Geography
Lesson 1
From Sea to Shining Sea
- U.S. stretches 2807 miles across N. America
- contiguous – joined together within common boundary
A Vast
A.
Vast, Scenic Land
1. U.S. is the 4th largest country
a)) Coastal Plains
1) lowland which runs along the east coast
2) good area for harbors and ports
3) megalopolis – huge urban area
- cities are connected to each other
- (New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, D.C.)
b) Appalachian Mountains
1) oldest mtns. in N. Am.
(a) rounded peaks show their age
c) Interior Plains
1) Central Lowland
(a) grassy hills, rolling flatland, and forests
(b) area was formed by glaciers
2) Great Plains – West of Miss. River
( ) flat
(a)
fl t fields
fi ld andd pastures
t
(b) stretches to Rocky Mtns.
d)) Mountains & Plateaus
1) Rocky Mountains
(a) Alaska to Mexico
(b) Continental Divide
- separates rivers that flow east and west
2) Plateaus make good farmland west of Rockies
e) Pacific Coast
1) Cascade Range – formed by volcanoes
2) Sierra Nevada Range – “snow
snow covered”
covered
f) Alaska
1) Mt. McKinley – tallest mtn. in N.Am. 20,320 ft.
2) N. Alaska is very cold – near Arctic Ocean
g) Hawaii
1) formed by 8 large islands
(a) volcanoes formed them
(b) coral reefs – skeletons of small sea creatures
- lie just below the ocean surface
B. Variety of Climates
1 NE U.S.
1.
U S has a humid continental climate
- cold winters, long summers
2. SE U.S. has humid subtropical climate
- mild
ild winters,
i t
hot
h t andd humid
h id summers
3. Pacific Coast has marine west coast climate
- mild temperatures year round
4. Great Plains has dry climate
- hot desert-like climate
5 Alaska has sub arctic tundra climate
5.
6. Hawaii and Florida have warm tropical with lots of rain