Terms to know for North America: You will use the following terms to complete the attached questions. All questions should be answered in complete sentences.
Canada north of the US; most coastline (125,000 mi); 2nd largest country
Groovy Facts Canadians eat the most mac & cheese; national symbol is the beaver; there are 34 million Canadians (6 m are immigrants mainly from China and India); have the highest quality of life; av. life expectancy of 81 (9th highest)
United States3rd most populated
Factsaverage life expectancy is 78 (46th overall); Rhode Island is the smallest state
Vespucci who America is named after
Mount McKinley or Denali (means “the great one”)—20,320’; highest mountain in North America; located in Alaska; least densely populated state—only 2 ppsm
Bering Strait—waterway between Asia & North America
Vitus Bering—Russian explorer
Barrow—most northern US city
Yukon (means “Great River”) River—longest in Alaska; 2300 miles long
Alaska—least densely populated state
Attu Island—only island ever occupied by Japan in WWII; part of the Aleutian Islands in Alaska
The Hudson Bay is the largest bay in the world
Greenland—owned by Denmark; world’s largest island; least densely populated country (.06 ppsm)
Labrador Sea—between Greenland & Canada
Mackenzie River longest river in Canada
Mt. Logan highest mt. in Canada
Ottawa capitol of Canada
Nunavut newest Canadian province
New York City—largest city in the US
LA—2nd largest city
Chicago—3rd largest city
Great Lakes (HOMES)
Appalachian Mountains—located in eastern US; 1,500 miles long
Mountaintop Removal-using dynamite to blast off the tops of mountains to expose coal
Natural resource-elements and minerals that exist naturally within ecosystems
Renewable resource- resources that can be used then renewed (logging companies required to replant trees), plastic bottles
Non-renewable- resources that cannot be reused i.e: oil
Fossil Fuel- energy that is harvested from fossilized organisms, oil and coal are fossil fuels
Rocky Mountains—longest mountain range in N.America; over 3,000 miles long
Wind breaks-linear plantings of plants, shrubs, and trees designed to protect plants, animals, people
Acclimitization- the process through which an organism adjusts to its climate or environment
Black Mountain—highest mountain in Kentucky; 4,145 feet
Mount Washington Windiest place in North America (231 mph)
Ellis Island—where European immigrants entered the US; located in NYC
Angel Island—where Asian immigrants entered the US; located in San Francisco
California- Largest state in the U.S.
Wyoming- Least populous state in the U.S., home of Yellowstone National Park
Cheyenne- Capitol of Wyoming
Rhode Island- Smallest state in the U.S.
Plains- A flat region
Agriculture- the science of farming or cultivating the soil for the growing of crops and rearing of animals
Commercial-large scale agriculture
Subsistence-producing only enough to feed ones family for survival
Irrigation- the application, sometimes artificial of water to soil, used to assist in the growing of crops
Center pivot- method of irrigation in which equipment rotates around a pivot and crops are watered with sprinklers
Basin- a depression in the earths surface water flows across
Ogallala Aquifer- watertable located under the Great Plains
Artesian Well- a well in which water rises under its own pressure
Genetically Modified Crops-Plants whose DNA have been altered using genetic engineering techniques
Fertilizer- Organic or inorganic material applied to soil in order to supply nutrients
Green revolution- a series of research developments between the 1940s and 70s that allowed for high yield crops in non-arable lands
Agribusiness- the business of agricultural production
Shifting- cultivating plots of land then leaving them to revert to their natural vegetation
Slash & burn- cutting and burning of forests or woodlands to create fields
Desertification- dry areas losing their available water sources and becoming more arid
Dust Bowl- a period of severe dust storms that lifted soil and caused severe damage to crop yields and the Great Plains area
Green River—longest river in Kentucky; 300 miles
Kentucky River—second longest river in Kentucky; 259 miles
(US has 27% of the world’s coal behind Russia (17%) & China (13%); global consumption of coal is at 5 billion tons with China using the most)
Kentucky facts:second largest producer of coal behind Wyoming
has a little over 4 million people26th largest state; per capita GDP is $34,000
Lawrenceburg's hottest temp was 106 in 1954 & coldest was-27 in 1994
Mammoth Cave—longest cave complex; +360 miles
Kentucky State Motto: United We Stand, Divided We Fall
It is estimated that Kentucky loses over 130 acres every day to urban uses (KY Heritage Land Fund)
26th most populated; became a state in 1792; 37th largest state; 3rd state with the most counties behind Texas (254) and Georgia (159)
Coldest temp in KY was in 1994 at Shelbyville (-37)
Hottest temp in Kentucky was at Greensburg in 1930 at 114 degrees
Largest Counties in Kentucky
Pike – 788 sq. miles
Christian – 724 sq. miles
Pulaski –677 sq. miles
Hardin – 630 sq. miles
Ohio – 595 sq. miles
Smallest Counties in Kentucky
Robertson – 100 sq. miles
Gallatin – 105 sq. miles
Anderson County—204 sq. miles (1 sq. mile = 640 acres)
94 ppsm.
Kentucky’s state:
fish LARGE MOUTH BASS
bird CARDINAL
TreeTULIP POPLAR
mammalGREY SQUIRREL
flower GOLDENROD
DogBEAGLE
State mineral
State rock
State gemstone
State instrument
State fossil
State butterfly
Kentucky--Frankfort
Washington DC—capitol of the US
Ottawa—capitol of Canada
Canada comes from an Native American word meaning “big village”
Nunavut: Canada’s newest territory
CN Tower in Toronto—1815’ tall; 2nd tallest self supporting structure
Mississippi River—longest river in N. America; 2340 miles
Great Plains—grasslands in N. America
Carhenge—located in Alliance, Nebraska
Devil’s Tower – remains of an extinct volcano(Mato Tipila meaning “bear lodge” , Wyoming; 1267’ tall
Mount Rushmore—South Dakota
Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Mackenzie River—longest river in Canada; 1079 miles long
Mount Logan Tallest mountain in Canada (19,550’) 2nd highest in North America
Rocky Mountains—longest mountain range in N.America; over 3,000 miles long
Great Sand Dunes—tallest sand dunes in N. America
Crater Lake—deepest lake in N. America(1,943 feet deep)
Mount St. Helens—volcano in Washington; part of Pacific Ring of Fire
Ring of Fire—ring of volcanoes in the Pacific (452)
Grand Canyon—large “ditch” in Arizona
Death Valley—lowest & hottest place in N. America
(282 feet below sea level; 134 degrees in 1913)
Yosemite—longest waterfall in N.Am.; 2425’ drop
Rio Grande—river that separates the US and Mexico; means “big river”
Hawaii—rainiest state; and the only state that grows coffee