Geography of America

Geography of AmericaPart 1

US Population

• 314 Million (2012 Estimated)

Top 5 Cities (2010 Census, within city limits)

Growth Since 2000

New York 8,175,133 + 2.1%

Los Angeles 3,792,621 + 2.6%

Chicago 2,695,598 - 6.9%

Houston 2,099,451 + 7.5%

Philadelphia 1,526,006 + 0.6%

Important US Mountain Ranges

Appalachian – Eastern USA

Stretches from Maine in the north to Georgia and Alabama in the south.

Highest Peak – 2037 meters

Important US Mountain Ranges

Rocky – Western USA

Stretches from Mexico to Canada

Highest Peak – 4399 meters

Separates the Great Plains from the Pacific Coast, and forms the Continental Divide1

1Separates the rivers flowing east into the Atlantic Ocean or Gulf of Mexico from those flowing west into the Pacific Ocean.

Important US Mountain Ranges

Sierra Nevada – eastern California, Nevada

Stretches 400 miles north-to-south, 70 miles east-to-west.

Highest Peak – 4421 meters

Geographical Regions

•New England

• Six States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont

• Prominent City:• Boston (Capital of Massachusetts)• Population 625,000 – 21st largest city in America

Geographical Regions

•The Mid-Atlantic

• Six States: Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, West Virginia

• Prominent Cities:• New York – the “Big Apple”• Pittsburgh• Philadelphia – the “City of Brotherly Love”

Geographical Regions

•The South

• Eleven States: Alabama, Arkansas, North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, Virginia

• Prominent Cities:• Atlanta (Georgia)• Memphis (Tennessee)• New Orleans (Louisiana)

Geographical Regions

•The Midwest

• Eight States: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, Wisconsin

• Prominent Cities:• Chicago (Illinois) – the “Windy City”• Detroit (Michigan)• Milwaukee (Wisconsin)

Geographical Regions

•The Great Plains

• Six States: North Dakota, South Dakota, Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas

• Prominent Cities:• Houston (Texas)• Dallas (Texas)

Geographical Regions

•The West

• Eleven States:• Mountain: Colorado, Montana, New Mexico, Wyoming• Great Plateau: Arizona, Idaho, Nevada, Utah• Pacific Coast: California, Oregon, Washington

• Prominent Cities:• Los Angeles (California) – the “City of Angels”• San Francisco (California)• Seattle (Washington)• Denver (Colorado) – the “Mile High City”

Geographical Regions

•Alaska

• Prominent City:• Juneau

•Hawaii

• Prominent City:• Honolulu

The Grand Prismatic Spring in Yellowstone National Park is the largest hot spring in the United States, and the third largest in the world.

Its colors include blue, green, yellow, orange, gold, red and brown, and recall the rainbow dispersion of white light by an optical prism.

The Grand Canyon (in Arizona):

• 277 miles (446 km) long

• up to 18 miles (29 km) wide

• attains a depth of over a mile (6,000 feet / 1,800 meters).

Niagara Falls is the collective name for three waterfalls that straddle the international border between the Canadian province of Ontario and the U.S. state of New York.

From largest to smallest, the three waterfalls are the Horseshoe Falls, the American Falls and the Bridal Veil Falls.

Located on the Niagara River, which drains Lake Erie into Lake Ontario, the combined falls form the highest flow rate of any waterfall in the world, with a vertical drop of more than 165 feet (50 m).

The falls are located 17 miles (27 km) north-northwest of Buffalo, New York and 75 miles (121 km) south-southeast of Toronto, between the twin cities of Niagara Falls, Ontario, and Niagara Falls, New York.

Next week, please read Part 1 Geography,Ch. 4,5 – pages 25 to 43