The eight physical region of north america
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Transcript of The eight physical region of north america
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The Eight Physical Region of North
AmericaBy Andrew D.
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Table of Contends
• The Appalachian Region
• The Coastal Region
• The Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Lowland
• The Interior Plains
• The Western Cordillera
• The Canadian Shield
• The Intermountain Region
• The Arctic Region
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The Appalachian Region
• Topography
• Vegetation
• Climate
• Economic Activity
• Environmental Concerns
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Topography
• The Appalachian mountains are made up of many different mountain ranges
• They are old mountains, formed about 300,000,000 years ago
• Erosion has reduced the mountain’s once sharp, ragged peaks into rolling mountains and hills
• The Appalachian region also contains rivers and fertile plateaus
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Vegetation
• The Appalachian region is heavily forested with coniferous and deciduous trees
• The trees that live by the river have much richer soil, which makes the trees much healthier
• These can also survive in poor and unproductive soil
• The Appalachian region has a type of rock called Sedimentary
• Sedimentary rock is a type of rock formed by erosion of other rocks
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Climate
• The Appalachian region’s climate is affected by the two ocean currents
• The Labrador Current brings cold water south from the Arctic and causes freezing
• The Gulf Stream brings in warm water from the Caribbean and along the coast of North America
• Where the Gulf Stream and the Labrador Current meet is an ideal breeding ground for fish by encouraging the growth of plankton and microscopic organisms for food for the fish
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Economic Activity
• The Appalachian region is a 205,000 square mile region that follows the spine of the Appalachian Mountains from Southern New York to Northern Mississippi
• 42% of the region’s population rural, compared with 20 percent of national population
• The region’s economy, once highly dependant on mining, forestry, agriculture, chemical industries, and heavy industry, has become more diversified in recent times
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Environmental Concerns
• Laurel Branch Hollow was once a small West Virginia mountain valley, with steep, forested hillsides and a stream
• Over the past decade, the Hobet 21 mountaintop removal coal mining operation has obliterated 25 square miles of the surrounding highlands
• When mountains are demolished with explosives to harvest their coal, million of tons of crushed shale, sandstone, and coal detritus have to go somewhere
• Mining operations clear-cut the hillsides and literally “fill” mountain hollows to the brim
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Coastal Plains
• Topography
• Vegetation
• Climate
• Economic Activity
• Environmental Concerns
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Topography
• The Coastal Plains have an average elevation of less than 200 meters above sea
• More than half of the Coastal Plains is less than 30 meters above sea level
• In the past, the gradual sinking of land allowed the sea to submerge to lower reaches of many streams across the plains
• The Hudson river, for example, can be navigated as far inland as Albany
• An important feature of the Gulf Coastal Plains is the Mississippi Delta – where the Mississippi empties into the Gulf of Mexico
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Vegetation
• The soils of the Coastal Plains are mainly very sandy
• The natural vegetation has adapted to the sandy soil
• In some areas (Mexico) lush jungles developed
• The original vegetation of the area was pine forests
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Climate
• In the north, it is characterized by cold and snowy winters and hot, humid summers
• The southern parts have a sub-tropical climate, with mild to warm winters
• The southern parts of the region also have heavy hurricanes
• Precipitation is high, particularly along the coast and seasonal
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Economic Activity
• The Coastal Plain’s main economic activities are tourism and recreation, shipping at the ports, paper-making, commercial fishing, and forestry
• Coastal fisheries and forest resources support a number of industries engaged in economic activities
• The economic activities of the Gulf Coastal Plains in east Texas is not good considering all the hurricanes flooding into the gulf in the past
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Environmental Concerns
• Some warn that unplanned growth could result in traffic jams and sewage spills and water shortages
• Can be harming to the very ambience that draws so many to the region
• Fragile habitats with endangered species could be threatened
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The Great lakes-St. Lawrence Lowland
• Topography
• Vegetation
• Climate
• Economic Activity
• Environmental Concerns
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Topography
• The Great Lakes section of this region have rolling landscape created mainly by glaciation
• The St. Lawrence section consists of flat plains on either side of the river, which gradually begins to rise into the Canadian Shield and the Appalachian region
• Flat plains are broken by hills and deep river valleys
• Faults lead to the sinking of the area around the St. Lawrence, which was then flooded by part of the Atlantic Ocean
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Vegetation
• Originally this region, which has very fertile soils, was heavily treed
• The Great Lakes section once had Canada’s largest broad-leafed forest, because its soil and climate conditions allowed maple, beech, hickory, and black walnut trees to thrive
• In other parts, the vegetation was mixed forest of both deciduous and conifers, such as maple, beech, oak, ash, birch, spruce, fir, pine, and cedar
• As well as, tobacco plants, peaches, cherries, grapes, apples, hay, and many other vegetables
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Climate
• The climate is a humid, continental climate, that is a dry climate with very cold winters and very hot summers
• During the summer, the Great Lakes tend to lower the temperature
• The Great Lakes also raise the temperature in the surrounding areas in the winter
• The Great Lakes tend to cool the temperature during the summer by releasing the heat out of the area
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Economic Activity
• Swimming, hockey, lacrosse, badminton, soccer and many other sports are examples of some activities
• As well as, fishing and boating
• Some popular attractions is the Niagara Falls in Ottawa and the CN Tower in Toronto
• Poultry, dairy, meat and specialty crop farming; car, steel and iron manufacturing; and copper, silver, lead zinc, and coal mining are all economic activities
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Environmental Concerns
• Since 1960, there has been an awakening of magnitude caused from pollution, habitat loss and exotic species
• There has been a downfall in water quality and habitat began with modern settlement
• Agricultural development, forestry, and urbanization caused streams and shoreline marshes to silt up and harbour areas to become septic
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Interior Plains
• Topography
• Vegetation
• Climate
• Economic Activity
• Environmental Concerns
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Topography
• In the US, Interior Plains are divided into the Central Lowland and the Great in Plains
• The northern border of the Central Lowland is formed by the Canadian Shield, the Great Lakes, and the St. Lawrence River
• The Great Plains are higher elevation than the Central Lowland, rising from about 600 meters to 1500 meters above sea level in the west
• In Canada’s prairie provinces, the Interior Plains contain three different elevation, which are separated by escarpments
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Vegetation
• Once the Central Lowland east of the Mississippi was covered with mixed deciduous trees and scattered evergreens
• West of the Mississippi, in the Great Plains, prairie grasses grew as tall as a person
• The natural vegetation was also grassland – trees grew only in the river valleys
• In the northern portion of the Interior Plains, boreal forests grows, gradually becoming tundra towards the Arctic Ocean
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Climate
• The climate of the Interior Plains is a continental climate, affected by its location in the heart of the continent
• It is a climate of extremes, including long, hot summers, cold winters, and little precipitation
• Farther north, the winters are colder and longer, and the summers are shorter and cooler
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Economic Activity
• The Interior Plains have a couple of major economic activities such as, agriculture and mining
• The agriculture is split into 2 parts; livestock and vegetable
• The livestock grown in the in the Interior Plains are cattle, pigs, poultry, etc.
• Vegetables grown in the Interior Plains are; wheat, barley, oats flax, canola, mustard, potatoes, corn, and sugar beets
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Environmental Concerns
• Farm pollutants seeping into the ground and/or operating off into the river and lake programs
• Incorporated industries and other human activities such as; driving automobiles, disposing waste into landfills and lumber harvesting
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Canadian Shield
• Topography
• Vegetation
• Climate
• Economic Activity
• Environmental Concerns
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Topography
• During the Ice Age, glaciers removed most of the soil, leaving a barren rock surface in many places
• The retreat of the glaciers affected the drainage of the Shield to significant degree
• Debris deposited by the glaciers damned up rivers, or forced them to flow in different directions
• The average elevation of the Shield is about 100 metres above sea level in the north, rising to about 500 metres in the south
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Vegetation
• Boreal forests covers most of the Shield, since evergreens, such as spruce, pine, and fir
• North of the tree line, no trees are able to grow; the growing season is too short, there is little rain, and there is permafrost
• Some deciduous trees, such as poplar and white birch, are small and weak, more suited to the pulp and paper industry than to lumbering
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Climate
• The climate varies throughout the vast area covered by the Canadian Shield
• As you travel north, the winters become increasingly longer and colder; with the summers becoming shorter and cooler
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Economic Activity
• The Canadian Shield is Canada’s largest physiographic region, which stretches from the north-east of the Northwest Territories to the south of Ontario
• The Canadian Shield produces significant economic activity through its lumber industry and mining operations
• The Shield is one of the richest areas in terms of mineral ores
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Environmental Concerns
• Coal-burning factories, cars, and trucks release chemicals that pollute the air
• High levels of acids in rain can damage or kill trees and pollute lakes enough to kill fish
• Blasting and digging with heavy machinery causes the land around mines to be damaged and the environmental is often ruined
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Western Cordillera
• Topography
• Vegetation
• Climate
• Economic Activity
• Environmental Concerns
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Topography
• The Western Cordillera is comprised of new mountains not yet worn down by erosion
• They are more than twice as high as the Appalachian Mountains in the east
• They are many different mountain ranges in this region; such as the Rocky Mountains, and the Continental Divide
• All the rivers east of the Rockies flow east, finding their way into the Gulf of Mexico
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Vegetation
• Western Cordillera vegetation varies from one side of a mountain to the other
• On the moist side, windward slopes evergreens, such as the Douglas fir, western hemlock, and western red cedar, grow to tremendous age and size on the lower slopes
• The giant sequoia, the largest tree in the world, grows near Yosemite
• At the very top of the mountains, the vegetation becomes similar to the tundra, or it ceases entirely
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Climate
• The west coast has a marine time climate
• The west coast is mild and moist, and parts of it are among the wettest regions on Earth
• Moderated by the water of the Pacific Ocean, winters are usually above freezing
• Summers are cooler than the Interior of the continent
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Economic Activity
• Farming, Mining, and fishing are examples of economic activities
• Tourism would be also an economic activity since many tourists come to see the beautiful scenery in the towns of Banff and Jasper
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Environmental Concerns
• There are some types of birds, squirrels and asparagus going endangered
• The timber industry cutting out large pieces of forests
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Intermountain Region
• Topography
• Vegetation
• Climate
• Economic Activity
• Environmental Concerns
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Topography
• In many areas, the streams and rivers of the Intermountain Region’s mountains and plateaus never reach the sea
• They flow into brackish lakes, such as the Great Salt Lake in Utah
• In this region, there are areas that can be made productive by irrigation
• The Intermountain region covers many various areas between the ocean coast and the Rocky Mountain; its many wetlands, rivers, and lakes provide habitats for many birds
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Vegetation
• The vegetation of the Intermountain region generally ranges between sparse grassland to plants that can survive in semi-desert or desert conditions
• The higher areas are covered by thin pin forests
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Climate
• The climate of the Intermountain region is affected by its location and by its elevation
• Winters can be cool and wet or hot and dry, depending what part it is
• In the southern part, winters are short and warm with very little rain
• In the northern part, the climate is more moderate, with moist winters and hot, dry summers
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Economic Activity
• The main economic activities are forestry and agriculture
• Some of the flowers grown include the Western Yallow, Blue Camas and the Arrow leaf Balsamroot
• Forestation is a very important economic activity; trees such as pine and cedar are grown in the Intermountain region
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Environmental Concerns
• Global Warming has a massive effect on the Intermountain region
• It has increased the severity of droughts, winter flows and floods
• Global warming has endangered many of Intermountain region’s wildlife; such as the sage, grouse, and the Northern salmon
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The Arctic
• Topography
• Vegetation
• Climate
• Economic Activity
• Environmental Concerns
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Topography
• Most of the Arctic near the ocean is very flat
• The mountains of the north were formed by folding and are presently covered by glaciers
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Vegetation
• Very few plant life can survive here; can grow on the mountains of the Arctic
• Trees cannot grow in the tundra, because the climate is too cold and dry, and only thaws a bit in the summer
• Small shrubs, mosses, and lichens are the only things that grow
• They cling to the ground and absorb any warmth and moisture
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Climate
• Very few plant life can survive here; can grow on the mountains of the Arctic
• Trees cannot grow in the tundra, because the climate is too cold and dry, and only thaws a bit in the summer
• Small shrubs, mosses, and lichens are the only things that grow
• They cling to the ground and absorb any warmth and moisture
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Economic Activity
• A main economic activity is the search for oil, gas and other minerals in the Arctic Sea
• In 2008, the Americans discovered 90 barrels of oil, and 44 barrels of natural gas liquids in the Arctic Circle
• This represents 13% of the world’s undiscovered oil and natural gas
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Environmental Concerns
• The Arctic continues to rise, and has caused a significant increase in sea level
• As the ice melts, the Arctic waters continuously to get warmer, because it allows more solar energy to be absorbed by the oceans