Patterns of Physical Geography

Use the Unit Atlas toadd to your knowledgeof the United States andCanada. As you look atthe maps and charts,notice geographicpatterns and specificdetails about the region.

After studying theillustrations, graphs, andphysical map on thesetwo pages, jot downanswers to the followingquestions in yournotebook.

Making Comparisons1. Compare the world’s

longest river, the Nile,

to the Mississippi. How

much difference is there

in the lengths of the

two rivers?

2. Compare the landmass

and population of the

United States to those of

Canada. What statement

can be made about the

two countries?

3. Compare the mountain

peaks of the United

States to those of

Canada. What statement

can be made about

the height of these

mountains?

102 UNIT 2

Mt. Everest Nepal-Tibet

29,035 feet

Mt. McKinleyUnited States

20,320 feet

Mt. Logan Canada

19,524 feet

Mt. St. Elias U.S.-Canada

18,008 feet

Mt. Foraker United States

17,400 feet

World’s Tallest U.S. Tallest

0 1000 2000 3000 4000

Nile4,160 miles

Mississippi2,357 miles

Missouri2,315 miles

Rio Grande1,885 miles

Mackenzie1,120 miles

Length (in miles)

Canada

3,851,809 sq mi

ContinentalUnited States

3,165,630 sq mi

Comparing Data

World’s Longest

U.S. Longest

Landmass

Rivers

Mountains

Population

United States�281,422,000

Canada�30,750,100

Population (in millions)

0 50 100 150 200 250 300

For updated statistics on theUnited States and Canada . . .

DATA UPDATECLASSZONE .COM

G u l f o f

M e x i c o

Labrador Sea

Davis Strait

Beaufort Sea

Gulf ofAlaska

Bering Sea

Chukchi Sea

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

HudsonBay

B a f f i nB a y

G r e e n l a n d S e a

Gu

l fo

fC

al i f o

r ni a

James Bay

Denm

arkStra

it

Bering Strait

Gulfof

St. Lawre

nce

AT L A N T I C

O C E A N

A R C T I C O C E A N

P A C I F I C

O C E A N

Aleutian

Islands

G re e n l a n d

Newfoundland

BermudaIs.

Hispaniola

QueenElizabeth

Is lands

KodiakIs.

QueenCharlotte

Is.

Vancouver I.

Death Valley-282 ft.(-86 m)

Mt. Whitney14,494 ft.(4,421 m)

Mt. McKinley20,320 ft.(6,194 m)

Mt. Logan19,551 ft.(5,959 m)

Victoria

Island

Ellesmere

Island

Channel Is.

Baffin Island

W e s t I n d i e s

CA

NA

D

IA

N S H I E

LD

GR

EA

TP

LA

IN

S

C O A S T A L

PL

AI

N

A

PP

AL

AC

HI A

NM

OU

NT

AI N

S

RO

CK

YM

OU

NT

AI

NS

BR

OO

KSRANGE

ALASKA

RAN

GE

GREATBASIN

SIE

RR

AN

EV

AD

A

CA

SCA

DES

CO

AST

RA

NG

ES

MACKENZIE

MT

S.CO

AS

TM

OU

NT

AIN

S

C A N A D A

MEXICO

BELIZE

CUBA

BAHAMAS

GUATEMALA

EL SALVADOR

HONDURAS

NICARAGUA

COSTA RICAPANAMA

COLOMBIA

VENEZUELA

R U S S I A

ICELAND

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

YukonR

.

Mackenzie

R.

Colum

bia

R.

St. L

awre

nce

R.

Colorado R.

Grande

Rio

M

ississippi R.

Mis

siss

ippi

R.

OhioR.

Mis souri R

.

L. Superior

L.M

ichi

gan

L. Huron

L.Ontario

GreatSlave Lake

LakeAthabasca

LakeWinnipeg

GreatBear Lake

L. Erie

30°N

40°N

20°N

60°N

0°

10°W

10°E

80°N

70°N

160°E

170°E

180°

50°N

40°N

30°N

20°N

10°N

0°

140°W

160°W

150°W

60°N

30°W

40°W

70°W

50°W

80°W90°W100°W110°W120°W130°W

Arct

icCi

rcle

Tropic of Cancer

PACIFICOCEAN

H a w a i i a nI s l a

n

ds

Hawaii

KauaiNihauOahu

MolokaiLanai Maui

KahoolaweHAWAII

156°W 154°W

22°N

20°N

158°W160°W

0

0 75 150 kilometers

75 150 miles

N

S

EW

Elevation

Mountain peak

(4,000 m.)(2,000 m.)

(500 m.)(200 m.)

(0 m.)Below sea level

13,100 ft.6,600 ft.1,600 ft.

650 ft.0 ft.

Glacier

0

0 250 500 kilometers

250 500 miles

Azimuthal Equal–Area Projection

103

United States and Canada: Physical

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Patterns of Human Geography

After the coming ofEuropean settlers in the 17th century, thepolitical map of NorthAmerica changedquickly and significantly.Study the historical andpolitical maps of theUnited States andCanada on these twopages. In your notebook,answer these questions.

Making Comparisons1. What differences do you

notice when you compare

the map of 1600 with the

map of the United States

and Canada today?

2. Which names of native

peoples are found as

geographic names on

the map on page 105?

3. Which country was more

sparsely settled by native

peoples in 1600?

104 UNIT 2

Gulf of Mexico

HudsonBay

ATLANTICOCEAN

ARCTIC OCEAN

PACIFICOCEAN

50°N

60°N 70°N

40°N

90°W100°W110°W 80°W 70°W

30°N

ArcticCirc

leTropic of Cancer

Inuit

Kutchin

Kaska

Inuit

Inuit

Inuit

Inuit

Inuit

Inuit

Inuit

Aleut

Inuit

Cree

Chipewyan

KwakiutlNootka

Haida

SalishChinook

YurokPomo

Chumash

Papago

ShoshoneShoshone

Hopi

Apache

ApachePuebloNavajo

MandanCrow

Arapaho

Cheyenne

Wichita

Kiowa

MiamiIllinois

Shawnee

Algonquin

HuronOttawa

OjibwaAssiniboin

Micmac

Iroquois

Susquehannock

Cherokee

ChickasawCreek

ApalacheeChoctawNatchez

BlackfeetNez

Perce

Ute

FoxSioux

Erie

Animals and wild plants

Cultivated plants

Fish

Animals

Wild plants

Native peoples

Major food source

Crow

N

SE

W

0

0 500 1,000 kilometers

500 1,000 miles

Azimuthal Equal–Area Projection

Selected Native Peoples of North America, c. 1600

G u l f o f

M e x i c o

Labrador Sea

Davis Strait

Beaufort Sea

Gulf ofAlaska

Bering Sea

Chukchi Sea

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

HudsonBay

B a f f i nB a y

G r e e n l a n d S e a

Gu

l fo

fC

al i f o

r ni a

James Bay

Denm

arkStra

it

Bering Strait

Gulfof

St. Lawre

nce

AT L A N T I C

O C E A N

A R C T I C O C E A N

P A C I F I C

O C E A N

C A N A D A

MEXICO

R U S S I A

ICELAND

CUBA

GUATEMALAEL SALVADOR

BELIZE

NICARAGUA

COSTA RICA

PANAMA

COLOMBIA

HONDURAS

BAHAMAS

Bermuda(U.K.)

HAITIDOMINICAN

REPUBLIC

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

YukonR

.

Mackenzie

R.

Colu

mbi

aR

.

St. L

awre

nce

R.

Colorado R.

Grande

Rio

M

ississippi R.

Mis

siss

ippi

R.

OhioR.

Missouri R.

L. Superior

L.M

ichi

gan

L. Huron

L. Ontario

GreatSlave Lake

LakeAthabasca

LakeWinnipeg

GreatBear Lake

L. Erie

ALASKA(U.S.)

BRITISHCOLUMBIA

ALBERTA

SASKATCHEWAN

YUKONTERRITORY

MANITOBA

O N T A R I O

NORTHWESTTERRITORIES

NUNAVUT

Q U E B E C

NEWBRUNSWICK

NOVASCOTIA

PRINCEEDWARDISLAND

N E W F O U N D L A ND

WASHINGTON

OREGON

CALIFORNIA

NEVADAUTAH

ARIZONA NEWMEXICO

T E X A S LA.ALA.

MISS. GEORGIA

FLORIDA

S.C.

N.C.TENNESSEE

KENTUCKYVIRGINIA

PENN.

N.Y.

MAINE

W.VA.

ARK.

MO.

ILL.

KANSAS

OKLAHOMA

NEBRASKA IOWA

COLORADO

WYOMINGS. DAKOTA

N. DAKOTAMONTANA

IDAHO

MINN.

WIS.

MICH.

IND. OHION.J.DEL.

MD.

CONN.R.I.

MASS.

VT.N.H.

GREENLAND(Den.)

Washington, D.C.

Ottawa

Anchorage

Edmonton

Vancouver Calgary

Seattle Winnipeg

Salt Lake City

San Francisco

Los Angeles

San DiegoPhoenix

Dallas

Houston New Orleans

Miami

Atlanta

Philadelphia

New York

BostonToronto

Montreal

Minneapolis

DetroitChicago

St.Louis

Kansas City

40°N

30°N

50°N

20°N

10°N

0°

80°W90°W100°W110°W120°W130°W

140°W

150°W

160°W

180°

170°E

160°E

30°N

40°N

20°N

60°N

0°

10°W

10°E

30°W

40°W

70°W

50°W

80°N

70°N60°N

Arct

icCi

rcle

Tropic of Cancer

PACIFICOCEAN

H a w a i i a nI s l a

n

ds

Hawaii

KauaiNihau Oahu

MolokaiLanai Maui

KahoolaweHAWAII

Honolulu

156°W 154°W

22°N

20°N

158°W160°W

0

0 75 150 kilometers

75 150 miles

N

S

EW

National capital

Other city

0

0 250 500 kilometers

250 500 miles

Azimuthal Equal–Area Projection

105

United States and Canada: Political

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Regional Patterns

These pages containthree thematic mapsand an infographic. Theinfographic illustrateseconomic connectionsbetween the UnitedStates and Canada. Themaps show economicactivities, populationdensity, and areasaffected by naturalhazards.

Study these two pagesand then answer thequestions below in yournotebook.

Making Comparisons1. Where are the areas of

greatest population

density found in each

country? Do settlement

patterns have any

relationship to the threat

of natural hazards?

2. Where are manufacturing

and trade concentrated

in the United States and

Canada? Why might this

be so?

Gulf of Mexico

HudsonBay

ATLANTICOCEAN

ARCTICOCEAN

PAC I F I CO C E A N

C A N A D A

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

Manufacturing and trade

Commercial farming

Livestock raising

Subsistence farming

Nomadic herding

Forestry

Commercial fishing

Hunting, fishing, and forestry

Little or no economic activity

N

S E

W

0

0 500 1,000 kilometers

500 1,000 miles

Azimuthal Equal–Area Projection

Economic Activities of the U.S. and Canada

106 UNIT 2

Direct Investment TourismTradeImmigration

21,7

51

people

(1996)

)8991(

elp

oe

p0

55,

4

)89

91(n

oillim

80

3,

65

1$S

U)8

991(

noilli

m4

48,

471$S

U US$5

1,0

00

mill

ion

(1998) )8991(

noilli

m8

09,

30

1$S

U

)9991(sr

elev

artn

oillim

1.4

1

14.8

mill

ion

trave

lers

(199

8)

CANADA

UNITED STATES

Canada-U.S. Connections

Source: The Europa World Year Book 2000

This graphic shows that the geographic

nearness of the United States and Canada

has resulted in economic connections.

Gulf ofMexico

Davis Strait

BeaufortSea

Gulf ofAlaska

HudsonBay

BaffinBay

AT L A N T I CO C E A N

ARCTIC OCEAN

PAC I F I CO C E A N

C A N A D A

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

60°N 50°N

10°N

20°N

30°N

40°N

20°N

80°W 70°W 60°W110°W 100°W 90°W120°W

150°W

ArcticCirc

le

Tropic of Cancer

N

SE

W

0

0 500 1,000 kilometers

500 1,000 miles

Azimuthal Equal–Area Projection

Earthquakes*

Volcanoes*

Tsunamis

Tropical storm track

Areas at high risk for tornadoes

Selected rivers subject to flooding

Areas subject to desertification

*20th century

Gulf of Mexico

HudsonBay

AT L A N T I CO C E A N

A R C T I C O C E A N

PAC I F I CO C E A N

C A N A D A

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

50°N

30°N

40°N

70°W90°W100°W110°W 60°W120°W

ArcticCirc

le

Tropic of Cancer

Calgary

Seattle

Vancouver

Edmonton

San Francisco

Los AngelesSan Diego

Phoenix Dallas

Houston

Philadelphia

Washington, D.C.

Atlanta

Miami

New York

BostonToronto

Winnipeg

Detroit

MontrealQuebec

ChicagoBaltimore

Minneapolis

Personsper

sq mi

Personspersq km

Over 520260–519130–259

25–1291–24

0

Over 200100–19950–9910–491–90

Metropolitan areagreater than 2 million

N

SE

W

0

0 500 1,000 kilometers

500 1,000 miles

Azimuthal Equal–Area Projection

Natural Hazards of the U.S. and Canada

Population Density of the U.S. and Canada

107

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