Chapter 4:The United States and Canada:Physical Geography

Lesson 2: Humans and the Physical Environment pg.77

Geography 7th Grade

Climate Zones

• Climate zones in the United States and Canada range from the polar climate of norhtern Canada to the desert climate of the southwestern United States.

• Factors such as the size of a region, latitude, mountains, and oceans affect the kinds of climates foun in a region.

Canada’s Climate – Braving the Cold

• Generally the farther a location is from the Equator, the colder its climate.

• Since Canada lies well to the north of the Equator, much of it is very cold.

Canada’s Climate – Braving the Cold

• The ocean affects Canada’s climate too. The waters of the Pacific Ocean help make the climate of the northwestern coast of Canada mild all year, while inland areas often have climate extremes.

• Mountains also influence the climate, especially rainfall. Winds blowing from the Pacific Ocean rise as they meet the mountains in the west, cooling and dropping their moisture. The air is dry when it reaches the other side of the mountains. This area of rain shadow is on the dry, sheltered side of a mountain that receives little rainfall.

Continental Divide

Climates of the United States

• Latitude also influences climate in the United States.– Alaska lies far from

the Equator and is cold for a good part of the year.

– The southern tip of Florida and Hawaii lie near or within the tropics. Here it is always warm.

Natural Vegetation Zones

• Climate determines the different vegetation zones. There are four kinds of natural vegetation or plant life:

• Northern Tundras• Prairies

• Desert Scrub• Forests

1.-Northern Tundras• The tundra is a cold, dry region in the far north that is

covered with snow for more than half the year.

• The Arctic tundra contains permafrost, or permanently frozen soil.

2.-Prairies• Also known as grasslands, are

regions of flat or rolling land covered with grasses.

• The world’s largest prairie covers much of the American central states and stretches into provinces in Canada.

3.-Desert scrub• With little rainfall, desert, and semiarid regions have

few plants.

• The Great Basin is a large, very dry region between the Rocky Mountains and the Sierras in the United States.

4.-Forests• Forests cover nearly one third of the United States and

almost one half of Canada. • The mild climate of the northern Pacific Coast, encourages

great forests of trees.

Classwork

• For homework do Section 2 Assessment on page 79 # 1-3.

• Homework– Study map of Western Europe and Capitals.