part of ______U.S. states & ______Canadian Provinces which makes it one of the world biggest ______(trade movement) waterways

St. Lawrence River

  • Canada’s St. Lawrence River flows for ______miles from Lake______to the Gulf of ______in the ______Ocean & forms part of the ______between Canada & the U.S.
  • Canadian cities of______, Montreal, & ______are cities along the river that depend on it for _____

Niagara Falls

  • Located on the ______River itforms another part of the ______between US & Canada
  • ______separate ______form the falls (Horseshoe Falls) on the Canadian side & (American Falls) on the U.S. side
  • ______U.S. Gallons per second go over the falls& they attractaround ______million ______per year
  • It also is amajor source of ______(hydroelectricity) for ______countries

Great Lakes

  • The _____Great Lakes that were created by ______that gouged the Canadian ______& tore at the central section of the continent leaving ______basins that filled & became the Great Lakes (glacial lakes)
  • Lake Erie, ______, Michigan, ______, Superior (largest & deepest)
  • Large deposits of coal, ______& other ______near the lakes favored the development of ______& urban growth (______) in the area
  • The Great Lakes provide a ______between inland & coastal ______(St. Lawrence Seaway System) & is crucial to the ______development of North America

St. Lawrence Seaway System

  • The seaway system is a ______of ______that link the Great Lakes to the ______Ocean
  • Ithelps to make the cities along the Great Lakes powerful ______centers because they can ______their goods out into the Atlantic & other parts of the ______

NATURAL RESOURCES

  • Abundant ______resources have made the U.S.Canada wealthy but these resources & the areas in which they are found need ______
  • The same geologic processes that shaped the North American ______left the region ______in a wide variety of ______
  • Access to this natural ______has helped speed ______in both countries

Fossil Fuels

  • The U.S.Canada have important ______resources such as petroleum (oil), natural ______& coal
  • ______Alaska rank 1st & 2nd in _____ reserves (oil that we know is still in the ground) in the U.S.
  • Texas also has the greatest reserves of ______gas
  • Fossil fuels are formed in the Earth from buried ______remains from millions of years ago
  • They are ______ because they can’t be replenished in a ______period of time

Minerals

  • The Rocky Mountains yield ______, Silver, & ______while parts of the Canadian Shield in CanadayieldIron & ______
  • IronOre is present in northern ______while Canada produces ______of the world’s “______” (a mineral salt used in fertilizers)
  • ______are nonrenewable & once they have been mined as much as possiblethe land is used for wildlife parks, ______farms, orchards, public hunting & fishing, & ______livestock
  • Mining involves heavy equipment, uses large quantities of water & moves a great deal of rock & other materials
  • Mining can ______land, water & ______systems
  • Today the ______for mining companies in the U.S.Canada is finding ways to remove & process ______& metal resources with the least ______to surrounding ecosystems

Timber & Fishing

  • ______is a vital ______for the U.S.Canada
  • Commercial lumber operations face the challenge of ______the region’s precious timber resources responsibility since trees are ______resources (only if people protect & preserve forests)
  • Housing, PaperFurniture are the main ______of timber
  • ______trees to replace those cut for lumber, ______to protect native forest animals & ______old growth forests are challenges
  • The ______waters of the Atlantic & Pacific Oceans & the ______of Mexico have been essential to the region’s ______
  • Rich with ______these “______” (places for catching fish & other sea animals) are important to the economy also
  • The “______” in Canada were once one of the world’s ______fishing grounds off Canada’s southeast coast
  • ______has led the Canadian Government ______cod fishing in order to protect the species which has caused an increase in “______” (fish farming)
  • Aquaculture can be used instead of fishing in the natural environment as it helps protect ______& produces ______fish to eat

CLIMATE & VEGETATION

  • ______of ______characterizes the region of the U.S.Canada
  • Conditions in this vast region include the ______seasons of the southern U.S., the bitter cold of ______latitude areas, the radically changing seasons of the ______regions & the cool, wet climates of the ______Coast

Southern Climates

  • Warm Wet climates
  • Characterized by ______with long muggy ______winters
  • Everglades = A ______in Florida that is a shelter for a variety of vegetation & ______
  • Hurricanes = ______storms hundreds of miles wide with winds of 74 miles or more(______through ______)
  • Tip of FloridaHawaii have ______climates
  • Warm Dry Climates
  • Rain______creates a ______area & keeps plateaus basins dry between the Pacific Ranges & Rocky Mountains
  • Mediterranean Climatesare characterized by mild, ______winters & ______dry summers
  • Chaparral is the ______growth that depends on regular ______, which creates ______in Los Angeles & Oakland & Southern California

Northern Climates

  • Interior Climates
  • Great ______in the center of the continent have ______& bitterly ______winters & hot summers
  • ______are naturally ______grasslands that spread across the Great Plainsthat are home to “______” (violent thunderstorms that often spawn tornadoes)---Tornado Ally
  • ______are twisting funnels of ______with winds that can read 300 miles per hour
  • Settlers in the 1930’s broke up soil to plant cropsbut ______weather in the caused wind to erode topsoil, killing ______& reducing______(Dustbowl)
  • Coastal Climates
  • Receive more than ______inches of rain per year, ______are overcast rainy & summers are ______cool

High Latitude Climates

  • Sub-arctic Climate
  • Characterized by ______winters with temperatures often below ______throughout large parts of ______
  • ______(heavy blowing snow)are______storms with winds that blow at least 35mph
  • NewfoundlandYukon Territoryin Canadahave coniferous & mixed deciduous forests
  • Tundra
  • Characterized by bitter winters & cool summerswith very few people ______in these areaslocated on the coast of ______