World Geography North America

North America

Notes

1. 
   North America History
   
   1. 
      First Americans
      

- 10,000 years ago people populated all of North America

2. 
   European Explorers started in late 1500’s
   
   1. 
      Spanish
      
      • 
        controlled: Florida ad large area west of the Mississippi River
        
      • 
        came for: to block expansion of other European powers; founded military posts or missions- tried to convert natives to Christianity
        

2. 
   French
   
   • 
     controlled: along St. Lawrence River and Miss R, near Gulf of Mexico
     
   • 
     came for: economic reasons- set up trading post (beaver pelts) to ship to Europe. Most did not plan to settle
     

3. 
   English
   
   • 
     controlled: Land along Atlantic coast and around Hudson Bay
     

• 
  came for: a lot of settlers came to escape religious persecution
  

• 
  split 1763 France had to give land in NA to Britian, natives didn’t like a lot of Brit practices, colonists started to reject British rule- revolted and formed US- loyalist went to British controlled Can- Can eventually broke from Eng- peacefully
  

2. 
   North America Physical Features:
   
   1. 
      Physical Land Formations
      

- continent with the most coastlines

1. 
   Canadian Shield: large area of bare rock
   
   • 
     Surrounds Hudson bay- eastern and central Can
     
   • 
     Planets oldest rocks (Precambrian times) used to mountains that have eroded away- now covered in thick forest
     

2. 
   Eastern Uplands
   
   • 
     Appalachian Mountains Mountain chain from Quebec to Alabama
     
   • 
     2^nd lagest mnt chain and oldest mountains in NA
     

3. 
   Western Mountains
   
   • 
     Pacific Range- western part of NA includes Alaskan, Coastal, Cascade and Sierra Nevada Mountains- not as tall as other mnt ranges in NA
     
   • 
     Rocky Mountains 3,000 mi long from New Mex. to Alaska- tallest and longest mnt chain in NA
     

4. 
   Central Plains includes great plain (also called High plains) area between rockies and miss river
   

5. 
   General Features
   
   • 
     Longest river: Mississippi river (2,340 mi)
     
   • 
     Highest Point: Mount McKinley
     
   • 
     Lowest Point: Death Valley
     

2. 
   Divide line that separates rivers that flow toward opposite ends of a continent
   
   1. 
      Continental Divide: Rocky Mnts
      
      • 
        Waters flowing west go to Pacific
        
      • 
        Waters flowing east go to Miss and Atlantic
        

2. 
   Height of Land in Canada
   
   • 
     Separates waters flowing into Arctic Ocean