WESTERN STATES GEOGRAPHY ALASKA, HAWAII, CALIFORNIA, OREGON, WASHINGTON, IDAHO, MONTANA,...

WESTERN STATES GEOGRAPHY

ALASKA, HAWAII, CALIFORNIA, OREGON, WASHINGTON, IDAHO,

MONTANA, WYOMING,COLORADO, NEVADA,

ARIZONA. UTAH, NEW MEXICO

LOCATION IN THE U.S.

Do you know?

• http://www.studenthandouts.com/Games-06/US-GEOGRAPHY-The-Western-States-Map-Multiple-Choice-Quiz.html

DIVIDED INTO SUB REGIONS

• PACIFIC STATES & CAPITALS

– HAWAII--HONOLULU

– ALASKA--JUNEAU

– CALIFORNIA--SACRAMENTO

– OREGON--SALEM

– WASHINGTON--OLYMPIA

Pacific States

MOUNTAIN STATES & CAPITALS

• ARIZONA--PHOENIX• NEVADA--CARSON CITY• UTAH--SALT LAKE CITY• IDAHO--BOISE• NEW MEXICO--SANTA FE• COLORADO--DENVER• WYOMING--CHEYENNE• MONTANA--HELENA

THE MOUNTAIN STATES

WESTERN STATES AREA & POPULATION

• THE LARGEST REGION, BY AREA, MAKING UP NEARLY 50% OF U.S.

• CONTAINS OVER 91 MILLION PEOPLE--BUT FEWEST NUMBER OF PEOPLE PER SQUARE MILE– POPULATION DENSITY

• MOST DIVERSITY IN CLIMATE AND GEOGRAPHY

IMPORTANT MOUNTAINS• ROCKY MOUNTAINS

– LARGEST RANGE IN U.S. – STRETCHES FROM ALASKA TO NEW

MEXICO– TALLEST MOUNTAINS OF THIS CHAIN ARE

IN COLORADO– CALLED THE “CONTINENTAL DIVIDE”

COASTAL MOUNTAINS

• COASTAL MOUNTAINS– ALONG PACIFIC COASTLINE– AFFECT RAINFALL

CASCADE MOUNTAINS

• CASCADE MOUNTAINS– NORTHERN MOUNTAINS BETWEEN

COASTALS AND ROCKIES– INCLUDES MT. SHASTA

THE SIERRA NEVADA MOUNTAINS

• SIERRA NEVADA MOUNTAINS– SOUTHERN MOUNTAINS BETWEEN

COASTALS AND SOUTHERN ROCKIES

THE GREAT AMERICAN DESERTS OF THE WEST

• LOCATED IN THE SOUTHWESTERN STATES

• INCLUDES THE – MOJAVE DESERT– SONORAN DESERT– GREAT BASIN DESERT– CHIHUAHUA DESERT

WESTERN RIVERS

• COLUMBIA RIVER- LOCATED IN PACIFIC NORTHWEST– TRIBUTARY IS THE SNAKE RIVER– CREATES THE MULTNOMAH FALLS

COLORADO RIVER

• FLOWS THROUGH THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS.

• MAJOR SOURCE OF WATER AND POWER.

• CREATES HOOVER DAM!

COLORADO RIVER

• CREATES THE FAMOUS GRAND CANYON

• ONE OF THE GREAT TOURIST ATTRACTIONS OF THE WEST.

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvzlZuWrJNw

CLIMATE REGIONS OF THE WEST

• SEMI-ARID TO ARID (LITTLE RAINFALL)– SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA, RENO, NEVADA, SANTA FE,

NEW MEXICO

• DECIDUOUS AND CONIFEROUS– AMPLE RAINFALL, MANY TREES AND VEGETATION– OREGON, WASHINGTON, NORTHERN CALIFORNIA

• WET TROPICAL CLIMATE– HAWAII

• COLD TUNDRA REGION– SPARSE GRASS AND VEGETATION OF

ALASKA

CLIMATES VARY A GREAT DEAL

• LOW ELEVATIONS-- SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA--HAWAII– WARM-HOT SUMMERS AND LITTLE SNOW

• HIGHER ELEVATIONS--MONTANA & WYOMING– WARM SUMMERS WITH HEAVY AND EARLY

SNOW• DESERT SOUTHWEST--ARIZONA & NEVADA

– VERY HOT SUMMERS -MILD WINTERS• NORTHWEST--OREGON AND WASHINGTON

– CONTINENTAL CLIMATE

NATURAL RESOURCES OF THE WEST

• GOLD AND SILVER STRIKES OF THE 1800’S DREW PEOPLE TO THE SOUTH WEST

• PEOPLE INVESTED THEIR MONEY IN MINING COMPANIES

• THE CALIFORNIA GOLD RUSH OF 1849 BROUGHT THOUSANDS TO CALIFORNIA

ALASKA

• CONSIDERED THE STATE WITH THE MOST VALUABLE RESOURCES.– GOLD DISCOVERED IN 1894

• TODAY ALASKA IS A MAJOR SUPPLIER OF OIL AND NATURAL GAS TO THE OTHER STATES

OTHER IMPORTANT RESOURCES

• OIL IN THE SOUTHWEST AND MOUNTAIN REGIONS OF MONTANA

• GOLD AND SILVER DEPOSITS IN ALASKA AND SOUTHWEST

• HYDROELECTRIC POWER--NORTHWEST AND FROM HOOVER DAM

KEY INDUSTRIES OF THE NORTHWEST

• THE FISHING INDUSTRY--OREGON, WASHINGTON, AND ALASKA.– BRINGS IN BILLIONS OF DOLLARS

EACH YEAR.

• THE FORESTRY INDUSTRY-2nd dominant industry!– PROVIDES OVER 50% OF U.S.

LUMBER

AGRICULTURE OF THE WESTERN REGIONS

• BEEF CATTLE--RANCHES OF THE SOUTHWEST AND THE AREAS OF MONTANA AND WYOMING.

• DAIRY CATTLE --OF CALIFORNIA, OREGON, AND WASHINGTON.

AGRICULTURE OF THE WESTERN REGION

• APPLES OF WASHINGTON STATE• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FmCRchd5

k08

• CITRUS FRUIT OF CALIFORNIA AND THE SOUTHWEST.

• IDAHO POTATOES• WHEAT OF EASTERN MONTANA AND

WYOMING

MAJOR CITIES OF THE WESTERN REGION

• WESTERN CITIES GREW AS TRANSPORTATION IMPROVED.– TRANSCONTINENTAL RAILROAD OF 1869– CITIES LIVING BETTER THAN LIVING IN HARSH

LANDS OF SOUTHWEST AND MOUNTAINS

• SOME CITIES HAD TO DEVELOP WAYS TO GET WATER TO THEIR CITIES.– SALT LAKE CITY ESTABLISHED IRRIGATION– LOS ANGELES BUILT AQUEDUCTS TO BRING

WATER FROM THE MOUNTAINS