Geography North America

Australia and Oceania

By Jack GarrityPhysical Geography North America

Chapter 8Pages 131-135

The United States and Canada form a geographic region of enormous physical variety and natural wealth

This wealth includes breathtaking landforms shaped by the forces of water, wind and geology over millions of years.

These landforms, such as the rugged, mountainous areas near Yellowstone National Park, have attracted adventurers and inspired writers for decades.

LandformsIn North America, water, wind glacial, and geologic forces shape the landscapes of the USA and Canada.

LandformsThe 3rd in area, North America accounts for 24.71millionkm.

LandformsThe West coast has new sharp mountains that become plains extending across the continent to meet the older eroded mountains in the east.

Western Mountains, Plains, and PlateausTectonic plate collisions created the sharp peaked Pacific Ranges millions of years ago.

Western Mountains, Plains, and PlateausThese include the Sierra Nevada,

Western Mountains, Plains, and PlateausThese include the Sierra Nevada, the Cascade Range

1980 Mt St Helen

Western Mountains, Plains, and PlateausThese include the Sierra Nevada, the volcanic Cascade Range, the Coast Range

Western Mountains, Plains, and PlateausThese include the Sierra Nevada, the volcanic Cascade Range, the Coast Range, and the Alaska Range.

Western Mountains, Plains, and PlateausMount McKinley is the highest point on the continent at 6,194 meters.

Western Mountains, Plains, and PlateausThe Rocky Mountains stretch for 4,828 km with some peaks more than 4,267 m tall.

Western Mountains, Plains, and PlateausDry basins and plateaus fill the area between the Pacific Ranges and Rocky Mountains.

Basin ahollowordepressionintheearth'ssurface,whollyorpartly surroundedbyhigherland:

Western Mountains, Plains, and PlateausLeaking lava formed the Columbia Plateau.

Western Mountains, Plains, and PlateausWind and water erosion have shaped the Colorado Plateau with flat-topped mesas.

Western Mountains, Plains, and PlateausWind and water erosion have shaped the Colorado Plateau with flat-topped mesas.

Western Mountains, Plains, and PlateausMillions of years of water erosion with continued uplift creates the Grand Canyon of the Colorado River.

Western Mountains, Plains, and PlateausMillions of years of water erosion with continued uplift creates the Grand Canyon of the Colorado River.

Western Mountains, Plains, and PlateausThe Gran Canyons sheer walls plunge 1,829 m deep.

Western Mountains, Plains, and PlateausThe Great Basin cradles Death Valley, the lowest place in the US and usually the hottest place on the planet.

The hottest air temperature ever recorded in Death Valley was134 F(56.7 C)

Western Mountains, Plains, and PlateausEast of the Rockies, the land falls and flattens into the Great Plains, which extent 483-1,126 km across the center.

Western Mountains, Plains, and PlateausThe Great Plains begin at 1,829 m, yet appear flat.

Western Mountains, Plains, and PlateausThe Great plains slope downwards at about 2 m per km to the Central Lowlands along the Mississippi River.

Eastern Mountains and LowlandsEast of the Mississippi, the land rises slowly to the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains.

Eastern Mountains and LowlandsThe heavily eroded Appalachian Mountains are the oldest and 2nd longest 2,412 km.

Eastern Mountains and LowlandsGlaciers eroded the Appalachian Mountains throughout the Ice Age.

Eastern Mountains and LowlandsThey average 910 m, the highest of the group isMount Mitchellin North Carolina at 2,037 m.

Eastern Mountains and LowlandsThe Canadian Shield, a giant core of rock, anchors the continent on the edge of the Canadian Plain.

Eastern Mountains and LowlandsThis stony land makes up the eastern half of Canada and northeastern USA.

Eastern Mountains and LowlandsThe Canadian Shield descends to Hudson Bay.

Churchill Canada on the Hudson Bay

Eastern Mountains and LowlandsCoastal lowlands lie east and south of the Appalachians.

Eastern Mountains and LowlandsThe Piedmont, an area of rolling hills, runs between the mountains and lowlands.

Eastern Mountains and LowlandsIn the south east, the Gulf Coastal Plain extends to Texas.

IslandsThe Hawaiian Islands are volcanic.

IslandsLava accumulations created the 8 major and124 smaller Islands of the State.

IslandsThe Ellesmere Islands are part of the continent.

IslandsGreenland, the worlds largest island 2.2 million km2, remains part of Denmark.

Islands Newfoundland, Prince Edward Island and Cape Breton Islands are economic ports on the east coast of Canada.

IslandsVancouver Island is Canadas main port to Asia.

IslandsNew York Citys Manhattan Island is the main world economic center.

Water SystemsLakes and rivers in North America continue to be important to economic development. Major rivers, the super highways of the past, connected the cities of the continent.

RiversThe Continental Divide determines which way rivers flow.

RiversWest of the Continental Divide rivers flow towards the Pacific Ocean.

RiversThe Colorado and Rio Grande have their headwaters in the Rocky Mountains.

RiversDozens of smaller tributary rivers connect with them.

Atributaryis a stream orriverthat flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent)riveror a lake. Atributarydoes not flow directly into a sea or ocean

RiversEast of the Continental Divide Rivers flow towards the Atlantic Ocean, and Hudson Bay.

RiversThey flow into the Mississippi River, which runs North South.

RiversThey flow into the Mississippi River flows 3,782 km towards the Gulf of Mexico.

RiversIts headwater is so thin that you can jump across it in Minnesota.

RiversIt reaches a width of 2.4 km as it empties into the Gulf of Mexico.

RiversIt drains 31 US states and 2 Canadian Providences, making it one of the worlds busiest commercial waterways.

RiversThe St. Lawrence River flows for 1.207 km from Lake Ontario to the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

RiversThe Canadian cities of Quebec, Montreal, and Ottawa depend on the St. Lawrence for trade and transportation.

RiversNiagara Falls forms another part of the boarder with the Horseshoe Falls on the Canadian side and the American Falls on the US side.

51m

LakesGlacial dams created Great Bear Lake and Great Slave Lake.

Area:31,153kmSurface elevation:156mMean depth:72m

LakesGlacial erosion tore the Canadian Shield leaving huge basins.

LakesThese filled with water from melting glaciers, becoming the Great Lakes.

The Great Lakes Superior,Huron, Michigan, Ontario and Erie.

The Great Lakes make up the largest body of fresh water on Earth, accounting for one-fifth of the freshwater surface on the planet at 6 quadrillion gallons.

Area:244,106km

Area:244,106km UAE 83,600km

Natural ResourcesAbundant natural resources have made the US and Canada wealthy, especially as they were not sent to Europe.

United States has 8,133.5 metric tons of gold.

metric tonnouna unit of weight equal to 1,000 kilograms (2,205 lb).

25 metric tons of silver

The United States is currently third in food production, but still produces so much it throws half away.

Fossil fuels Oil production this year1Russia10,500,0002Saudi Arabia(OPEC)10,000,0003United States9,200,0004Iraq(OPEC)4,300,0005China, People's Republic of4,100,0006Canada3,800,0007Iran(OPEC)3,500,0008United Arab Emirates(OPEC)2,700,0009Kuwait(OPEC)2,500,00010Venezuela(OPEC)2,400,000

GDP Gross Domestic ProductWorld[8]75,212,6961United States18,561,930European Union[n 1][8]16,518,7232China[n 2]11,391,6193Japan4,730,3004Germany3,494,9005United Kingdom2,649,8906France2,488,2807India2,250,9908Italy1,852,5009Brazil1,769,60010Canada1,532,340

Gross Domestic Product(GDP) is the broadest quantitative measure of a nation's total economic activity. More specifically,GDPrepresents the monetary value of all goods and services produced within a nation's geographic borders over a specified period of time.

GDP Per capita1Qatar132,8702Luxembourg99,5063Singapore85,3824Brunei79,5085Kuwait70,5426Norway68,5917United Arab Emirates67,2178Ireland65,8069San Marino62,93810Switzerland58,647Hong Kong56,87811United States56,08412Saudi Arabia53,80213Netherlands49,62414Bahrain49,60115Sweden48,199

GDP adjusted inflationand exchange

RankCountryUS$1Luxembourg149,1602Switzerland80,6033Norway74,5984Qatar68,9405Ireland61,2066United States56,0847Singapore52,8888Denmark52,1399Australia51,18110Iceland50,27711Sweden50,05012San Marino49,61513United Kingdom43,90214Austria43,72415Netherlands43,60316Canada43,41317Finland42,413Hong Kong42,29518Germany40,95219Belgium40,52920United Arab Emirates38,650

CountryAverage annual wages, 2015constant prices at 2015 USD PPPsUnited States58,714United Kingdom41,384Switzerland58,389Sweden40,909Spain36,325South Korea33,110Slovenia33,085Slovak Republic22,031Portugal24,105Poland23,998Norway50,908Netherlands50,670Mexico14,867Luxembourg60,369Japan35,780Italy34,140Israel29,794Ireland46,074Hungary19,999Greece25,211Germany44,925France41,252Finland40,731Estonia21,564Denmark50,024Czech Republic21,689Canada47,843Belgium47,702Austria46,084Australia50,167

Next time, Cultural Latin America

end

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Geography North America