U.S. and Canada share an undefended border, topographical features (like mountain ranges), similar governments, economies, and lifestyles
Abundant natural resources
Fossil fuels – coal, natural gas, oil
Metals – copper, zinc, gold, silver
Renewable resources - forests, fishing, fresh water, fertile soil (Canada has 5% arable land, U.S. has 20% arable/farmable land
Continental divide (the Great Divide) – high ridge of the Rockies that determines the direction that rivers flow: East of the Continental Divide, waters flow into the Arctic Ocean, the Hudson Bay, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Atlantic Ocean; West of the Continental Divide waters flow into the Pacific Ocean
Rivers
Mississippi River
St. Lawrence River
Colorado River
Columbia River
Rio Grande
Other Water Bodies
Gulf of Mexico
Great Lakes (Superior, Huron, Erie, Ontario, Michigan)
From Tundra climates in northern Alaska and Canada to Tropical Savanna in southern Florida and Tropical Rainforest in Hawaii
Complete the Climate Regions Chart
Physical Geography of the U.S. & Canada (cont.)
Topographical Features:
Mountain ranges line both the eastern and western edge
West Coast to East Coast:
Pacific Range – line the Western Coast of Canada and the U.S.; includes the Alaskan range (location of Mt. McKinley, the highest peak in North America), the Coast Range, the Sierra Nevadas, and the Cascade Range
Rocky Mountains – the longest mountain chain in North America; 3,000 miles long; connect Canada and the U.S.
Plateaus – mountains in the west give way to plateaus; includes the Colorado Plateau and the Grand Canyon in the United States; the Nechako Plateau and the Fraser Plateau in Canada
Plains – plateaus fall to plains further east and form the Great Plains which spans both the U.S. and Canada; the Great Plains slope even lower near the Mississippi River Valley to form the Central Lowlands
Appalachian Mountains – span the eastern coast of the U.S.
Canadian Shield – a giant core of rock centered on the Hudson Bay anchors the continent
Piedmont – lowlands just to the east of the Appalachian Mountains
Atlantic Coastal Plain – line the eastern seaboard
Islands are important in the region
Manhattan Island – part of New York City; on the mouth of the Hudson River; a major U.S. and world economic center
Hawaiian Archipelago – volcanic island chain forming the state of Hawaii in the Pacific Ocean