North AmericaGeography and Physical Features

© 2014 Tara Fountain

Mapping Activity

There are 8 different types of land use on this map.

They are located near bodies of water or oceans because it makes transportation of raw materials and goods easier.

FAST FACTS

•The United States is the 3rd largest country in the world.•The United States also includes Alaska and Hawaii.

• The Rocky Mountains are the largest mountain system in North America.

LANDFORMS

Rocky Mountain

s

LANDFORMS

• An “imaginary” line that separates the flow of rivers to the oceans.

• It runs from northwestern Canada, along the crest of the Rocky Mountains and continues down into Mexico.

Continental Divide

Every continent has a continental divide

expect for Antarctica

LANDFORMS

• Second largest mountain range in North America

• The Mountains become the Laurentian Highlands in Canada.

AppalachianMountains

• Huge plain area that lies between the Rocky Mountains and west of the Mississippi River

LANDFORMS

Great Plains

GREAT PLAIN

S

FEATURES OF THE UNITED STATES

West of the

Rockies lies

a region of

plateaus

and basins.

The largest of

these basins is

Great Basin

LANDFORMS

What is a

plateau? What is a basin?

Area of land, with a flat

surface (like a tabletop) that

is raised above the land that

surrounds it.

A large, bowl-shaped depression in the surface of the land or ocean floor.

FEATURES OF THE UNITED STATES

Where is the hottest

place In North America?

DEATH VALLEY!!!

DEATH VALLEY

FEATURES OF Canada

Yukon

Mount Logan, Canada’s

highest peak, is located in

Yukon Territory

Bodies of Water

• Great Lakes give us the largest supply of fresh water on earth!

• Lake Michigan is the only one that lies entirely in the United States

• The other four are part of the border between the United Sates and Canada

Great Lakes

Michigan

Superior

Huron

Ontario

Erie

Bodies of Water

A

transportation

s corridor is:

Routes by which people

can travel by foot, air,

vehicle, rail or ship.

Rivers in CanadaCANADA HAS 2 MAJOR RIVERS

• Canada’s longest river is the Mackenzie.

• It forms in the Rockies and flows North into the Arctic Ocean

you think the St. Lawrence River is called the Mother of Canada

Rivers in the United StatesUSA HAS MANY

IMPORTANT RIVERS

• The Mississippi River is largest river in the US.

• It begins in Minnesota and flows thru the Central Plains into the Gulf of Mexico.

Two other major rivers in the US are:

• Ohio River• Missouri River

Bodies of Water What is a Delta?

A delta is a plain or landform

that occurs at the mouth of a

river near where the river

flows into the ocean or other

body of water.