The Physical Geography of the United States and Canada 75

A region’s climate, vegetation, andnatural resources are contributingfactors to economic activities.

The prosperity of people living in the United States and Canadaaffects the prosperity of themodern global economy.

MAIN IDEA WHY IT MATTERS NOW

Climate and VegetationThe flood of 1993 was caused by unusual weather. Weather isthe state of the atmosphere near Earth at a given time and place.It includes temperature, wind, and precipitation, or moisturesuch as rain or snow that falls to Earth. Climate is the typicalweather in a region over a long period of time. A region’s climatehelps determine what types of vegetation—trees, shrubs, grasses,and other plants—will grow there.

TERMS & NAMESweatherprecipitationclimatevegetationeconomy

ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, U.S.A.,

OCTOBER 7, 1993—The worst

flood in United States history is

finally over. Heavy, almost con-

tinuous rain fell on much of

the upper Midwest. In St. Louis,

where the Mississippi and

Missouri rivers meet, the flood-

ing began in April and continued

for six months.

The disaster affected nine

states. Tens of thousands of

people had to leave their homes.

More than 10,000 homes were

destroyed, and 50 people lost

their lives.

A Rich Diversity in Climate andResources

A Rich Diversity in Climate andResources

Human-Environment Interaction • At least

75 towns are under water as a result of

the flooding. �

TAKING NOTES

Geographic Features

EconomicStrengths/

Benefits

productivefarmland

Use your chart to takenotes about the UnitedStates and Canada.

Vegetation ZonesNorth America’s vegetation zones are determinedby the climate and physical geography of eacharea. It is usually warmer in the south and colderin the north, but physical features such as moun-tains and oceans also affect the climate. Find thesevegetation zones on the map on page 77.

Polar and Tundra Northern Canada and Alaskahave cool summers and very cold winters. It isusually above freezing (32°F/0°C) there for onlytwo months each year. Precipitation varies from4 to 20 inches a year. Much of the ground isfrozen all year except for the surface, whichthaws in summer.

Forest Forests of conifer (evergreen) andbroadleaf trees cover much of Canada and thenorthwest, northeast, and southeast UnitedStates. Precipitation averages between 10 and 80 inches annually. Temperatures vary frommild to cold in different forested areas.

Rain Forest Along the Pacific Coast, precipita-tion can reach 167 inches each year. Rain forestswith trees 300 feet tall grow in these areas. Theground is covered in bushes, small trees, andother plants. Moss and lichen are the smallestvegetation. One acre of rain forest might have6,000 pounds of these tiny plants. The temper-ature is moderate even in the north, seldomfalling below 32°F in winter.

Grassland The center of North America is covered by grass-lands. The prairie in the Mississippi Valley may get 30 inches ormore of precipitation each year. Grasses are tall and thick. Fartherwest, the land gets less rainfall—as little as 15 inches in Alberta,Canada—and the grass is shorter. People grow grain and raisecattle in these areas.

Desert The deserts of the American Southwest get less than 10 inches of precipitation a year. Plants in the deserts must be able to endure harsh sun, high temperatures, and little rain.Only the hardiest bushes, shrubs, a few small trees, and cacti survive there.

76 CHAPTER 3

The Dust Bowl Disaster From 1931to 1939, the southern Great Plainssuffered one of the worst droughtsin U.S. history. In the 1920s, farmersused up the soil’s natural nutrients,and cattle and sheep ranchersdestroyed native grasses by over-grazing. When the drought began,crops died, and there were no plantroot systems to hold the soil.

The southern Great Plainsbecame known as the Dust Bowl.By 1934, dust storms of topsoilwere causing serious damage in 27 states. Ships 300 miles off the Atlantic Coast were covered by blowing dirt. Thousands of people, like this boy, had to leavetheir farms.

Vocabulary

lichen (LY•kuhn):organism thatgrows with algaeon rocks or treetrunks

A. RecognizingEffects How do climate andgeography influence the attraction of people to an area?

G u l f o f M e x i c o

C a r i b b e a n S e a

Hudson

Bay

B a f f i nB a y

ATLANTICOCEAN

PACIFICOCEAN

ARCTICOCEAN

U N I T E D S T A T E S

C A N A D A

MEXICO

ALASKA(U.S.)

30°N

20°N

50°N

40°W

0°

60°N

40°N

30°N

50°N

100°W120°W

180°W

160°W

40°N

Tropic of Cancer

ArcticCircle

PACIFICOCEAN

156°W 154°W

22°N

20°N

158°W160°W

HAWAII(U.S.)

0

0 50 150 kilometers

50 150 miles

0

0 250 500 kilometers

250 500 miles

Temperate rain forest

Tropical rain forest

Tropical grassland

Desert and dry shrub

Temperate grassland

Mediterranean shrub

Deciduous and mixed forest

Coniferous forest

Tundra

Icecap

N

Vegetation Zones of Canada and the United States

GEOGRAPHYSKILLBUILDER:Interpreting a Map1. Region • What kind

of vegetation zonecovers most ofCanada?

2. Region • What part of the United States iscovered by temperategrassland?

The Cajuns: Americans with Canadian Roots The French settledin Acadia, which is now Nova Scotia, Canada, in 1604. The Britishgained control of much of Nova Scotia, and in 1755, they expelledmost French Acadians. Many of the displaced settlers relocated tosouthern Louisiana, which was under the rule of France at that time.

Known as Cajuns, the descendants of those French Canadiansshare a special cultural heritage. Their language has French, English,Spanish, German, and Native American influences. Their uniquemusic is played with fiddles, accordions, and guitars. The man shownat left plays the accordion at a Cajun music festival in Louisiana.

THINKING CRITICALLY

1. Recognizing Effects What effect did Britain’s rule over NovaScotia have on the French in Acadia?

2. Recognizing Important Details What are some featuresof the Cajun culture?

Region • TheMississippi River has beenan importantcommercial shipping routefor more than a century. �

The Mississippi Riveris the largest river in North America.From its source, LakeItasca in Minnesota,to its mouth in theGulf of Mexico,it flows for 2,350miles. The nameMississippi is fromthe Native AmericanAlgonquian language andmeans “Big River.”

Natural WealthThe United States and Canada are rich in natural resources. Thiswealth has influenced their economic development.

Land and Power Resources The farmlands of the midwesternUnited States and the prairies in the central provinces of Canadahave rich soil. Forests are found in western Canada and thenorthwestern, northeastern, and southeastern United States. Thereare oil fields in Alberta, Canada; in Texas, California, Louisiana,

Oklahoma, and Alaska; and in the Gulfof Mexico. Coal is in Canada’s westernprovinces; in the Appalachian Mountains;and in Illinois, Indiana, and Wyoming.

Water Resources Water routes affectwhere people and industry are located.Settlers in North America followedrivers to areas where fresh water and goodsoil permitted farming and raising cattle. Businesses grew in new commu-

nities. People still use rivers to ship natural resources, such as timber and coal, and as trade and travel routes. Fishing is a foodsource and an industry. Rivers and lakes supply water and power,and offer recreational activities.

For more on the Cajuns, go toCL AS SZONE .COM

RESEARCH LINKS

Neighbors and LeadersMore than 200 million people cross the U.S.-Canadian border every year. Trade between thetwo countries exceeds $1 billion a day. Theycooperate on issues as diverse as national security and defense, the environment, air traffic, and fishing regulations. A United Statespresident described the relationship betweenthese countries.

Both countries have strong economies andare leaders in world trade. An economy is theway that business owners use resources to providethe goods and services that people want.

The Physical Geography of the United States and Canada 79

Choose one of the vegetation zones discussed in the section. Draw a pictureshowing what the land looks like.

SECTION ASSESSMENT

Using Graphics2. Make a chart such as this one to

list details about vegetation zonesof the United States and Canada.

Main Ideas3. (a) How do climate and geography

affect vegetation?

(b) What natural resources arefound in North America?

(c) How have waterways affectedsettlement and development inthe United States and Canada?

Critical Thinking4. Drawing Conclusions

How does the variety of vegetationzones affect the economies of theUnited States and Canada?

Think About◆ crops and resources found in

each vegetation zone◆ world economy

Terms & Names1. Explain the significance of: (a) weather (b) precipitation (c) climate

(d) vegetation (e) economy

Polar and Tundra Forest Rain Forest Grassland Desert

The Nature Conservancy TheConservancy works with communi-ties to protect natural areas, plants,and animals. It has safeguarded 12 million acres and 1,400 landpreserves, such as this one, in theUnited States. In its Great LakesProgram, and in Minnesota, theConservancy is working withCanadian and U.S. groups to pro-tect wildlife and 10,000 acres ofthe last tallgrass prairie on theU.S.-Canadian border.

B. Finding CausesWhat commoninterests make theUnited States andCanada allies and partners?

A VOICE FROM THE UNITED STATES

Geography has made us neighbors, history has made us friends, economics has made us partners, and necessity hasmade us allies.

John F. Kennedy