Unit Planning Guide

UNIT PACING CHART

Unit 2 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7
Day 1 Unit Opener, Chapter Opener, Chapter Opener, Chapter Opener,
Regional Atlas Section 1 Section 1 Section 1

Day 2 Regional Atlas Section 1, Why Geography Section 2 Case Study

Matters

Day 3 Section 2 Review, Chapter Assessment Section 2

Day 4 Review, Chapter Assessment Review, Chapter Assessment

Unit 2: United States and Canada
Predicting the Future Have students con-
sider the following issues and topics: urban
growth, globalization, global warming, and
political cooperation. Then have them describe
how the United States or Canada in 2025 will
look, feel, or sound in relation to these issues.
Lou Camilotto
McCutcheon Remind them that predictions can turn out to
High School be right or wrong. Other issues for students to
Lafayette, Indiana consider include wars and conflicts, education,
water management, population, environment,
politics, energy, health, and technology.
Organize the class into groups representing
each issue. Have students research their subject
and present their arguments for the future.
Then, have the class decide which issue is the
most or least important for the future. You may
also want to encourage students to contem-
plate further into the future, such as changes by
the year 2050, or have them consider their pre-
dictions for the next 25 years.

114A
Author Note
Dear Geography Teacher:
The story of the United States and Canada is one of
unity and diversity. Democracy and capitalism, fueled by
individual initiative, have allowed these two countries to
prosper. Having said that, it is useful for students to
understand the diversity found in both of these countries
from their beginnings to the present day.
For example, in Canada, descendants of indigenous people called Inuit
campaigned vigorously for recognition. They finally gained it in 1999 with
the establishment of Nunavut, a territory with considerable autonomy. In
Quebec province, French culture and language are so strong that many think
the province should seek independence from the rest of Anglo-dominated
Canada. For now, unity has been preserved.
In the United States, we think of ourselves as a homogenous group of
“Americans,” suggesting that we are all alike. Nothing could be further from
the truth. There are Native American groups that have their own lands. In
any of the great U.S. cities you will find ethnic neighborhoods where Italians,
Germans, Czechs, Irish, Poles, Bosnians, and others are the main group.
Chinatowns often stand out with vivid displays of language and culture. In
Louisiana, Cajun country is defined by language, culture, and even a flag.
The history of forced migration of Africans to the United States evokes
pain, suffering, and abuse, but the descendants of enslaved African
Americans have carved out an important cultural piece of our historical
“pie.” Several states have witnessed massive migrations of Latinos, and no
one can deny the positive role their culture has played in states such
as Florida, Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, New York, and California. Of course,
when we mention California, we must emphasize the increasing role of immi-
grants from Asia.
Thus, we have a unity based on diversity, which requires respect, equal
opportunity, improvement with hard work, and a chance to participate in the
American dream.

Senior Author

114B
UNIT INTRODUCTION UNIT

What Makes the

United States and
Canada a Region?
The
The three chapters of this unit
introduce students to a cultural
region that covers most of the
United States
continent of North America. The
two countries share the following
characteristics:
• Physical features, such as the
and Canada
Rocky Mountains and Great
Lakes
• Vast deposits of fossil fuels and
minerals
• Populations that are wealthy, lit-
erate, and ethnically diverse
• Market economies that used to
be based on agriculture but are
now industrial
• Challenges to overcome the
effects of pollution and protect
the environment

nationalgeographic.com/education
This online
resource provides lesson plans,
atlas updates, cartographic
activities with interactive
maps, an online map store,
and geographic links.
Grand Canyon, Arizona, United States

114 Unit 2

114-115_UO2_879995.indd 114
Activity: Launching
Activity: the Unit
Unit Launch 1/8/10 12:47:47 PM

Why Study The United States and
Canada? Ask: What do the United States
and Canada have in common in terms of geo-
graphical, historical, cultural, and political
ties? Tell students to draw a four-column table
on a sheet of paper and label the columns
Geographical, Historical, Cultural, and Political.
Give students a few minutes to categorize things
the countries have in common. Draw the same
four-column table on the board. As students
volunteer their answers, write them on the
board. Have students add to their lists as they
listen to other student responses. OL

114

To learn more
about the United States and Canada visit
www.nationalgeographic.com/education.
Why It Matters
The United States and Canada are peaceful neigh-
bors, sharing the longest undefended border in
the world. These two countries have many things
in common, including similar ways of life and a
democratic heritage. In recent years, free trade
has brought their economies closer together. In
each country, one finds an increasing number of
products that were made in the other country.
114-115_UO2_879995.indd 115
More About the Photo
Visual Literacy Most of the Grand Canyon is
located in Grand Canyon National Park, cover-
ing over 1 million acres (0.4 ha) in northern
Arizona. Cut by the Colorado River and other
forms of erosion, the 280-mile-long (451-km-
long) canyon averages 4,000 feet (1,219 m)
deep, reaching 6,000 feet (1,829 m) at its great-
est depth. Over 1,500 plant and 355 bird species
are found in the park, some of them found
UNIT INTRODUCTION
Introduce
the Region
Using Maps Have students
study the physical map on
What Makes This a Region? 116–119 page 120, the political map
Regional Atlas 120–127 on page 122, and the economic
activity map on page 124 in the
Chapter 5: Physical Geography 128–145
Regional Atlas. Ask: What is the
Chapter 6: Cultural Geography 146–163
approximate latitude and longi-
Chapter 7: The Region Today 164–183 tude of Houston, Texas? (30°N
and 95°W) Which Canadian city is
near an area where fossil fuel
resources can be found? (Answers
may include Edmonton, Alberta,
and Calgary, Alberta) What might
be the source of hydroelectric
UNITED STATES AND CANADA
power in Washington State? (the
Columbia River) Which states and
provinces border Lake Superior?
(Ontario, Minnesota, Wisconsin,
and Michigan) What is the highest
mountain peak in the region,
and where is it located? (Mt.
McKinley, in Alaska) OL
Current Events Online
Visit events.glencoe.com to
bring news and current events
into your classroom. McGraw-
Hill’s current events Web site
115 features high-interest news
stories with student-directed
projects and activities.
1/8/10 12:48:02 PM
nowhere else in the world. A hiker descending
one of the park’s trails not only passes through
several types of desert climate and vegetation,
but also goes back in geological time. The differ-
ent layers of rock that make up the canyon walls,
deposited over hundreds of millions of years,
tell much about the history of how the Earth’s
surface was formed.
115
UNIT 2 UNIT
REGIONAL ATLAS
The United States and Canada
Focus
These features and activities may
be used as an introduction to the
unit or as teaching tools through-
out the course of the unit.
What Makes This
a Region?
Visual Literacy Photo 1 shows
Monument Valley, a wide, flat
desert area in southern Utah and
northern Arizona. The area is
marked by red and orange rock
formations that rise as high as
1,000 feet (305 m). The rock is
mainly in three layers, with shale
at the bottom, sandstone in the
middle, and siltstone at the top.
Divide students into two
groups. Ask the first group to use
library and Internet resources to
research the geologic history of
Monument Valley. Ask the second
group to use library and Internet
resources to research the human
history of Monument Valley. When
the research is complete, have
members of each group make a
presentation to the class. Groups
may use photos, maps, or dia-
grams to illustrate their
presentation. OL
3
2
WHAT MAKES THIS A REGION?
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY The United States and Canada
span North America, stretching from the Pacific Ocean to
the Atlantic. These two huge countries share many physical
features. Mountains frame their eastern and western edges,
cradling a central region of vast plains.
When people first arrived on these plains, they found an
immense sea of grass. Beneath the gently rolling landscape lay
dark, fertile soil that settlers eventually transformed into some
of the world’s most productive farmland. To the east of the
plains stand the ancient, rounded Appalachian Mountains. To
the west are the much younger Rocky Mountains. Almost
every imaginable type of climate—from tundra to desert to
tropical wet—can be found within the borders of these two
diverse countries.
1
2
1 PLAINS AND PLATEAUS
Located along the Utah-Arizona border,
the sandstone rock forms known as the
Two Mittens attract tourists from around
the world.
2 LAKES AND RIVERS Long rivers,
such as the Fraser located in British
Columbia, have played an important role
in trade and industry in the United States
and Canada.
3 MOUNTAINS The Rocky
Mountains are the longest mountain
range in North America, stretching from
British Columbia in Canada to New
Mexico in the United States.

116 Unit 2

116-125_UA2_879995.indd 116
Activity: Location 1/8/10 12:50:57 PM

Describing Help students describe the cli-
mate and location where they live. Have them
name some geographical features that distin-
guish their region, such as rivers and other bod-
ies of water, mountains, plains, and deserts. Ask
them to describe the climate for each season.
Ask: If you were writing a brochure for your
local Chamber of Commerce, what aspects of
climate and physical features would you
emphasize? Are there physical features that
might draw tourists, such as beaches, ski hills,
or waterfalls? Why do you think other people
might choose your region as a place to live?
Have students share their observations with the
class. OL

116

4 NATURAL RESOURCES Oil is a vital
resource. The Trans-Alaska Pipeline transports
approximately 1 million barrels of crude oil a day
across 800 miles (1,300 km) of rough Alaskan
terrain to the port of Valdez in southern Alaska.
116-125_UA2_879995.indd 117
• Ice Age During the Ice Age, all of
Canada was covered by an ice sheet that
depressed the land and sculpted land-
forms by moving rocks and creating
countless lakes and rivers.
• Petroleum James Miller Williams is
considered the father of the oil industry
in Canada. He is responsible for the first
oil well in North America in 1858. While
looking for water in Ontario, he struck
oil instead.
3
W descriptions, such as metaphors,
UNITED STATES AND CANADA
R
4
Unit 2 117
Did You Know?
1/8/10 12:51:16 PM
• Mammoth Cave Located in Kentucky,
Mammoth Cave is the most extensive
cave system in the world. So far, about
300 miles (480 km) have been explored.
Open to visitors since 1816, for a time it
was also the site of concerts given by
local and visiting musicians.
UNIT 2
REGIONAL ATLAS
Teach
W Writing Support
Descriptive Writing Have
students study the photos on
pages 116–117. Then ask them to
write descriptions of the photos in
a poetic style. To help students
get started, have the class brain-
storm descriptive words for each
photo and write them on the
board. Then model poetic devices
that students might use in their
similes, and personification. OL
R Reading Strategy
Activating Prior Knowledge
Have students use the photos
and knowledge they already have
to suggest natural resources of
the United States and Canada (in
addition to oil). As students sug-
gest resources, write them on the
board and ask where these
resources are found. BL
• The Yukon The Yukon Territory, located
north of British Columbia and east of
Alaska, is a region of high mountains and
plateaus. In 1896, the discovery of gold
on the Klondike River led to a gold rush
that lasted a few years. The area still has
great mineral wealth, but its remote loca-
tion and arctic climate have been a bar-
rier to development.
117
UNIT 2 UNIT 2
WHAT MAKES THIS A REGION?
REGIONAL ATLAS
United States 1

R 1 Reading Strategy and Canada

Predicting The cultures and CULTURAL GEOGRAPHY North America
lifestyles of people in the United is a land of immigrants. It is believed the
first peoples, ancestors of the Native
States and people in Canada have Americans, came to the region from Asia.
many similarities, but there are In the 1500s, immigrants began arriving
differences as well. Ask: What are from Europe. In the centuries that followed,
some of the ways that daily life others came from Africa, Asia, and Latin
R1
America. Many made this land their home
in the United States and daily life by choice. Others were forced to come as
in Canada are similar? (entertain- exiles or slaves. Together these groups have
ment, language, religion, food, shaped the culture of the region.
clothing) Ask: What are some dif-
ferences between daily life in the
United States and daily life in
Canada? (government, language,
health care, education) Students
may wish to check their predic-
tions as they read the
chapter. BL ELL

R 2 Reading Strategy
Determining Importance
Lead a discussion on why the
events on the time line are impor-
tant. Have students brainstorm
other events that could be REGIONAL TIME LINE
included on the time line, and list A.D. 1789 George
their ideas on the board. Then 10,000 B.C. Land bridge A.D. 1607 First English A.D. 1776 U.S. independence
Washington is
elected president of
have the class vote on which crossing/early settlement settlement at Jamestown declared the United States
of indigenous peoples
three of these events are impor- George
Washington
tant enough to be added to the
time line. OL R2 10,000 B.C. A.D. 1000 A.D. 1600 A.D. 1700

A.D. 970–1020 Leif Eriksson A.D. 1756–63 Seven Years’ War;

first European in Americas Britain awarded all French posses- A.D. 1775–1783
sions in North America American Revolution

118 Unit 2

116-125_UA2_879995.indd 118
Background: People and Culture 1/8/10 12:51:21 PM

Official Languages According to its
Constitution, Canada has two official languages:
English, spoken by about 59 percent of the
population, and French, spoken by 23 percent.
In 1988, Canada revised the Official Languages
Act of 1969, which stated that “English and
French have equality of status and equal rights
. . . with respect to their use in . . . communicat-
ing with or providing services to the public and
in carrying out the work of federal institutions.”
118
The United States, where about 82 percent of
the population speaks English and 11 percent
speaks Spanish, has no official language. Some
people in the United States have called for
English to be made the official language. Some
states, such as Florida and Utah, have already
passed such laws. In the state of Hawaii, English
and Hawaiian have both been named official
languages.

2 the United States and Canada
3 achievements, and maps showing
A.D. 1906 Earthquake in San A.D. 1939–1945 World
A.D. 1861–1865 Francisco and subsequent War II: (U.S., 1941–1945;
American Civil War fires destroy 80 percent of Canada, 1939–1945)
city; more than 3,000 die
A.D. 1800
A.D. 1863 Abraham Lincoln
presents the Emancipation
Proclamation
Abraham Lincoln
116-125_UA2_879995.indd 119
Background: Historical Perspectives
The People of Beringia Exactly when peo-
ple first arrived in the Western Hemisphere is
still a matter of debate, despite decades of study
by archaeologists, linguists, and geneticists.
Most experts agree that people came across a
land bridge from Asia during the last ice age,
perhaps more than 30,000 years ago. However,
people did not move far from the area of the
Bering Sea land bridge — called Beringia — until
much later. There is little evidence of any human
UNIT 2
REGIONAL ATLAS
1 ECONOMY Today the ser- W Writing Support
vice industry employs most of
the workers in the United States
Expository Writing Have stu-
and Canada. Many of these jobs
W dents research and list the five
are located in urban centers such largest cities in both the United
as Toronto, Canada’s largest city.
States and Canada and determine
2 CULTURE Immigration to the leading service industry
from other areas of the world
employers of each city. Then ask
has had a dramatic effect on the them to write a summary explain-
cultures of the two countries. ing their findings. OL
Parades celebrating these cul-
tural roots are common through-
out the region.
3 PEOPLE This Cherokee
D Differentiated
Instruction
woman is creating beadwork.
Despite being the first peoples
Gifted and Talented Ask stu-
D to inhabit the region, Native dents to look at the photograph
Americans were pushed from of the Cherokee woman and read
their ancestral lands by
the corresponding caption.
UNITED STATES AND CANADA
European settlers.
Organize the class into groups
and have them research the
Cherokee to create a time line of
their history. Time lines should
feature important leaders,
the original Cherokee lands and
where they were relocated. Have
groups share their findings and
A.D. 1982 Pierre Trudeau is
Prime Minister of Canada; A.D. 2008 Barack Obama resulting time lines. AL
United Kingdom transfers all is elected president of the
powers relating to the consti- United States
tution back to Canada
A.D. 1900 A.D. 2000
A.D. 1929 Great A.D. 1931–1939 A.D. 2001 Terrorist
Depression begins “Dust Bowl” in U.S. Midwest attacks in the United
and Southern Plains States by al-Qaeda
Unit 2 119
1/8/10 12:51:44 PM
settlements farther south until about 12,000 B.C.
What is clear is that people had spread through-
out most of North America and South America
no later than 10,000 B.C. Linguists have attempted
to classify Native American languages, but there
is no agreement about whether speakers of
these languages came to the Americas as sepa-
rate waves of migration or split off after they
arrived in Beringia.
119
UNIT 2 S
UNIT 2 REGIONAL ATLAS
REGIONAL ATLAS PHYSICAL United States and Canada
RUSSIA Greenland 0°
ARCTIC

80°N
Sea

IRCLE
OCEAN

60°N
S Skill Practice

TIC C
Aleutian

ARC
Using Geography Skills Ask: Bering Point Barrow
Ellesmere
Island
180°
Queen Greenland
Where is the North Pole on this Sea 20°W

B RO
Beaufort Elizabeth (Kalaallit Nunaat)

Is.
Islands

OK
Sea
map? (the small cross [+] in the

S
RA
Yu NG
k E Banks Devon I.
Arctic Ocean) Ask: Starting from Mt. McKinley on R Island Baffin
20,320 ft. (6,194 m) .
Bay
the North Pole, which direction is ALASKA
R
Victoria Baff
Da
in I

AN

Mackenz
Island sl a vis
south? (any line curving down-

GE
nd

MACKENZIE MTS.
St
Kodiak I. Gulf of ra
Mt. Logan it
ward, parallel to the longitude lines Alaska 19,551 ft.
Great

ie R.
Bear
(5,959 m) Lake 40°W
shown on the map, for example, 160°W Great Slave Southampton

COAST
Lake I. Hud
140˚W) BL s on S trait Labrador
Ungava Sea

M O U N TA I N S
Peninsula
ac
e R. Hudson Lab
R Reading Strategy Queen rado

Pe
Lake Bay

R.
Charlotte r
sc Athabasca

a
Is.
ba .
ha nR
At lso
Reading a Map Have students INTERIOR
40

e
°N

RO
PLAINS D

N
atchewan
CAN EL Newfoundland
FRASER ADIAN SHI
study the physical map. Ask: Vancouver I. PLATEAU ask

CK

S
R. Lake

R.
Which country has more land at Winnipeg

ia
Y
R . mb

ce
E
Cape Breton I.

NG

GREA

ren
Lake

u
higher elevations? (the United

RA

ol
C Superior Sable I.

Law
MO
E
COLUMBIA

AD
Lake Huron
States) Continue asking other

St .
PLATEAU
PACIFIC

C
Lake

CAS
COA

UN
Ontario

Sna

T
ke
questions that give students OCEAN Black
ST RANGES
R. Cape Cod

Mi
Hills

TA
SIERRA NEV
ou Lake

ss
Great

NS
ri
practice in using the map key Salt Lake Michigan

I
INS

TA
R.
GREAT te

UN
Plat .
and scale and in referring to Lake 60°W

PLAINS
CENTRAL
140°W R. R

MO
BASIN Erie
ADA

LOWLANDS
do .
other features on the map, such ora COLORADO oR

IAN
Mt. Whitney

NT
Col hi Chesapeake Bay
14,494 ft. O

MO
CH
PLATEAU
Elevations OZARK

Ar
(4,418 m) Cape Hatteras
as latitude, longitude, and the

LA
PLATEAU

R.

ED
PA

k
Feet Meters ns

PI
as
Death Valley AP

pi
13,100 4,000
compass rose. BL –282 ft. (–86 m) Red R R.
ATLANTIC

sip
6,500 2,000 .

Missis
Rio
1,600 500
N
650 200 Gr PLAI OCEAN
0 AL
OAST
an
0 d C
R
e

National boundary TR O
PIC O
F CA
State or provincial 120°W
NCER The Everglades
boundary Gulf of Mexico
Mountain peak 20°N
Lowest point

160°W Hawa 155°W

Niihau iian Caribbean Sea
Kauai Isla LATIN AMERICA
Kaula
Oahu Molokai nds
N
Lanai Maui
Kahoolawe
20°N
Hawaii W E
PACIFIC OCEAN
0 200 kilometers
S
0 1,000 kilometers

0 200 miles 0 1,000 miles

Albers Equal-Area projection 100°W Lambert Azimuthal Equal-Area projection 80°W

120 Unit 2

116-125_UA2_879995.indd 120
Background: Land and Climate 1/8/10 12:51:51 PM

Tornado Alley The wide plains lying be- west. The warm air rises, and eventually breaks
tween the Appalachian Mountains and Rocky through, forming a thunderstorm. These same
Mountains have hot summers and cold winters thunderstorms also produce the most torna-
due to their distance from the moderating does in the world. The United States experi-
effects of the ocean. The plains also spawn the ences an average of over 1,000 tornadoes each
violent thunderstorms whose rains help make year. The greatest number occurs in an area
this area so agriculturally productive. In the called Tornado Alley, which stretches from Texas
summer, warm air from the Gulf of Mexico gets to Minnesota, with the highest concentration in
trapped under colder air blowing in from the Oklahoma.

120
 UNIT 2
REGIONAL ATLAS
Obstacles and Opportunities
The landscapes of the United States and Canada are marked by a variety
of physical features that act both as obstacles and as opportunities for
progress. As you study the maps and graphics on these pages, look for the
D Differentiated
Instruction
geographical features that make the region unique. Then answer the ques-
tions below on a separate sheet of paper.
Gifted and Talented Ask:
Why are the Appalachian
1. What physical features have acted as barriers to settlement in the United
States and Canada? Mountains more worn away than
2. What benefits has the Great Lakes —St. Lawrence Seaway System provided to the Rocky Mountains? (The
the cities located along the Great Lakes? Appalachians are older.) Have stu-
3. What has contributed to the wearing away of the Appalachian Mountains? dents research the age of the
What predictions can be made about the future of other geographically Appalachians and prepare illustra-
younger mountain ranges such as the Rockies?
tions showing the stages of their
formation. Ask them to share their
findings with the class and display
the illustrations. AL

Answers:
D 1. Appalachian Mountains,
Rocky Mountains, Coast

UNITED STATES AND CANADA

Mountains
2. It has given them an outlet
for international trade.
3. weathering, wind and
water erosion; Eventually
Great Lakes System Profile they will be worn down
like the Appalachians.
St. Marys St. Clair Detroit
River River River Niagara Falls
Lake St. Lawrence
Lake St. Francis Gulf of
Lake St. Lawrence
Lake Lake St. Louis
Superior St. Clair Montreal Harbour
Lake
Lake Erie
750 ft. Huron Lake
(229 m) Niagara Ontario St. Lawrence River
Lake 923 ft. River ATLANTIC
Michigan (281 m) 802 ft. OCEAN
1,330 ft. (244 m)
(405 m)

2,212/3,560
Distance in Mi/Km
Source: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit District.

Unit 2 121

Did You Know?

116-125_UA2_879995.indd 121 1/8/10 12:52:05 PM

• Freshwater Lakes The region of the spot, or caldera, where magma is able to • Cape Cod and Long Island Many
United States and Canada has 8 of the 15 come close to the surface. The Hawaiian well-known locations along the east
largest freshwater lakes in the world. Islands were formed by a similar hot coast, including Long Island, Nantucket,
They include Great Bear Lake, Great Slave spot beneath the Pacific Ocean. Martha’s Vineyard, and Cape Cod, were
Lake, Lake Winnipeg, and the five Great • Ellesmere Island At the northern tip formed by glacial deposits less than
Lakes. of Canada’s Ellesmere Island is a small 25,000 years ago.
• The Yellowstone Caldera The gey- settlement called Alert, Nunavut, that is
sers and other geothermal features in only 508 miles (817 km) from the North
Yellowstone National Park occur Pole. It is the most northerly place on
because Yellowstone sits above a hot Earth that is permanently inhabited.

121
UNIT 2 UNIT 2 REGIONAL ATLAS
REGIONAL ATLAS POLITICAL United States and Canada
RUSSIA 0°
Greenland
ARCTIC

80°N
Sea

IRCLE
R Reading Strategy OCEAN

60°N

TIC C
R
Questioning Draw students’

ARC
Ellesmere
Bering Island GREENLAND
attention to the tip of Russia at 180° (KALAALLIT NUNAAT)
Sea Beaufort Den.
20°W
the top left of the political map. Yu Sea
k on
Point out that the United States R. Banks
Island Baffin
ALASKA
bought Alaska (then known as Bay
Baff
Russian America) from Russia in Anchorage Victoria in I Da

Mackenz
Island sl a vis
nd Nuuk
St
1867. Have students brainstorm S Gulf of YUKON ra
it
Alaska TERRITORY N U N AV U T

ie R .
questions regarding this purchase Whitehorse
NORTHWEST
Iqaluit 40°W
Southampton
and write them on the board. 160°W TERRITORIES
Yellowknife I. Hud
s on S trait Labrador
Then ask students to research the Sea
Hudson NE W
c e R. AND FOU
history of Alaska to answer these BRITISH ea Bay L A ND
C A N A D A

P
COLUMBIA ALB. B R LA

R.
AD N
questions or learn other informa- c

a
as O
ab lson

D
SASK. R
Ath N e R. St.
40

tion. Have students submit a brief Edmonton

°N

MANITOBA John’s
atchewan QUEBEC
written report on what they ask R.
Vancouver

S
Victoria Calgary R.

ce
learned. BL Charlottetown

bia

ren
Seattle ONTARIO P.E.I.

R. lum

Law
WASH. Regina NOVA
Winnipeg N.B.

o
C Missouri Quebec SCOTIA
R.

St.
Fredericton Halifax
S Skill Practice PACIFIC OREGON MONT. N. DAK.
MINN.
M
Ottawa
Montreal
VT.
MAINE
N.H.

IC
OCEAN IDAHO Toronto MASS.

HIG
na S. DAK. WIS.

S
Using Geography Skills ke R. WYO.
N.Y. R.I.

AN
CONN.
CALIF

NEVADA IOWA PA. New York City

Make sure students understand San UTAH NEBR. Chicago Philadelphia N.J. 60°W
Francisco Denver ILL. IND. OHIO DEL.
OR

R.
that Canada’s political units are ad
o COLO. St. Louis hi
o R. W. MD.
NIA

or
KANSAS O VA. VA. Washington, D.C.
Col
called provinces instead of states. 140°W U N I T E D S T A T E S KY.
Los Angeles MO. N.C.

R.
ARIZ.

Ar
NEW ka TENN.
Point out that Canada’s land also

pi
n
OKLA. sas RARK. S.C.

sip
MEXICO
Phoenix . ATLANTIC

Missis
Atlanta
includes three territories, all of
Rio
ALA.
TEXAS
GA. OCEAN
Gr
MISS.
which are very sparsely popu-
an

National capital LA. FLA.

de

Houston
lated: Northwest Territories, Yukon Provincial/territorial
capital TR O
PIC O Miami
Territory, and Nunavut. Ask: What Major city
120°W
F CA
NCER
National boundary Gulf of Mexico
is the capital of Canada and in State or provincial 20°N
boundary
what province is it located?
(Ottawa; in Ontario) BL ELL
160°W 155°W
Kauai Caribbean Sea
Niihau
Oahu LATIN AMERICA
Kaula Molokai
Honolulu N
Lanai Maui
HAWAII Kahoolawe
20°N
Hawaii W E
PACIFIC OCEAN
0 200 kilometers
S
1,000 kilometers

0 200 miles 0 1,000 miles

Albers Equal-Area projection 100°W Lambert Azimuthal Equal-Area projection 80°W

122 Unit 2

116-125_UA2_879995.indd 122
Background: Current Issues 1/8/10 12:52:29 PM

Immigration The United States and Canada from Asia. In the United States, more than one
both have richly diverse populations due to out of four immigrants comes from Mexico.
their history of immigration from around the Some immigrants enter the United States ille-
world. In recent years, both countries have gally. Legislators at all levels of government are
struggled to cope with the large number of trying to address the issue of illegal immigra-
people who want to immigrate there. Before tion so that the United States can keep its bor-
1980, most immigrants to Canada came from ders secure at the same time that it remains a
Europe or the United States. Now, most come land of opportunity.

122
 UNIT 2
REGIONAL ATLAS
Comparing Past and Present
The cultures of the United States and Canada have been impacted by the
cultures of those who have settled the region. As you compare the maps on
these pages, look for patterns that may provide information about the cultures of the United
C Critical Thinking
States and Canada today. Then answer the questions below on a separate sheet of paper. Making Inferences Have stu-
1. What conclusions can be drawn about the European settlement of the United States and Canada?
dents study the maps on this
What factors contributed to these settlement patterns? page. Ask: What might be the
2. Which country had a greater variety of Native American groups? What factors may have contributed reason the top map only gives
to this situation? information on Native American
3. How may location contribute to the differences between the Native American culture groups? culture areas up until the 1800s,
NATIVE AMERICAN SETTLEMENT PATTERNS, 1500s–1800s and not after that time? (because
by the 1800s most Native American
culture areas had been or were
being overtaken by European
settlement) OL
For additional practice on this
C skill, see the Skills Handbook.

UNITED STATES AND CANADA

Answers:
1. Europeans settled from
east to west; geographi-
cally, Europe is to the east
of the United States; the
last parts settled are the
EUROPEAN SETTLEMENT PATTERNS harshest to live in and are
the hardest to reach.
2. United States; its variety of
climate regions and its
location in lower latitudes
3. Answers will vary. A possi-
ble answer includes: differ-
ent culture groups had to
learn to adapt to different
climate and vegetation
regions. Adapting to those
differences may account
for cultural differences.

Unit 2 123

Did You Know?

116-125_UA2_879995.indd 123 1/8/10 12:52:42 PM

• Native American Languages About
300 native languages once existed in
the United States and Canada. Although
two-thirds of these languages survive,
there are few speakers left. Native
American languages have left their
imprint, however, on place names such
as Chicago and Massachusetts.
• Professional Sports Teams People
in the United States and Canada share
an interest in baseball, basketball, and
hockey. All three professional leagues
have teams in both countries. However,
the two countries have separate football
leagues, and even play with slightly dif-
ferent rules.
• Sovereignty for Quebec In 1995,
the voters of Quebec defeated a referen-
dum that would have set the province
on the path toward independence from
the rest of Canada. The vote was
extremely close: 50.6 percent against
independence to 49.4 percent in favor
of independence.

123
UNIT 2 UNIT 2 REGIONAL ATLAS
REGIONAL ATLAS ECONOMIC ACTIVITY United States and Canada

D Differentiated
Instruction
English Language Learners
Make sure that students under-
stand the meaning of the words in
the Land Use map key. Review the
words, pausing to ask volunteers
to define them and to use them to
create sentences about the map.
Pay special attention to words that
may be unfamiliar to students,
such as livestock raising and
nomadic herding. BL ELL
D
S Skill Practice
Using Geography Skills Have
students study the map on this
page. Then give them time to
write six questions related to eco- S
nomic activities whose answers
can be determined from the map.
Model a question, such as: Where
are most of Canada’s coal deposits
located? (in the Rocky Mountains)
Organize the class into teams and
have a geography bee competition.
OL

124 Unit 2

116-125_UA2_879995.indd 124
Background: People and the Economy 1/8/10 12:54:48 PM

Knowledge Workers During the 1800s, the
Industrial Revolution began a wave of changes
that continues today in the ways that people
work. For thousands of years, most people
worked in agriculture. With industrialization,
factories and assembly lines created new kinds
of jobs. The changes continue, and today many
people are knowledge workers. Most of these
highly trained workers work with technology.
They are computer programmers, researchers,
financial analysts, artists, editors, and many
other professions. Some of these postindustrial
workers are employed directly by companies,
but a growing number work for themselves or
for a smaller company that specializes in pro-
viding outsourced work.

124

Industrialization and
the Environment
The United States and Canada have
used their vast energy resources to
industrialize their countries. Industrial-
ization has in turn had an impact upon
the environment. As you study the
maps and graphics on these pages, look
for the effects of industrial pollution
such as acid rain upon the region. Then
answer the questions below on a sepa-
rate sheet of paper.
1. Why might the eastern section of the
United States and Canada experience
higher levels of acid rain than the
extreme northern and western sections
of the region?
2. Where is Canada’s greatest concentra-
tion of fossil fuel resources located?
3. Describe the process by which pollu-
tion becomes acid rain. What effect
does acid rain have upon surrounding
vegetation?
How Acid Rain Is Created
116-125_UA2_879995.indd 125
• Forest Products Canada exports
more forest products than any other
country. In 2005 this industry brought in
more than $40 billion, with $33 billion
coming from sales to the United States.
Canada’s forest industry directly employs
about 339,900 people, more than any
other rural industry.
ACID RAIN
Unit 2 125
Did You Know?
1/8/10 12:55:37 PM
• Personal Computers Except for the
small European country of San Marino,
the United States has more personal
computers per person than any other
country: 544 per 1,000 people. Canada
is eleventh, with 393 per 1,000 people.
• Mining the Canadian Shield Some
of the world’s largest deposits of silver
and zinc are located on the Canadian
UNIT 2
REGIONAL ATLAS
C Critical Thinking
Determining Cause and
Effect Organize students into
pairs. Have them study the “How
Acid Rain Is Created” diagram and
create a written explanation of
each stage in the process. Then
have students find photos on the
Internet for each stage and attach
their explanations to them.
Students should also label each
photo to include such information
as location and the Web site on
which it was found. OL
For additional practice on this
skill, see the Skills Handbook.
UNITED STATES AND CANADA
Answers:
1. It is more industrialized.
2. the west, along the Rockies
3. Sulfur dioxide combines
with moisture in the air,
which falls as acid rain; it
kills it.
Shield. Intense mining and smelting in
the area resulted in such a bleak terrain
that U.S. astronauts once trained there
before the landscape was restored.
• Sunflowers North Dakota, in the
heart of the Great Plains, leads the
United States in the production of sun-
flowers. The protein-rich seeds are
turned into margarine and cooking oil.
125
UNIT 2 UNIT 2 REGIONAL ATLAS
REGIONAL ATLAS COUNTRY PROFILES

C 1 Critical Thinking Country, Population

& Density
Life GDP
Expectancy Per Capita*
% Urban Literacy
Rate
Years of Phone Lines/ Internet
Compulsory Cell Phones Users
Flag &
Language
Determining Cause and Capital, & Area at Birth (%) Education (per 1,000 people) (per 1,000 people)
UNITED STATES
Effect Point out that in the 306,800,000
Country Profiles chart, GDP per Washington, D.C.
87 per sq. mi. 78 yrs. $47,800 79 99.0 12 606/680 630.0

capita is higher in the United C1 3,537,453 sq. mi. 33 per sq. km

English
9,161,966 sq. km
CANADA
States than in Canada. Ask: What 3,511,021 sq. mi.
9,093,507 sq. km 33,700,000
other data in the chart might be 10 per sq. mi. 81 yrs. $39,300 79 99.0 11 566/514 520.0
related to these figures? (Answers Ottawa
4 per sq. km English/French
may include: phone lines/cell phones
Sources: Central Intelligence Agency, World Factbook, 2009; Population Reference Bureau, World Population Data Sheet, 2009; UNESCO Institute for Statistics;
and Internet users.) AL United Nations, Human Development Report, 2007/2008.

C2 Critical Thinking U.S. State Names: Meaning and Origins

Making Inferences Have stu- ALABAMA ALASKA ARIZONA ARKANSAS CALIFORNIA COLORADO

dents study the name origins of Little Rock

Sacramento
Denver
Nevada, California, and Colorado. C2 Montgomery
Phoenix

Ask: What might you infer from Juneau “south wind”

(Ohio Valley named after Calafia,
the names these states have “thicket clearers”
(Choctaw)
“the great land”
(Aleut)
“small spring”
(O’odham/Pima)
Native Americans’
name for the Quapaws)
a place in a romantic
Spanish story
“colored red”
(Spanish)

received? (These states were once

CONNECTICUT DELAWARE FLORIDA GEORGIA HAWAII IDAHO
inhabited primarily by Spanish- Tallahassee
speaking people.) OL Hartford Dover
Atlanta
Honolulu

For additional practice on these named for Virginia’s

Boise

skills, see the Skills Handbook. “long river place”

colonial governor,
Thomas West, “feast of flowers” named for England’s unknown
(Mohegan) Baron De La Warr (Spanish) King George II (Native Hawaiian) unknown

ILLINOIS INDIANA IOWA KANSAS KENTUCKY LOUISIANA

Frankfort

Springfield Indianapolis
Baton
Des Moines Rouge
“land of tomorrow,”
“cane and turkey lands,”
or “meadow lands”
“tribe of superior men” “land of Indians” name of a Native (Native American/ named for France’s
(Algonquian) (European American) American group Iroquoian) King Louis XIV

MAINE MARYLAND MASSACHUSETTS MICHIGAN MINNESOTA MISSISSIPPI

Boston
Annapolis Jackson
Saint Paul
Augusta
Lansing
nautical term “at or about
distinguishing the named in honor of the wife the great hill” “water that reflects “father of waters”
mainland from islands of England’s King Charles I (Native American) “great lake” (Ojibwa) the sky” (Dakota) (Chippewa)

*The CIA calculates per capita GDP in terms of purchasing power parity. This formula allows us to compare the figures among different countries.
Note: Land areas and flags are not drawn to scale.

126 Unit 2

126-127_UA2_879995.indd 126
Activity: Using the Country Profiles 1/8/10 12:58:02 PM

Analyzing Ask: Which category shows the and infant mortality. Students may record this
greatest difference between the United States data on index cards. Then, in the next class
and Canada? (population and density) In two period, have students compare and contrast
class periods, have students use library and their findings. Lead the class in a discussion on
Internet sources to obtain other statistical data differences in the cultures of the United States
for each country, such as ethnic groups, lan- and Canada as suggested by these statistics.
guages spoken, population living in poverty, OL

126
 UNIT 2
REGIONAL ATLAS

MISSOURI MONTANA NEBRASKA NEVADA NEW HAMPSHIRE NEW JERSEY R Reading Strategy
Carson City
Making Connections Using
Jefferson City Trenton
Helena
Lincoln the political map on page 122 in
Concord
the Regional Atlas, point out the
“town of the large canoes” “snowcapped” named for Hampshire, named for Isle of Jersey,
(Sioux) “mountainous” (Spanish) “flat water” (Oto) (Spanish) a county in England a British territory provinces of Nova Scotia, Prince
NEW MEXICO NEW YORK NORTH CAROLINA NORTH DAKOTA OHIO OKLAHOMA
Edward Island, and New
Santa Fe Brunswick. Then point out the
Raleigh Oklahoma City
Albany Bismarck
Columbus states of New Hampshire, New
named for the state’s “friend” (Sioux);
York, Virginia, and South Carolina.
former colonial ruler,
Mexico
named in honor of the
English Duke of York
named in honor of
England’s King Charles I
the Dakota were a
Sioux people
“great river”
(Iroquoian)
“red people”
(Choctaw) Ask: Using the Meaning and
Origins Chart, what do you
OREGON PENNSYLVANIA RHODE ISLAND SOUTH CAROLINA SOUTH DAKOTA TENNESSEE TEXAS
notice about all of these names?
Providence

Salem
Harrisburg
unknown meaning
“Penn’s woodland,” named for
the father of Pennsylvania’s
(Native American) founder, William Penn
Columbia
Pierre
Nashville
(They are derived from the names
Austin
of English monarchs or
named for the Greek named for England’s
“friend” (Sioux);
the Dakota were a
named for tana-see,
“the meeting place” places.) OL
island of Rhodes King Charles I Sioux people (Yuchi) “friends” (Caddo)

UNITED STATES AND CANADA

UTAH VERMONT VIRGINIA WASHINGTON WEST VIRGINIA WISCONSIN WYOMING

Montpelier
R Salt Lake City
Richmond Olympia Charleston
Madison
Cheyenne
named for the unmarried began as the western
“people of the “green mountain” Queen Elizabeth I of England, named in honor of part of Virginia before “river of red stone” “upon the great plain”
mountains” (Ute) (French) known as “the Virgin Queen” George Washington becoming a state in 1863 (Algonquian) (Delaware)

Canadian Province and Territory Names: Meaning and Origins

ALBERTA

Edmonton

named for the

daughter of England’s
Queen Victoria

Unit 2 127

126-127_UA2_879995.indd 127
Activity: Using the Country Profiles 1/8/10 12:58:10 PM

Inferring Have students list the capital of (because capitals are often centralized in a state
each state, province, and territory. Then have for political or administrative reasons, whereas
them research and list the largest city in each large cities develop for economic reasons, such as
state, province, and territory. Point out that proximity to a waterway) Have students share
often the capital and the largest city of a politi- mistaken assumptions they had about capital
cal unit are not the same. Ask: Why do you cities in the United States and Canada. OL
think the capital is often not the largest city?

127
 Chapter Planning Guide
Key to Ability Levels Key to Teaching Resources
BL Below Level AL Above Level
Print Material Transparency
OL On Level ELL English CD-ROM or DVD
Language Learners

Levels Chapter Section Section Chapter

BL OL AL ELL Resources Opener 1 2 Assess

FOCUS
5-1 5-2
BL Daily Focus Skills Transparencies

TEACH
BL ELL Guided Reading Activity, URB* p. 21 p. 22
BL ELL Vocabulary Activity, URB* p. 14
BL OL AL ELL Reinforcing Skills Activity, URB p. 17
OL Enrichment Activity, URB p. 19

pp. 37– pp. 40–

BL ELL Reading Essentials and Note-Taking Guide*
39 42

BL OL AL ELL National Geographic World Atlas* ✓ ✓ ✓

2-2,
BL OL AL ELL Map Overlay Transparencies, Strategies, and Activities 2-5
2-3

BL OL AL ELL National Geographic World Desk Map ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

BL OL AL ELL Writer’s Guidebook for Social Studies ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
OL AL World History Primary Source Documents Library ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
National Geographic World Regions Video Program ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
BookLink for Social Studies ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
StudentWorks™ Plus ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
BL OL AL ELL Section Spotlight Video Program ✓ ✓ ✓
BL OL AL ELL World Music: A Cultural Legacy ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
BL OL AL ELL High School Writing Process Transparencies ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
✓ Chapter- or unit-based activities applicable to all sections in this chapter. *Also available in Spanish

128A
 Plus
• Interactive Lesson Planner • Printable reports of daily
• Interactive Teacher Edition assignments
All-In-One Planner and Resource Center • Fully editable blackline masters • Standards Tracking System
• Section Spotlight Videos Launch
• Differentiated Lesson Plans

Levels Chapter Section Section Chapter

BL OL AL ELL Resources Opener 1 2 Assess

TEACH (continued)
High School Character Education ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Inclusion for the High School Social Studies Classroom
✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Strategies and Activities
High School Reading in the Content Area Strategies and Activities ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Success with English Learners ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Teacher Differentiated Instruction for the Geography Classroom ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Resources Literacy Strategies in Social Studies ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Standards-Based Instruction ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Presentation Plus! with MindJogger CheckPoint ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
TeacherWorks™ Plus ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
National Geographic Focus on Geography Literacy Teacher Guide ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

ASSESS
BL OL AL ELL Section Quizzes and Chapter Tests p. 55 p. 56 p. 57
BL OL AL ELL Authentic Assessment With Rubrics p. 35
BL OL AL ELL ExamView Assessment Suite 5-1 5-2 Ch. 5

CLOSE
BL ELL Reteaching Activity, URB p. 15
BL OL ELL Dinah Zike’s Reading and Study Guide Foldables p. 47

pp. 7–
BL OL AL ELL World Geography in Graphic Novel
13

pp. 25–
Graphic Organizer Transparencies, Strategies, and Activities
26
✓ Chapter- or unit-based activities applicable to all sections in this chapter. *Also available in Spanish

128B
 Chapter Integrating Technology

Using
al™
Study Centr
Teach With Technology
What is Study Central™?
Study Central™ is an interactive, online tool that helps students understand and remember content section-by-
section. It can be used alongside lessons or before a test.
How can Study Central™ help my students?
Study Central™ contains fun activities that students can use to review important content and reinforce effective
study habits. Using the format of the Guide to Reading that opens each section in the textbook, Study Central™
has students write main idea statements as questions, review academic and content vocabulary, and take notes
using online graphic organizers. Students can also read section summaries, take multiple-choice quizzes, and
find Web links for more information.
Visit glencoe.com and enter a QuickPass™ code to go to Study Central™.

Geography ONLINE You can easily launch a wide range of digital products
Visit glencoe.com and enter code from your computer’s desktop with the McGraw-Hill
WGC2630C5T for Chapter 5 resources. widget.
Student Teacher Parent
World Geography and Cultures Online Learning Center (Web Site)
• Section Audio ● ● ●

• Spanish Chapter Audio Summaries ● ● ●

• Section Spotlight Videos ● ● ●

• StudentWorks™ Plus Online ● ● ●

• Multilingual Glossary ● ● ●

• Study-to-Go ● ● ●

• Chapter Overviews ● ● ●

• Self-Check Quizzes ● ● ●

• Student Web Activities ● ● ●

• ePuzzles and Games ● ● ●

• Vocabulary eFlashcards ● ● ●

• In-Motion Animations ● ● ●

• Study Central™ ● ● ●

• Nations of the World Atlas ● ● ●

• Glencoe Graphing Tool ● ● ●

• btw — Current Events Web Site ● ● ●

• Web Activity Lesson Plans ●

• Vocabulary PuzzleMaker ●
• Beyond the Textbook ● ● ●

128C

• Timed Readings Plus in Social Studies helps stu-
dents increase their reading rate and fluency while
maintaining comprehension. The 400-word passages
are similar to those found on state and national
assessments.
• Reading in the Content Area: Social Studies
concentrates on six essential reading skills that help
students better comprehend what they read. The book
includes 75 high-interest nonfiction passages written
at increasing levels of difficulty.
• Reading Social Studies includes strategic reading
instruction and vocabulary support in Social Studies
content for both ELLs and native speakers of English.
• Content Vocabulary Workout (Grades 6-8) acceler-
ates reading comprehension through focused vocabu-
lary development. Social Studies content vocabulary
comes from the glossaries of Glencoe’s Middle School
Social Studies texts. www.jamestowneducation.com
Index to National Geographic Magazine:
The following articles relate to this chapter:
• “The Unexpected Canyon,” by Virginia Morell,
January 2006.
• “Drying of the West,” by Robert Kunzig, February 2008.
• “Katrina, Rita Actually Helped Wetlands, Study Says,” by
Willie Drye, September 2006.
• “Reuniting a River,” by Russ Rymer, December 2008.
National Geographic Society Products To order the
following, call National Geographic at 1-800-368-2728:
• National Geographic Atlas of the World (Book).
Access National Geographic’s new dynamic MapMachine
Web site and other geography resources at:
www.nationalgeographic.com
www.nationalgeographic.com/maps
Additional Resources
The following videotape programs are available from
Glencoe as supplements to Chapter 5:
• The Mighty Mississippi (ISBN 0-76-701090-6)
To order, call Glencoe at 1-800-334-7344. To find class-
room resources to accompany many of these videos,
check the following pages:
A&E Television: www.aetv.com
The History Channel: www.historychannel.com
Reading
List Generator
CD-ROM
Use this database to search more than 30,000 titles to cre-
ate a customized reading list for your students.
• Reading lists can be organized by students’ reading
level, author, genre, theme, or area of interest.
• The database provides Degrees of Reading Power™
(DRP) and Lexile™ readability scores for all selections.
• A brief summary of each selection is included.
Leveled reading suggestions for this chapter:
For students at a Grade 7 reading level:
• America’s Wetlands, by Frank Staub
• Great American Deserts, by Rowe Findley
For students at a Grade 9 reading level:
• Saving Our Wetlands and Their Wildlife, by Karen
Liptak, Franklin Watts
128D
CHAPTER INTRODUCTION
Focus
More About the
Photo
Visual Literacy Niagara Falls
was created at the end of the
last Ice Age, about 12,500 years
ago. Currently, the more than
800,000 cubic feet (about
23,000 cubic meters) of water
that flows over the falls every
minute causes them to erode
about a foot every year. Over
time, water erosion has shifted
the falls about 7 miles (11 km)
upstream and has cut the beauti-
ful Niagara Gorge through rock
that is more than 400 million
years old.
Teach
As you begin teaching
this chapter, read the Big Idea out
loud to students. Explain that the
Big Idea is a broad, or high-level,
concept that will help them under-
stand what they are about to learn.
Use the Essential Question for each
section to help students focus on
the Big Idea.
128-135_C05_S1_879995.indd 128
Section 1
The Land
Essential Question How has physical
geography affected the development of the
United States and Canada? (Both countries
have coasts and waterways on which cities were
established and grew into important trade and
128
CHAPTER
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF
Geography and the environment
play an important role in how
The United
a society is shaped over time.
Stories in the news highlight the
importance of the environment in
States and
Canada
the United States and Canada.
Studying the physical geography
will explain the significance of the
region’s natural features and how
the environment affects the region’s
people.
Essential Questions
Section 1: The Land
How has physical geography
affected the development of the
United States and Canada?
Section 2: Climate
and Vegetation
What factors cause variations in
climate and vegetation in most of
the United States and Canada?
Niagara Falls displays its
beauty and power at the
border between the United
Geography ONLINE States and Canada.
Visit glencoe.com and enter
code WGC9952C5 for Chapter 5 resources.
128 Unit 2
1/22/10 12:14:07 PM
industrial centers. Abundant energy and mineral
resources have also made these countries
wealthy.) Point out that in Section 1 students
will learn more about the influence of geogra-
phy on the economies of the United States
and Canada. OL
 CHAPTER INTRODUCTION

Compare and Contrast Make a

Three-Tab Book with a Venn diagram Previewing
to help you compare and contrast the
physical geography of the United
the Region
States and Canada.
If you have not already done so,
engage students in the Regional
Atlas and Country Profiles activi-
ties to help them become familiar
with the general content of the
region.

Reading and Writing As you read this chapter, write

about physical features of the two countries that are sim- Dinah Zike’s
ilar under the center tab of the diagram. Note features
and areas that differ under the outer tabs. Foldables
Purpose This Foldable helps
students compare and contrast
the physical geography of the
United States and Canada.

UNITED STATES AND CANADA

The completed Foldable will
help students organize their
information and prepare for
assessment.

Geography ONLINE
Visit glencoe.com and enter
code WGC2630C5T
for Chapter 5 resources.

Chapter 5 129

128-135_C05_S1_879995.indd 129 1/22/10 12:14:55 PM

Section 2
Climate and Vegetation
Essential Question What factors cause
variations in climate and vegetation in most
of the United States and Canada? (the com-
bined effects of latitude, elevation, ocean cur-
rents off the countries’ east and west coasts, and
rainfall) In Section 2 students will learn more
about the varied climate regions and vegeta-
tion of the United States and Canada. OL

129
CHAPTER Section 1 SECTION
section
1 spotlight
The Land
audio video
The United States and Canada form a geographic
Guide to Reading region of enormous physical variety and natural wealth.
Focus Essential Question
How has physical geography
This wealth includes breathtaking landforms shaped by
the forces of water, wind, and geology over millions of
Daily Focus Transparency 5.1 affected the development of the years. These landforms, such as the rugged, mountain-
United States and Canada?
ous areas near Yellowstone National Park, have
Content Vocabulary attracted adventurers and inspired writers for decades.
• divide (p. 132) • fossil fuel
• headwaters (p. 134)
(p. 132) • fishery (p. 135) Voices Around the World
• tributary (p. 132) • aquaculture
• fall line (p. 133) (p. 135) “From my cabin in Teton Valley, Idaho, . . . [t]here is a snow-covered meadow,
and beyond that a stand of bare grey aspen trees, and beyond that a spill of
Academic Vocabulary
sun-stunned white until the Earth rears back on itself and makes the Rocky
• accumulated (p. 132)
Mountains. It is a landscape that has inspired . . . a great many acts of poetry,
Guide to Reading • enormous (p. 133)
• crucial (p. 133) but I measure it by its ordinary day-to-day gifts. . . . Today . . . the slipping hold
Answers to Graphic Organizer: of winter is still evident. . . . And flies, giddy with the promise of longer days,
Places to Locate seep out of the logs of my cabin and
gold Minerals potash • Mount McKinley (p. 131)
fall in exhausted layers on the window-
• Rocky Mountains (p. 131)
silver nickel • Canadian Shield (p. 132) sills. Life, in all its dangerous, compli-
• Appalachian Mountains (p. 132) cated, annoying glory, has returned to
copper iron • Mississippi River (p. 132) this corner of the sun-tilted world.”
• Great Lakes (p. 133)
—Alexandra Fuller, “Yellowstone &
Reading Strategy Grand Teton National Parks,”
Organizing Complete a web dia- National Geographic, November 2003
gram similar to the one below by
listing the major minerals found
To generate student interest and in the United States and Canada.

provide a springboard for class Minerals

discussion, access the Chapter 5,
Section 1 video at glencoe.com.

Hiking the Rocky

Mountains

Resource Manager
130 Unit 2

128-135_C05_S1_879995.indd 130 1/22/10 12:15:28 PM

Reading Critical Differentiated Writing Skill
R Strategies C Thinking D Instruction W Support S Practice
Teacher Edition Teacher Edition Teacher Edition Teacher Edition Teacher Edition
• Making Connections, • Making Inferences, • Gifted and Talented, • Persuasive Writing, • Reading a Graph, p. 135
p. 132 p. 133 p. 131 p. 134
Additional Resources
Additional Resources Additional Resources Additional Resources Additional Resources • Daily Focus Skills
• Guided Reading 5-1, • Quizzes and Tests, p. 55 • Diff. Instr. for the Geo. • Enrichment Act., URB Trans. 5-1
URB, p. 21 Classroom, pp. 22–24 p. 19 • Map Overlay Trans. 2, 2-5
• RENTG, pp. 37–39 • Foldables, p. 47
• Vocab. Act., URB p. 14
 Landforms
MAIN Idea Water, wind, and geologic forces shape
the landscapes of the United States and Canada.
GEOGRAPHY AND YOU What landforms are part
of the area in which you live? Read to learn about
the many different landforms that exist in the United
States and in Canada.
As the physical map on page 120 shows, moun-
tains rise at the eastern and western edges of the
United States and Canada. In the west, young,
sharp-edged mountain ranges tower above pla- D seeped from cracks in the earth. The heavily
teaus that descend to vast plains. These plains
extend across the continent to meet the lower,
more eroded mountains in the east.
Western Mountains, Plains,
and Plateaus
Collisions between tectonic plates millions of
years ago thrust up a series of sharp-peaked moun-
tains called the Pacific Ranges. These ranges
include the Sierra Nevada, the Cascade Range, the
The shape and location of the
Pacific Ranges affect conditions on
the Columbia Plateau.
Location What type of vegetation could you expect to find
in the flat, plateau areas between mountain ranges?
An Amazing Facts Poster
128-135_C05_S1_879995.indd 131
Step 1: Collecting Facts Small groups
of students will plan a poster featuring
amazing facts about the United States and
Canada in each of these categories: physi-
cal geography, climate, and plant and ani-
mal life.
Essential Question How do the geog-
raphy, climate, and plant and animal life of
a region influence where people settle?
Coast Range, and the Alaska Range. The Alaska
Range gives rise to the highest point on the conti-
nent, Mount McKinley, at 20,320 feet (6,194 m).
Like the Pacific Ranges, the Rocky Mountains
grew as geologic forces heaved slabs of rock
upward. The Rocky Mountains link the United
States and Canada, stretching more than 3,000
miles (4,828 km) from New Mexico to Alaska.
Some peaks of the Rockies soar to more than
14,000 feet (4,267 m).
Dry basins and plateaus fill the area between
the Pacific Ranges and the Rockies. The Columbia
Plateau in the north was formed by lava that
eroded Colorado Plateau displays flat-topped
mesas and the majestic Grand Canyon of the
Colorado River. At its deepest, the canyon’s steep
walls plunge 6,000 feet (1,829 m). The Great
Basin cradles Death Valley, the lowest place in the
United States. Canada’s plateaus are colder and
narrower than those in the United States.
East of the Rockies, the land falls and flattens
into the Great Plains, which extend 300 to 700
miles (483 to 1,126 km) across the center of the
region. The Great Plains reach elevations up to
6,000 feet (1,829 m). Although the plains appear
flat, the land slopes downward at about 10 feet
per mile (about 2 m per km) to the Central
Lowlands along the Mississippi River.
Chapter 5 131
Directions Tell groups of students 1/22/10 tionPM and visuals such as photos, maps, and
to 12:15:38
work together to choose at least two facts
for each of the categories listed in Step 1.
Have groups begin by reviewing the chapter
and taking notes as they find photos, maps,
and other information that can help them
select the facts they want to feature in their
poster. Point out to students that they can
choose facts that have to do with the past
and future as well as the present. Next, have
students do research to find further informa-
CHAPTER Section 1
Teach
D Differentiated
Instruction
Gifted and Talented Have
students create topographic mod-
els of the western United States
and western Canada. First, orga-
nize students into groups and
have each group decide which
area it wants to map (make sure
everyone does not choose the
same area). Then have groups cre-
ate an outline map on heavy
poster board. Tell them to check
the accuracy of their outline maps
UNITED STATES AND CANADA
before going on to the next step.
Next, have them use clay or other
media to indicate elevation. Have
them paint the model, using color
to indicate bodies of water, moun-
tains, and deserts. AL
Caption Answer:
vegetation that can survive
without a lot of moisture:
cacti, grasses, and shrubs
Hands-On
Chapter Project
Step 1
graphics supporting these facts. Encourage
students to plan the layout and content of
their poster carefully so that their facts are
clearly showcased for the viewer.
Putting It Together Ask groups to give
a brief preview of the facts they will be fea-
turing in their posters, and invite comments
from the rest of the class. OL
(Chapter Project continues on page 139.)
131
CHAPTER Section 1 Eastern Mountains Water Systems
and Lowlands
East of the Mississippi, the land rises slowly into MAIN Idea Lakes and rivers in the United States
the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. At the and Canada are important to economic develop-
edge of the Canadian plains, the Canadian Shield, ment in the region.

Teach
a giant core of rock centered on the Hudson and
GEOGRAPHY AND YOU Can you name major U.S.
James Bays, anchors the continent. This stony land cities and towns that are located close to waterways?
makes up the eastern half of Canada and the Read to learn how waterways encourage the growth
R Reading Strategy northeastern United States. In northern Quebec
the Canadian Shield descends to the Hudson Bay.
of cities and industrial centers.
Making Connections Ask: The heavily eroded Appalachian Mountains are
Freshwater lakes and rivers have helped make
If the Appalachians were much North America’s oldest mountains. They are the
the United States and Canada prosperous. Abun-
taller than they are today, how continent’s second-longest mountain range,
dant water satisfies the needs of cities and rural
do you think they affected the extending about 1,500 miles (2,414 km) from
areas, provides power for homes and industries,
Quebec to central Alabama. The Appalachians
climate back then? (Answers will were formed by powerful upheavals within the
and moves resources across the continent.
vary but may include: They may Earth’s crust and shaped over time by ice and run-
R ning water. Coastal lowlands lie east and south of Rivers
have had the same effect on the In North America the high ridge of the Rockies
east coast as the Sierra Nevada or the Appalachians. Between the mountains and the
is called the Continental Divide, or the Great
coastal lowlands is the Piedmont, a wide area of
Rockies do in the West. ) OL rolling hills. Many rivers cut through the Pied-
Divide. A divide is a high point or ridge that
determines the direction in which rivers flow.
mont, flowing east across the Atlantic Coastal
Answer: The East of the Continental Divide, waters flow
Plain in the Carolinas. In the southeast, the Gulf
toward the Arctic Ocean, Hudson Bay, the
Rocky Mountains stretch through Coastal Plain extends westward to Texas.
Atlantic Ocean, and the Mississippi River sys-
the United States and Canada. tem, which empties into the Gulf of Mexico. To
The central part of both countries Islands the west, waters flow into the Pacific Ocean.
is made up of flat plains. The The islands of the United States and Canada Rivers—such as the Colorado and the Rio
Appalachian Mountains extend were created in part by geologic forces. Oceanic Grande—have their headwaters, or source, in
islands, such as Hawaii, are volcanic. With each the Rockies. Many tributaries, or smaller rivers
through the eastern United States
volcanic eruption, lava accumulated on the floor and streams, connect with one of these two large
to Quebec. There are continental rivers. Northeast of the Rockies, the Mackenzie
of the ocean until it pushed through the water’s
islands off of both the United surface. Volcanic mountaintops emerging from River, which flows from the Great Slave Lake to
States and Canada. the Pacific Ocean formed the 8 major and 124 the Arctic Ocean, drains much of Canada’s
smaller islands of Hawaii. Continental islands are northern interior.
unsubmerged parts of the continental shelf— The Mississippi River, one of North America’s
a shallow, underwater platform that forms a con- longest rivers, flows 2,357 miles (3,792 km) from
tinental border. Many larger islands, such as its source. It begins in Minnesota as a stream so
Greenland, near the coast of Canada’s Ellesmere narrow that a person can easily jump across it:
Island, are the continental type. An overseas terri-

‘‘
tory of Denmark, Greenland is the world’s largest When I was nine years old, I jumped across
island at 839,399 square miles (2.1 million sq. the Mississippi. . . . My parents let me know
km). Newfoundland, Prince Edward Island, and
this modest stream I’d taken in stride was
Cape Breton Island in the east and Vancouver
actually one of the Earth’s great corridors,
Island in the west play important roles in Canada’s
dominion of paddleboats and Huck Finn,
economy. New York City’s Manhattan Island, at
prime mover of food, fertility, and commerce

’’
the mouth of the Hudson River, is a major U.S.
across our land.
and world economic center.
Regions What are some important —Barbara Kingsolver,
similarities between the physical geography of the “San Pedro River: The Patience of a Saint,”
Differentiated United States and the physical geography of Canada? National Geographic, April 2000

Instruction 132 Unit 2

128-135_C05_S1_879995.indd 132
Leveled Activities 1/22/10 12:15:43 PM

BL Location Activity, URB, p. 2 OL Enrichment Activity 5, AL World Literature, URB, ELL Vocabulary Activity 5, URB,
URB, p. 19 pp. 11–12 p. 14

Name Date Class Name Date Class Name Date Class Name Date Class

Location Activity 2B
Enrichment Activity 5 World Literature: The United States and Canada VOCABULARY 5
A C T I V I T Y
D I R E C T I O N S : Write the correct name for each numbered physical
The Great Divide About the Author
feature in the corresponding blank below.
The continental divide in North America is Western United States Showing the Great Divide Physical Geography of the United States and Canada
sometimes called the Great Divide. All rivers N. Scott Momaday (b. 1934) is one-half Kiowa Indian. He was born in
60qN

United States and Canada Oklahoma and grew up on various Kiowa reservations in the southwest. DIRECTIONS: Choose a word or phrase from the box to complete each sentence.
70qN

east of the Great Divide flow toward the Atlantic ARCTIC

80

qW
160 He has been a college and university professor of English and comparative
UNIT

qN

Ocean
2

Ocean, some by way of Hudson Bay or the Y u ko literature since 1963. Momaday has published several collections of poetry
Word Bank
n R.
W

Gulf of Mexico. All rivers west of the Great

UNIT
0q

in addition to his prose fiction and nonfiction and has illustrated some of
14

ALASKA
qW

Divide flow toward the Pacific Ocean.

100qW

his own work. House Made of Dawn, his 1969 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel
120
2

20
Mack e n

qW
In 1978 the United States Congress approved aquaculture fall line prairie
excerpted below, looks at the difficulties of mixing Indian and Anglo
blizzards fishery supercells
zie R.

the creation of the Continental Divide National cultures and was based on the lives of his ancestors.
Scenic Trail, a 3,102-mile (4,992-km) route which chaparral fossil fuel timberline
twists and turns from the southern border of
5

CHAPTER

Hudson
chinook headwaters tributary
40

R.
New Mexico to the northern border of Montana. ace
G U I D E D R E A D I N G As you read the following passage from House Made of
CHAPTER
qW

Bay divide hurricane

Pe

Over 60 percent of the route was already in Continental

Divide
S CANADA Dawn, think about the mood created by the description of the setting and the
place as existing trails or roads when Congress as
ka
t c hewan
R.
behavior of the animals.
.
50

umbia R
qN

60

created the Continental Divide Trail. A portion 1. A is a high point or ridge that determines the direction that rivers flow.
qW

Runoff from Triple Divide Peak flows to

C ol

of the route along the Idaho/Montana border, three oceans: the Arctic, Pacific and Atlantic.
5

159qW 156qW

1 for example, was a trail created by Native

Triple Divide Peak Missour
i
from House Made of Dawn 2. A is a brook, river, or stream that connects with larger rivers.
R.

21qN MONTANA
Americans and used by Lewis and Clark in IDAHO
The canyon is a ladder to the plain. The valley wound them out and lain upon them like a
Sn

1805 during their exploration of the Louisiana ke

3. The source of a river is called its .
a

R . WYOMING UNITED
0 mi. 100
Purchase. When constructing the Continental Continental
Pla
tte R.
is pale in the end of July, when the corn and line of fire, or, knowing of some vibrant presence
0 km 100
7 3 Divide .
melons come of age and slowly the fields are on the air, they writhe away in the agony of time.
11 Divide Trail, modern surveyors connected oR STATES
40 r ad COLORADO A rkans .
4. To catch fish and other sea animals, you would go to a .
C ol o io R
ean

qN
existing trails and made new ones to make it the Oh made ready for the yield, and a faint, false air . . . Coyotes have the gift of being seldom seen;
as R

.
i R.

of autumn—an illusion still in the land—rises they keep to the edge of vision and beyond,
ATLANTIC Oc

longest national scenic trail in the United States. NEW

Mississipp

9 2 MEXICO Re d . R.
somewhere away in the high north country, a loping in and out of cover on the plains and 5. The boundary in the eastern United States that marks the place where higher land drops to the
Pacific
Copyright © Glencoe/McGraw-Hill, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

Copyright © Glencoe/McGraw-Hill, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

Copyright © Glencoe/McGraw-Hill, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

Copyright © Glencoe/McGraw-Hill, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

12 DIRECTIONS: Use the article above and study Ocean o Gran vague suspicion of red and yellow on the farthest highlands. And at night, when the whole world
Ri

d lower coastal plain is the .

10 the map showing the Great Divide to answer belongs to them, they parley 1 at the river with
eR

6 summits. And the town lies out like a scattering

.

MEXICO Gulf of Mexico

30q
N
4 the questions below. of bones in the heart of the land, low in the valley, the dogs, their higher, sharper voices full of 6. The elevation above which trees cannot grow is referred to as the .
8
where the earth is a kiln and the soil is carried authority and rebuke. . . .
N 0 mi. 500 1. Through which states does the Continental 5. Where is Triple Divide Peak? What is its here and there in the wind and all harvests are a Higher, among the hills and mesas and 7. A is a warm, dry wind that may blow down the east slopes of the Rockies.
0 km 500 poor survival of the seed. It is a remote place, sandstone cliffs, there are foxes and bobcats
Divide Trail extend? significance? and divided from the rest of the world by a great

132
and mountain lions. Now and then, when the 8. A naturally treeless expanse of grass is known as a .
forked range of mountains on the north and west; weather turns and food is scarce in the mountains,
5 by wasteland on the south and east, a region of bear and deer wander down into the canyons. 9. Violent spring and summer thunderstorms called create tornadoes in
2. On the map, which major rivers in the dunes and thorns and burning columns of air; Once there were wolves in the mountains, and
United States are west of the Great Divide? and more than these by time and silence. the Great Plains.
the old hunters of the town remember them. . . .
. . . Frequently in the sun there are pairs But they were killed out for bounty, and no one
1. 7. 6. Which oceans receive runoff from Triple Divide 10. An ocean storm hundreds of miles wide is a .
of white and russet hawks soaring to the hunt. will remember them in a little while.
Peak? By what means does water enter the
2. 8. And when one falls off and alights, there will . . . These—and the innumerable meaner 11. are snow storms that meet specific measurements of wind, temperature,
3. Which river shown on the map has the southern- Atlantic? be a death in the land, for it has come down creatures, the lizard and the frog, the insect and
3. 9. to place itself like a destiny between its prey the worm—have tenure2 in the land. The other, and length of time.
most mouth? The northernmost? and the burrow from which its prey has come; latecoming things—the beasts of burden and of
and then the other, the killer hawk, turns around trade, the horse and the sheep, the dog and the 12. , or fish farming, is a growing practice.
4. 10.
in the sky and breaks its glide and dives. . . . cat—these have an alien and inferior aspect, a
4. Through which U.S. state bordering Canada In the highest heat of the day, rattlesnakes lie poverty of vision and instinct, by which they are 13. Coal and natural gas are two forms of .
5. 11.
 From a narrow stream at its source, the
Mississippi River reaches a width of 1.5 miles
(2.4 km) as it empties into the Gulf of Mexico.
The river drains 1,200,000 square miles
(3,108,000 sq. km) of land, including all or part
of 31 U.S. states and 2 Canadian provinces. This
enormous reach makes the Mississippi one of
the world’s busiest commercial waterways.
In the eastern United States, a boundary called
the fall line marks the place where the higher
land of the Piedmont drops to the lower Atlantic
Coastal Plain. Along the fall line, eastern rivers
break into rapids and waterfalls, blocking ships
from traveling farther inland.
Canada’s St. Lawrence River flows for 750
miles (1,207 km) from Lake Ontario to the Gulf
of St. Lawrence in the Atlantic Ocean, forming
part of the border between Canada and the
United States. The Canadian cities of Quebec,
Montreal, and Ottawa grew up along the St.
Lawrence River and its tributaries and depend
on these waters for trade.
Niagara Falls, on the Niagara River, forms
another part of the border between Canada and
the United States. Two separate drops form the
falls—the Horseshoe Falls, adjoining the Canadian
bank of the river, and the American Falls, adjoin-
ing the U.S. bank. The falls are a major source of
hydroelectric power for both countries.
Lakes and Other Waterways
In northern Canada, glacial dams created
Great Bear Lake and Great Slave Lake. Glaciers
also gouged the Canadian Shield and tore at the
central section of the continent, leaving glacial
basins that filled and became the Great Lakes.
Large deposits of coal, iron, and other minerals
near the lakes favored the development of indus-
tries and urban growth in the area.
Providing a link between inland and coastal
waterways has been crucial to the economic devel-
opment of North America. The greatest of these
connections is the Great Lakes–St. Lawrence
Seaway System—a series of canals, the St. Lawrence C land of the Piedmont drops to meet the Atlantic Coastal Plain.
River, and other inland waterways that link the
Great Lakes and the Atlantic Ocean. The seaway
helped make cities along the Great Lakes power-
ful trade and industrial centers.
Human-Environment Interaction
What major waterways do people in the United States
and Canada depend on for the purposes of trade?
128-135_C05_S1_879995.indd 133
Science Explain to students that levees
are embankments that enclose a river, mak-
ing it possible for the river’s level to be
higher than the surrounding land. Ask:
What do you think happens to the level
and flow of a river contained by levees
when it rains too much? What does this
do to the levees? (The level rises and the
The Fall Line CHAPTER Section 1
C Critical Thinking
Making Inferences Ask stu-
dents to look at the physical map
of the United States and Canada
on page 120. Have them identify
the area drained by the
Mississippi River and the location
of the Great Lakes and the St.
Lawrence River. Ask: Can you find
a place where these two water-
ways might be connected by a
canal? (the southern tip of Lake
Michigan) Tell students that a
canal was built in that area. Ask
them what city grew up around
the canal that was built.
(Chicago) OL
UNITED STATES AND CANADA
For additional practice on this
skill, see the Skills Handbook.
Answer:
Mississippi River, St. Lawrence
River, and the Great Lakes
Answers
1. They served as ports for
oceangoing trading vessels.
The fall line of the eastern United States indicates where the higher
2. It gave them a source of
1. Human-Environment Interaction Why did cities such as
power for mills and
Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington, D.C., spring up along the factories.
fall line?
2. Regions How did location along the fall line affect the economies
of towns in the South?
Use StudentWorks™ Plus or glencoe.com.
Additional
Chapter 5 133 Support
Activity: Interdisciplinary Connection 1/22/10 12:15:44 PM
water flows faster, putting pressure on the should direct their research to finding spe-
levees.) cific examples that illustrate why flood
Invite a science teacher to talk to the damage from a broken levee might be
class about what happens when a levee more devastating. Have students share
breaks or overflows. Then have students do their findings. OL AL
research comparing flood damage from a
broken levee with flood damage from a
river overflowing its natural banks. Students
133
CHAPTER Section 1 Natural Resources also has the greatest reserves of natural gas.
Most of Canada’s petroleum and natural gas
reserves lie in or near Alberta. Coal in the
MAIN Idea Abundant natural resources have made Appalachians, Wyoming, and British Columbia
the United States and Canada wealthy, but these has been mined for more than 100 years.
resources and the areas in which they are found Coal, petroleum, and natural gas are forms of
need protection.
Teach GEOGRAPHY AND YOU What natural resources
fossil fuels. Such fuels were formed in the Earth
from the buried plant and animal remains of a
are important to activities in your everyday life? previous geologic time hundreds of millions of
W Writing Support Read to learn about the vital natural resources of years ago. Fossil fuels must be conserved because
the United States and Canada. they are nonrenewable, which means they can-
Persuasive Writing Have stu-
not be replaced naturally in a short period of
dents write one or two paragraphs time. Currently there is much interest in finding
Ample freshwater is only one of the many nat-
describing activities they would ural resources of the United States and Canada. new sources of fossil fuels in North America, in
want reclaimed mine land to be The same geologic processes that shaped the Alaska for example, without disrupting the nat-
used for. They may choose from the North American landscape left the region rich in ural environments in which they are found.
a wide variety of resources. Access to this natu- Mineral resources are also plentiful. The Rocky
land uses mentioned in the text or Mountains yield gold, silver, and copper. Parts of
ral wealth has helped speed industrialization.
may come up with their own. Tell the Canadian Shield are rich in iron and nickel.
students that vividly describing Fossil Fuels and Minerals Iron ore exists in northern Minnesota and
how enjoyable their chosen activity The United States and Canada have important Michigan. Canada’s minerals include 33 percent
energy resources, such as petroleum and natural of the world’s production of potash (a mineral
is will help persuade others of their
gas. Texas and Alaska rank first and second in salt used in fertilizers), 4 percent of its copper,
point of view. OL petroleum reserves in the United States. Texas 4 percent of its gold, and 5 percent of its silver.
Conservation and land preservation are impor-
tant issues for today’s mining industry.
Caption Answer: Like fossil fuels, mineral resources are nonre-
by restoring land after mining newable and could become depleted. Because
mining involves heavy equipment, uses large
operations have finished quantities of water, and moves a great deal of
rock and other natural materials, it can damage
land, water, and air systems. In the past, people
did not pay a great deal of attention to preserv-
ing the environment while mining. Today, the
Geography ONLINE challenge for mining companies in the United
Objectives and answers to the States and Canada is finding ways to remove
Student Web Activity can be and process minerals and metal resources with
the least disruption to surrounding ecosystems.
found at glencoe.com under One aspect of these efforts involves restoring
the Web Activity Lesson Plan land used in mining when mining operations in
for this program. a particular area have finished. This reclaimed
W land can then be used for activities such as wild-
life parks, tree farms and orchards, public hunt-
ing and fishing areas, and grazing livestock.

Coal mining in West Geography ONLINE

Virginia is important to
Student Web Activity Visit glencoe.com, select the
the state’s economy and well-being.
World Geography and Cultures Web site, and
Human-Environment Interaction How are click on Student Web Activities—Chapter 5 for an activ-
mining companies working to reduce the impact of mining ity about the natural resources of North America.
Additional on the environment?

Support 134 Unit 2

128-135_C05_S1_879995.indd 134
Activity: Economics Connection 1/22/10 12:16:01 PM

Analyzing Explain to students that oil drilling
in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR)
and elsewhere in Alaska has sparked intense
debate in U.S. politics. Ask: What arguments
might be made against drilling for oil in the
ANWR? (preserve wildlife, natural beauty) What
arguments might be made in favor of drilling
there? (need to reduce reliance on foreign sources
of oil) Have students use the Internet to find
materials expressing either point of view. The
materials might be news articles with quotes
from individual proponents of either view, or
Web sites of organizations. Encourage students
to find articles reporting the most recent devel-
opments in the debate as well as older materials
and to analyze how the debate has changed
over time.

134
 Timber and Fishing the Canadian government to ban cod fishing.
CHAPTER Section 1
Both countries of the region now are working to
Timber is a vital resource for the United States
protect species that have been or are in danger
and Canada. Forests and woodlands once cov-
of becoming overfished. After a steep decline in
ered large expanses of both countries. Today,
fishing, aquaculture, or fish farming, has become
however, forests cover about 34 percent of
a growing economic activity. The line graph
Canada and only about 33 percent of the
United States. Commercial lumber operations
below shows that thousands of tons of fish are S Skill Practice
produced each year in the region.
face the challenge of harvesting the region’s Reading a Graph Ask students
precious timber resources responsibly. The Growth of Aquaculture
500 to look at the line graph. Ask:
Trees are a renewable resource, but only if
people take steps to protect forests and the eco- How did Canada’s production of
400 fish change between 1996 and
systems they sustain. Positive efforts to preserve
forests include replanting trees to replace those

Thousand tons
300
2006? (It increased steadily from
cut for lumber, cooperating to protect the 1,000 United States about 65,000 tons in 1996 to about
species of native forest animals, and preserving Canada
old-growth forests. 200 S 170,000 tons in 2002. It then
The coastal waters of the Atlantic and Pacific decreased slightly from 2002 to
100
Oceans and the Gulf of Mexico have been essen- 2005, and then increased to about
tial to the region’s economy. Rich with fish and 165,000 in 2006.) OL
0
shellfish, these waters were important fisheries, 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006
or places for catching fish and other sea ani- Year
mals. The Grand Banks, once one of the world’s Source: OECD Factbook 2009: Economic, Environmental, and Answer:
Social Statistics.
richest fishing grounds, covers about 139,000 commercial lumber, aquaculture,
square miles (360,000 sq. km) off of Canada’s Place What industries are sup- mining
southeast coast. In recent years, overfishing has ported by the natural resources of the United States
caused fish stocks to decrease rapidly, leading and Canada?

UNITED STATES AND CANADA

Assess
SECTION 1 REVIEW Geography ONLINE
Study Central™ provides sum-
Vocabulary Critical Thinking
maries, interactive games, and
1. Explain the significance of: divide, headwaters, tributary, fall 5. Answering the Essential Question Explain how the fall
online graphic organizers to help
line, fossil fuel, fishery, aquaculture. line in the eastern United States influenced economic develop-
ment in the region.
students review content.
Main Ideas
6. Making Inferences Why is it in the best interest of industries
2. Explain how each of the following factors—water, wind, and to use natural resources responsibly?
tectonic forces—has influenced landscapes in the United States
and Canada.
7. Analyzing Visuals Study the line graph above. In which year
did the United States produce the largest amount of fish? How
Close
3. What types of natural resources have made the United States much less did Canada produce during that same year? Determining Importance
and Canada wealthy? Why do such resources need protection?
What efforts have been made to preserve forests in the United Writing About Geography Ask: Why is the Great Lakes-St.
States and Canada? 8. Expository Writing Write a paragraph describing the effects Lawrence Seaway System impor-
4. How are lakes and rivers important to economic development of a physical process, such as weather or gravity, on the flow tant to both Canada and the
in the United States and Canada? On a sheet of paper, fill in a of rivers in the United States and Canada.
United States? (It helped make the
chart like the one below that lists examples of each for both
countries. Great Lakes area a center for trade
Geography ONLINE and industry.)
Lakes Rivers
Study Central™ To review this section, go to
United States
glencoe.com and click on Study Central.
Canada

Chapter 5 135
Section 1 Review

128-135_C05_S1_879995.indd 135
Answers 1/22/10 12:16:04 PM

1. Definitions for the vocabulary terms are 4. Answers will vary but should note the 6. Answers will vary, but may include: it earns
found in the section and the Glossary. importance of the Great Lakes, St. Lawrence them goodwill, it saves costs, if they run out
2. water and wind: eroded Appalachian River, and Mississippi River. of natural resources they have to find new
Mountains; tectonic forces: created 5. Waterfalls and rapids occur along the fall ways of conducting business.
Hawaiian Islands, the Rockies, and the line—the point where the higher land of 7. 2003; 263 thousand tons
Appalachian mountains the Piedmont drops to the lower Atlantic 8. Students’ paragraphs should demonstrate
3. coal, petroleum, natural gas, various miner- Coastal Plain. The energy produced from an understanding of the physical geogra-
als, timber and fish; Many resources are these waterfalls was harnessed and used to phy of the United States and Canada.
nonrenewable, and some renewable power mills and factories. U.S. cities also
resources are becoming depleted too developed along the fall line to take advan-
quickly.; Replanting trees and saving old tage of the natural ports.
growth forests.
135
 WHY GEOGRAPHY MATTERS

Focus
Introducing the August 29
Feature Katrina destroys towns in
Louisiana and Mississippi.
Tell students that for most of its
long history, people in New Orleans
August 23–24, 2005
were more concerned with protect-
ing themselves from flooding from Tropical depression forms
over the Bahamas, becoming
the Mississippi River, not hurricanes. Tropical Storm Katrina.
Point out that the levees that broke
during Katrina were not the ones
holding back the river, but Lake
Pontchartrain, north of the city.
August 26–28

Teach Hovering over the Gulf of

Mexico, Katrina grows to a
category 5 storm.
August 25
Katrina becomes a category
D Differentiated
Instruction
1 hurricane before it makes
landfall in Florida.

Gifted and Talented Have

students compare Katrina to other
hurricanes during the 2005
Atlantic season. Students should
research the 12 other hurricanes
at the library or on the Internet,
noting their strength, what areas
were affected, and cost of dam-
age. Have students present their
research on a chart. Charts should
include the following categories:
category (strength), area affected,
and cost of damage. AL
Additional
Awful Aftermath
Disaster A record-breaking 26 named tropical storms,
including 13 hurricanes, formed during the 2005 Atlantic
D hurricane season. Katrina, Rita, and Wilma devastated the Gulfport, Mississippi, woman outside her home
Gulf Coast with destructive winds, mountainous waves,
What was the cost of Katrina? Katrina was the most
torrential rains, storm surges, and tornadoes. After
Katrina’s storm surge breached the levees, 80 percent of destructive and the costliest natural disaster in the history of
New Orleans flooded. Along the coast, whole towns were the United States, with property damage estimates of $75 bil-
wiped out. The storm’s effects were felt as far north as lion. To clean up the debris and toxins and to rebuild will cost
billions more.
Ontario, Canada.

Support 136 Unit 2

136-137_C05_FTR_879995.indd 136
More About the Photo 1/22/10 12:17:02 PM

Visual Literacy As Katrina approached New
Orleans, researchers at Louisiana State
University were tracking the storm. As early as
the year 2001, they had been working with
computer models that showed New Orleans
could be flooded with up to 11 feet (3.4 m) of
water if a storm like Katrina hit the area.
Because of this prediction, the researchers
were beginning to get the attention of the
authorities. On August 27, 2005 the computer
models showed that the worst-case scenario
was about to happen. Researchers alerted state
and local authorities, as well as the news media.
Although some agencies took them seriously,
it was too late to avert disaster.

136
 Hurricane Glossary
calm center of storm, sur-
eye
rounded by the strongest winds
hurricane
also known as cyclone,
typhoon, tropical cyclone
hurricane
June 1 to November 30
season
when the center of the storm
landfall
crosses the coastline
dramatic rise in sea level that
storm surge
causes water to crash into coast
Awesome Power
Katrina was born from a cluster of thunderstorms
near the Bahamas. Like other hurricanes, Katrina
formed from high humidity, light winds, and water
temperatures of at least 80°F (27ºC). Katrina
C Critical Thinking
became the largest hurricane of its strength ever to
R Making Inferences Ask stu-
C hit the United States. With 125 mph winds, gusting dents what contributing factors
to 215 mph, and a 34-foot (10.4-m) storm surge,
make June 1 to November 30 a
Katrina had the energy of 10,000 nuclear bombs.
ripe time for hurricanes to form.
(All the elements needed are pres-
ent—high humidity, light winds,
and warm seawater temperatures.)
Tell students that annually, this is
the period of greatest storm activ-
ity, encompassing 97 percent of
all tropical storm activity in the
Atlantic. OL

Louisiana residents try to reach safety. R Reading Strategy

UNITED STATES AND CANADA

Identifying Ask: What condi-
How Hurricanes Are Classified tions must be present for a hurri-
Category Wind Speed Storm Surge cane to form? (clusters of
(above normal tide) thunderstorms, high humidity, light
1 74–95 mph 4–5 feet winds, and water temperature of at
2 96–110 mph 6–8 feet least 80°F [27°C]) OL
3 111–130 mph 9–12 feet
4 131–155 mph 13–18 feet
5 above 155 mph

Source: Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale

Louisiana officer rescues a terrified child.
What was the human toll? Thousands were left battered,
displaced, and homeless. The official death toll was 1,383,
but months later, more than 4,000 people were still unac-
counted for. For more information, visit Beyond the
Textbook/Hurricane Katrina at glencoe.com.
above 18 feet
Assess/Close
Summarizing Ask: What are
some of the ways a hurricane
THINKING GEOGRAPHICALLY causes destruction? (destructive
1. Environment and Society Conduct research winds, mountainous waves, torren-
to learn how individuals and communities tial rains, tornadoes, and flooding)
prepared for Katrina. Then create a multime-
dia presentation detailing your findings.
2. Human Systems Why might people not want
to leave their homes before a hurricane hits?
Why might people choose to rebuild homes
in areas often affected by hurricanes?

Chapter 5 137

THINKING
136-137_C05_FTR_879995.indd 137
GEOGRAPHICALLY 1/22/10 12:17:16 PM

Answers with them; they may not have transpor-

1. Presentations will vary but should discuss
evacuation plans, early warning systems,
flood walls, and levees.
2. Answers will vary but may include:
People may have pets they cannot take
tation; they may fear their home will be
looted if they leave; they may be curious
to see what a hurricane is like; they have
jobs in the area; the area is a nice place
to live; it is too much effort to move.

137
CHAPTER Section 2
Focus
Daily Focus Transparency 5.2
Guide to Reading
Answers to Graphic Organizer:
latitude
proximity to large bodies of water
mountain ranges
elevation
To generate student interest and
provide a springboard for class
discussion, access the Chapter 5,
Section 2 video at glencoe.com.
Resource Manager
Reading
R Strategies
Teacher Edition
• Outlining, p. 139
Additional Resources
• Guided Reading 5-2,
URB, p. 22
• RENTG, pp. 40–42
• World Geo. in Graphic
Novel, pp. 7–13
SECTION
section
2 spotlight
Climate and
Vegetation
audio video
Guide to Reading
Essential Question
What factors cause variations in
Diversity of climate and vegetation characterizes the
region of the United States and Canada. Conditions in
climate and vegetation in most of
the United States and Canada? this vast region include the wet and dry seasons of the
Content Vocabulary southern United States, the bitter cold of high-latitude
• hurricane • timberline areas, the radically changing seasons of the interior
(p. 139) (p. 141) regions, and the cool, wet climates of the Pacific Coast.
• chaparral • chinook
(p. 139) (p. 141)
• prairie (p. 140) • blizzard Voices Around the World
• supercell (p. 142)
(p. 140) “Off the west coast of British Columbia’s Vancouver Island, Bob Van Pelt
Academic Vocabulary tramped ahead across a smaller isle named Meares. We were in woods as old,
• distinct (p. 139) quiet, green, and wet as a forest can be. Even the air felt soaked. It was hard
to tell how much of the moisture came from the chilly rain, how much was fog,
• methods (p. 141)
• visibility (p. 142) and how much was steam rising off the burly figure of a bearded Van Pelt,
also known as Big Tree Bob. . . . When we reached a giant that the locals call
Places to Locate
Varying Climate Big Mother, Van Pelt . . . took precise
• Everglades (p. 139)
and Vegetation • Death Valley (p. 139) measurements . . . and announced
• Great Plains (p. 140) that this western red cedar
• Newfoundland (p. 142) would probably rank among
• Yukon Territory (p. 142) the ten largest known on the
Reading Strategy continent.”
Organizing Complete a graphic
organizer similar to the one below —Douglas H. Chadwick,
“Pacific Suite,”
by listing the factors that contribute
National Geographic,
to the varying climate and vegeta- February 2003
tion found in the northern areas of
the United States and Canada.
Varying Climate
and Vegetation
Old-growth cedar, Vancouver
138 Unit 2
138-143_C05_S2_879995.indd 138 1/22/10 12:19:51 PM
Critical Differentiated Writing Skill
C Thinking D Instruction W Support S Practice
Teacher Edition Teacher Edition Teacher Edition Teacher Edition
• Making Inferences, • English Learners, p. 142 • Expository Writing, • Comparing Maps, p. 140
p. 140 p. 141
Additional Resources Additional Resources
Additional Resources • Reteaching Act., URB Additional Resources • Daily Focus Skills
• Quizzes and Tests, p. 56 p. 15 • Authentic Assess., Trans. 5-2
• Graphic Organizer p. 35 • Map Overlay Trans. 2,
Trans., pp. 25–26 2-2, 2-3
• Reinforcing Skills Act.,
URB p. 17
 Southern Climates
MAIN Idea Location near the coast, as well as
prevailing wind patterns, results in the warm and
wet climates and warm and dry climates of the
southern United States.
GEOGRAPHY AND YOU Have you ever been at the
beach and experienced warm winds blowing off
the water? Read to learn how the Atlantic Ocean
and the Pacific Ocean influence climate in some
parts of the United States.
Subtropical, tropical, desert, and Mediterranean
climates are found primarily in the southern
United States. The climate map on page 140
R often contributes to problems with water quan-
shows that these climate zones are part of an area
that extends from about 25° N to about 40° N.
Warm and Wet Climates
The humid subtropical climate of the Southeast
is rainy with long, muggy summers and mild win-
ters. Because the Southeast borders a major source
of water—the Atlantic Ocean—there is no dry
season. Deciduous forests extend as far south as
Louisiana, but land has been cleared for farming
along the Mississippi River. Wetlands and swamps
like Florida’s Everglades shelter a great variety of
vegetation and wildlife. In late summer and early
autumn, hurricanes—ocean storms hundreds of
miles wide with winds of 74 miles per hour
(119 km per hour) or more—can pound the
region’s coastlines.
Although the Florida
wetlands (right) and
Death Valley (left) are located in the southern
United States, their climates are quite different.
Regions Compare the climate of the Florida wetlands
to that of Death Valley. How are they similar? Different?
An Amazing Facts Poster
138-143_C05_S2_879995.indd 139
Step 2: Preparing the Poster Small
groups of students prepare their posters on
amazing facts about the United States and
Canada in the categories of physical geog-
raphy, climate, and plant and animal life.
Directions Write the categories of facts
on the board. Remind students that their
Within the contiguous United States, the 48
states whose borders touch, only the extreme CHAPTER Section 2
southern tip of Florida has a tropical climate that
has a distinct dry season. Florida’s dry season is in
winter. Hawaii, about 2,400 miles (3,862 km) west
of the mainland, and the Caribbean island of
Puerto Rico have tropical wet climates. These
tropical wet climates support lush rain forests. Teach
Warm and Dry Climates R Reading Strategy
The rain shadow effect creates desert areas
Outlining Have students create
when dry air moves down the leeward side of a
mountain. This effect keeps the plateaus and
an outline to summarize the infor-
basins between the Pacific Ranges and the mation about southern climates.
Rocky Mountains hot and dry. Such a climate Students should use the four cli-
mate types (subtropical, tropical,
tity. Much of the area has a steppe or desert cli-
desert, and Mediterranean) as the
mate. Deserts in this area, including Death
Valley, bake under the relentless sun. Death main headings of the outline. Tell
Valley has the highest temperature ever recorded students to make sure their out-
in the United States, 134°F (57°C). lines include examples of places
A Mediterranean climate is characteristic of that have that type of climate and
central and southern California. Such a climate is
confined to coastal areas and is characterized by whether it is wet or dry. BL
mild, wet winters and hot, dry summers. The
vegetation in this area is a drought-resistant
woodland of twisted, hard-leafed trees. In this Caption Answer:
UNITED STATES AND CANADA
region of the world, such Mediterranean scrub They are both warm climate
vegetation is known as chaparral (sha•puh•RAL).
Under natural conditions, chaparral’s growth
regions. One is very wet and
depends on regular burning. However, these fires the other very dry.
create a major hazard in the hills around Los
Angeles and Oakland. Scheduled burning often
escalates to widespread brush fires when the hot, Answer: humid
dry Santa Ana winds blow down the mountain subtropical, tropical wet, steppe
slopes from the inland plateaus.
or desert, and Mediterranean
Regions What four climates are
found in the southern United States?
Hands-On
Chapter 5 139 Chapter Project
Step 2
group’s poster should present at least two
1/22/10
students might present an amazing fact
12:19:59 PM
amazing facts for each category. Give about climate and explain how location
groups time to make final choices on the and landforms affect that climate. OL
content and layout of their poster and to (Chapter Project continues on the Visual
gather the materials they need. Summary page.)
Putting It Together Have groups com-
plete their posters. Ask volunteers to tie in
the Big Idea of the section with one of the
facts they chose to present. For example,
139
CHAPTER Section 2 The United States and Canada: Climate Regions

S Skill Practice
Comparing Maps Have stu-
dents use the map on this page
along with the political map on
page 122. Ask them to find at
least one city, state, or province
S
that falls entirely within each cli-
mate region. Have them list their
answers in the order the climate
regions are shown on the map
key. OL

C Critical Thinking
Making Inferences Ask: Why
does the center of the continent
have colder winters and hotter
summers than areas near the
coast? (Interior areas are too far
away from the moderating effects
of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Northern Climates with bitterly cold winters and hot summers.
Although western mountains block moisture-
Interior areas receive warm, moist bearing Pacific winds, the Great Plains benefits
MAIN Idea Variations in climate and vegetation in
air from the south during the sum- from warm, moist winds that blow north along
most of the United States and Canada are the result
the Rockies from the Gulf of Mexico and cold,
mer, resulting in hot, humid sum- of the combined effects of latitude, elevation, ocean
moist winds that blow south from the Arctic. The
mers. Cold, moist winds from the currents, and rainfall.
climate map above shows that a humid continen-
Arctic north bring cold, snowy GEOGRAPHY AND YOU Have you ever experi- tal climate extends into southern Canada. Such a
enced a tornado? Read to learn how the variation climate also extends from the northeastern United
winters.) OL in climate in the region’s interior can result in vio- States into southeastern Canada.
For additional practice on this lent weather phenomena.
Prairies, naturally treeless expanses of grasses,
skill, see the Skills Handbook. spread across the Great Plains of the continent’s
Most of the contiguous United States and the midsection. Each year, rainfall ranging from 10 to
southern one-third of Canada—from about 40° N 30 inches (26 to 76 cm) waters tall prairie grasses,
to 50° N—experiences variations in climate and such as switchgrass and bluestem. Towering 6 to
vegetation. The area’s climate ranges from hot and 12 feet (1.8 to 3.7 m) high, these grasses can grow
humid to cool and wet. as much as half an inch (1.3 cm) a day. In the
Great Plains and the eastern United States, vio-
Interior Climates lent spring and summer thunderstorms called
C Far from large bodies of water that tend to supercells often spawn tornadoes, twisting fun-
moderate climate, the Great Plains, in the center nels of air with winds that can reach 300 miles
of the continent, has a humid continental climate (483 km) per hour.
Differentiated
Instruction 140 Unit 2

Name Date Class

138-143_C05_S2_879995.indd 140 1/22/10 12:20:03 PM

Assume the role of an executive in the Corporate Development Department
of SeaFair Corporation, a large seafood distribution company. SeaFair is inter-
ested in opening a small fish cannery that will employ about 50 people on
the coastline of the northern Pacific Ocean. Before your company can build
the cannery, it must decide on a suitable location. They have asked you to
Planning a Climate-Conscious Attraction
evaluate the area and decide on a site. For this task, you must utilize your
knowledge of geography and how it affects development. Complete the chart
below to help you identify the most important considerations for choosing an
optimum site for the SeaFair fish cannery.

Objective: To plan a tourist attraction taking climate into Differentiated Instruction Strategies
account. Ask students to plan an attraction for
Focus: Have students plan an attraction for a U.S. or BL
the local area.
Canadian location that has a climate region differ-
Ask students to expand their concepts
ent from that found locally. AL to include logistics of visitor and supply
Teach: Tell students to use the four questions in the transportation based on seasonality.
worksheet to help direct their plans.
Ask students to review such terms as
Real Life Applications Assess: Evaluate student plans. ELL attraction, tourism, location, and venue,
and Problem Solving Close: Have students share their concepts and discuss then have them complete the below-
from URB, p. 3 results. level activity.
140
 The United States and Canada: Natural Vegetation CHAPTER Section 2

W Writing Support
Expository Writing Have stu-
dents research the Dust Bowl. They
should choose one aspect to focus
on. Examples include: causes of the
Dust Bowl, life during the Dust
Bowl (focus on those who left or
those who stayed), or measures
taken to prevent an event like the
Dust Bowl in the future. Have stu-
dents use their research to write a
one-page essay explaining their
findings. OL

Settlers on the Great Plains broke up the densely
packed sod to grow crops. When dry weather
blanketed the plains in the 1930s, winds eroded
the topsoil, reducing farmlands across several U.S.
states to a barren wasteland called the Dust Bowl.
W it cools and releases moisture.
The resulting economic hardships, made worse by
the Great Depression, caused people to migrate
out of the area. Since the 1930s, improved farming
and conservation methods have restored the soil.
Some areas west of the Great Plains experience a
steppe climate with a mixture of vegetation, depend-
ing on latitude or elevation. Steppe climates are
transitional climates that occur between the dry
desert climates and the humid interior climates.
Elevation gives the higher reaches of the
Rockies and Pacific Ranges a highland climate.
Coniferous forests cover the middle elevations
of the ranges. Beyond the timberline, the eleva-
tion above which trees cannot grow, lichens and
mosses grow. In early spring, a warm, dry wind
called the chinook (shuh•NUK) blows down the
eastern slopes of the Rockies, melting snow.
Answers
1. The interplay of ocean and
Natural vegetation reflects the region’s climatic variety.
wind currents creates the
cool, wet marine coast cli-
1. Location How does location affect the climate and vegetation of
mate. The Rockies force
the western coast of Canada?
2. Location In what climate region are most of Canada’s forests? warm, wet air upward where
Use StudentWorks™ Plus or glencoe.com.
2. subarctic
Coastal Climates
The interplay of ocean currents and westerly Answer: They
winds with the Pacific Ranges gives the Pacific give the region a highland climate
coast from northern California to southern Alaska and vegetation that varies with
a marine west coast climate. The mountain barrier elevation. Land to the west of the
forces the warm, wet ocean air upward, where it
Rockies gets lots of rain, while
cools and releases moisture. As a result, parts of
this region receive more than 100 inches (254 cm) land to the east is dry.
of rain each year. Winters are overcast and rainy.
Summers are cloudless and cool. Ferns, mosses,
and coniferous forests grow here.
Location How do the western
Rocky Mountains affect climate and vegetation in the
United States and Canada?
Additional
Chapter 5 141 Support

138-143_C05_S2_879995.indd 141
Activity: Collaborative Learning 1/22/10 12:20:32 PM

ning
Determining Cause and Effect Ask: What Dust Bowl to present to the rest of the class. The Collaborative Lear nts
stude
were the human and natural causes of the Dust visuals may be time lines, maps, charts, artwork, This activity requires
, and illus-
Bowl? (human: settlers broke up sod to grow crops; or photographs (particularly those of Dorothea to do research, write
de nts with
natural: dry weather and winds eroded topsoil) Lange). Instruct students to prepare index cards trate. It allows stu
of sk ills and
What effect did the Dust Bowl then cause on with information about each visual to refer to as different levels
to wo rk to gether.
intelligence
humans living in it? (migration) Organize the they present to the class. m grou ps , co nsider
As you for
class into groups, and have each group find or choose
the needed skills and
create visuals about causes and effects of the students accordingly.

141
CHAPTER Section 2
D Differentiated
Instruction
English Learners Point out the
word lie in the first paragraph of
this section. Tell students that lie
can mean “to be located,” or it can
mean “to say something false.” Have
students look for other multiple-
meaning words on this page. (band,
fall, bitter, scrubs, interior) ELL
Answer: winds
more than 35 miles per hour (56 km
per hour), heavy or blowing snow,
and visibility of less than 1,320 feet
(402 m) for three hours or more
High-Latitude Climates Many parts of northern North America expe-
rience winter blizzards with winds of more than
35 miles per hour (56 km per hour), heavy or
MAIN Idea Parts of the United States and Canada blowing snow, and visibility of less than 1,320
are located in the high latitudes and experience a feet (402 m) for three hours or more.
harsh, subarctic climate. The vegetation map on page 141 shows that a
GEOGRAPHY AND YOU Think about the coldest
temperatures you have experienced. Read to learn
band of coniferous and mixed deciduous and
coniferous forests sweeps from Newfoundland
about the coldest temperatures in North America. into the subarctic Yukon Territory. Lands along
the Arctic coast fall into the tundra climate zone.
Bitter winters and cool summers in this vast
Large parts of Canada and Alaska lie in the
D expanse of wilderness make it inhospitable for
high latitudes and have a subarctic climate with
frigid winters. Winter temperatures can fall to most plants, and few people live there. Along the
–70°F (–57°C) in some places. A high atmospheric coasts of Greenland, sparse tundra vegetation
pressure area that lingers over the Canadian sub- consists of sedge, cotton grass, and lichens. The
island’s small ice-free areas have few trees, but
arctic spawns the cold winds that chill much of
the United States during the winter. some dwarfed birch, willow, and alder scrubs do
survive. As in other northern areas, few people
inhabit Greenland because of its harsh climate.
Just How Cold Is It? The interior parts of Greenland have an ice cap
City Average Number of Days Average Winter climate. This type of climate is characterized by
Below 32°F/0°C Temperature layers of ice and snow, often more than 2 miles
Chicago, 132 25°F/–3°C (3 km) thick, that constantly cover the ground.
Illinois
The only form of vegetation that can survive here
Yellowknife, 224 –10°F/–23°C
Northwest is lichens.
Territories Regions What are the character-
Source: www.weatherbase.com istics of a blizzard?

Assess
Geography ONLINE
SECTION
Study Central™ provides sum-
maries, interactive games, and
online graphic organizers to help
students review content.
Close
Listing Ask: List the major cli-
mate regions of the United
States and Canada. (tropical, des-
ert, Mediterranean, marine west
coast, humid continental, humid
subtropical, subarctic, and tundra)
2 REVIEW
Vocabulary
1. Explain the significance of: hurricane, chaparral, prairie, super-
cell, timberline, chinook, blizzard.
Main Ideas
2. How do location near the coast and prevailing wind patterns
affect climate in the southern United States?
3. What causes variations in climate and vegetation in most of
the United States and Canada?
4. Describe the climate and vegetation of the high-latitude
regions in the United States and Canada.
5. Use a Venn diagram like the one below to compare and contrast
the climate and vegetation of the United States and Canada.
United States Both Canada
Critical Thinking
6. Answering the Essential Question How does location
of a place near a large body of water influence its climate?
7. Making Comparisons How do the Pacific winds and the
Arctic winds differ in their impact on climate?
8. Problem Solving How might the conditions that caused the
1930s Dust Bowl disaster have been avoided?
9. Analyzing Visuals Study the climate map on page 140. How
does the climate pattern of the western United States reflect
the occurrence of the rain shadow effect?
Writing About Geography
10. Expository Writing Write an essay describing how the
climate and vegetation of the United States and Canada
may have influenced human settlement in the region.
Geography ONLINE
Study Central™ To review this section, go to
glencoe.com and click on Study Central.

Section 2 Review 142 Unit 2

138-143_C05_S2_879995.indd 142
Answers 1/22/10 12:20:59 PM

1. Definitions for vocabulary terms are found
in the section and the Glossary.
2. There is no dry season in the southeastern
United States due to its location along the
coast. Florida is the only exception. The rain
shadow effect creates a desert west of the
Rockies.
3. latitude, landforms, and proximity to large
bodies of water
4. Subarctic, tundra and ice cap climates are
home to coniferous, mixed coniferous and
142
deciduous, tundra, and ice cap vegetation
regions.
5. U.S.: tropical rain forest, tropical grassland,
Mediterranean scrub, desert scrub and
waste, deciduous forest, tropical wet, tropi-
cal dry, desert, Mediterranean, humid sub-
tropical; Canada: tundra, ice cap, subarctic;
Both: temperate grassland, mixed forests,
coniferous forests, steppe, humid continen-
tal, highland, subarctic
6. it generally makes it more humid, and
unlikely to be a dry climate
7. Pacific winds bring cool cloudless summers
and overcast rainy winters. Arctic winds bring
inhospitable winters and cool summers.
8. by making sure the soil was held in place by
a good root system or having wind breaks
to prevent erosion
9. To the west of the Rockies is a band of dry
climate.
10. Students’ paragraphs should demonstrate an
understanding of the human-environment
relationship.
 Study anywhere, anytime
by downloading quizzes

CHAPTER 5 VISUAL SUMMARY

and flashcards to your
PDA from glencoe.com.
VISUAL SUMMARY
A FOSSIL FUELS B CANADIAN SHIELD
• Petroleum and natural gas deposits in Texas, Alaska, and Alberta • Located east of the Canadian plains Synthesizing Review the Visual
• Coal mined in Appalachian Mountains, Wyoming, and British • Rocky core centered on the Hudson and Summary with students, having
Columbia for more than 100 years James Bays
• Issues of using fossil fuels while protecting the environment • Subarctic climate with coniferous forests them locate each of the letters on
the map. Ask: How is the infor-
C TIMBER AND FISHING mation under letters A and C dif-
• Timber is important for the region, but lumber
D GREAT LAKES ferent from that under the other
operations face the challenge of harvesting • Five lakes created by movement of glaciers letters? (Letters A and C have to do
trees responsibly. • Deposits of coal and iron fueled industrial
• Coastal waters are home to fisheries, but some development with natural resources and issues
areas have been overfished. • Linked to the Atlantic Ocean by the St. Lawrence associated with their use, while the
Seaway
other letters deal with physical fea-
tures.) Ask students to use what
they have learned to give informa-
E APPALACHIAN MOUNTAINS tion on a physical feature for let-
• Extend from Quebec to central Alabama ters A and C, and on natural
• North America’s oldest mountains shaped over time resources and their use for the
by ice, wind, and running water
• Midlatitude climates with coniferous and deciduous other letters. OL
forests
Locating Have students note

UNITED STATES AND CANADA

A which physical features on the
B
map cross country borders. BL

D
C

F ROCKY MOUNTAINS F
• Stretch from New Mexico to Alaska, G E
linking the United States and Canada
• Young mountains created through
tectonic activity G MISSISSIPPI RIVER
• Highland climate varies with elevation
• Headwaters in Minnesota and mouth in Louisiana
• Drains all or part of 31 U.S. states and
2 Canadian provinces
• One of the world’s busiest commercial waterways

Hands-On
Chapter 5 143 Chapter Project
Step 3: Wrap-Up
An Amazing Facts Poster
138-143_C05_S2_879995.indd 143
the rest of the class to direct questions 1/22/10
to 12:21:05 PM
Physical
Climate
Plant and
the presenting group. Geography Animal Life
Step 3: Presenting the Poster Small Putting It Together Review the facts in
groups of students synthesize what they each category with the class. Ask students
have learned in Steps 1 and 2 in presenta- how the facts relate to the Big Ideas for the
tions of their amazing facts posters. chapter. Finally, have each student write an
Directions Draw a three-column chart entry in their journal on the facts they
on the board, with the columns labeled found most intriguing. OL
“Physical Geography,” “Climate,” and “Plant
and Animal Life.” As groups present, write in
the facts from their posters and encourage

143

CHAPTER 5
ASSESSMENT
Answers, Analyses,
and Tips
Reviewing Vocabulary
1. D Students should notice the
correlation between waterfalls
and fall line.
2. C Answers B and D can be
eliminated since neither moun-
tains nor most minerals can be
burned for energy. Students
should know that renewable
resources can be replaced, while
fossil fuels, which formed over
millions of years, cannot.
3. B A prairie is not a weather sys-
tem. Cold fronts are usually pre-
ceded by rain, but are not
thunderstorms. Of these choices,
only hurricanes and supercells are
storm systems. Students should
know that hurricanes form over
the oceans while tornadoes form
over land.
4. A The key word above in this
question relates to height. Fall
line is a distracter that students
should easily eliminate. Lines of
latitude are not representative of
height. Attentive students may
note the correlation between
“trees,” “timber,” and “timberline.”
Reviewing Main Ideas
5. A Students should understand
the difference between renewable
resources, which can be replaced
over a short period of time, and
nonrenewable resources, like fos-
sil fuels, which are formed over
millions of years.
144
CHAPTER 5
STANDARDIZED TEST PRACTICE
TEST TAKING TIP
TEST-TAKING
Tests are generally constructed to avoid a string of correct answers that are letters
in alphabetical order. If you find that you have a lot of answers that are letters in
alphabetical order, go back and check your work.
Reviewing Vocabulary Reviewing Main Ideas
Directions: Choose the word or words that best complete the Directions: Choose the best answers to complete the sentences or to
sentence. answer the following questions.
1. At the are rapids and waterfalls that blocked ships Section 1 (pp. 130–135)
from traveling farther upstream.
5. Why is it especially important to conserve fossil fuels?
A Piedmont
A They are nonrenewable.
B coastal plain
B People do not understand how to find them.
C Appalachian Mountains
C People do not know how to use them.
D fall line
D The government owns all the sources.
6. As commercial fishing has declined, what activity has taken
2. were formed in the Earth millions of years ago and its place?
can be burned for energy.
A agriculture
A Renewable resources
B lumbering
B Minerals
C aquaculture
C Fossil fuels
D conservation
D Mountains
Section 2 (pp. 138–142)
3. Thunderstorms that can cause tornadoes are . 7. The highest temperature ever recorded in the United States
A hurricanes was in .
B supercells A the Florida Everglades
C prairies B Death Valley
D cold fronts C Phoenix, Arizona
D Las Vegas, Nevada
4. Trees cannot grow above . 8. The interior parts of have an ice cap climate.
A the timberline A Alaska
B the fall line B Yukon Territory
C latitude lines C Northwest Territories
D boundaries D Greenland
GO ON
144 Unit 2
6.144-145_C05_STP_879995.indd
C This question144asks for an activity that However, answers C and D are distracters, 1/22/10 12:22:03 PM
replaces commercial fishing, so the correct since neither Phoenix nor Las Vegas is men-
answer should also be water-related. Students tioned in the section.
can use their knowledge of the chapter, or use
word parts to associate the prefix aqua- with 8. D All of the choices are high-latitude loca-
water, and determine that aquaculture is the tions. The Northwest Territories is a distracter,
correct answer. as it was not mentioned in the section. There is
only brief mention of the climate in Alaska and
7. B This question presents a challenge the Yukon, but the text specifically states that
because three of the four choices are locations the interior parts of Greenland have an ice cap
in the southwest United States, which fre- climate.
quently experiences high temperatures.
 ASSESSMENT
CHAPTER 5
ASSESSMENT
Critical Thinking Document-Based Questions
Directions: Choose the best answers to complete the sentences or to Directions: Analyze the document and answer the short-answer
answer the following questions. questions that follow the document. Document-Based Questions
9. Aside from latitude, what other factor greatly influences This excerpt discusses mountaintop mining in the Appalachians. 11. Traditional mining involves
climate in North America? digging under mountains in tun-
Coal miner.
A trees nels to obtain coal. Strip mining
Those words may conjure the image of a man with a light on
B grasslands his helmet and a pick in his hand. But more than two-thirds of
removes exposed chunks of the
C large landforms this country’s coal comes from surface mines — strip mines, or mountain so that workers can
D rivers in their latest, largest incarnation, mountaintop removal mines. work above ground. The second
Base your answer to question 10 on the map and on your knowledge
Instead of tunneling into a mountain and hauling out its coal, and third paragraphs of the pas-
strip miners move chunks of mountain out of the way until the sage describe the process.
of Chapter 5.
coal is at the surface.
In mountaintop removal mining — just like it sounds — the
12. Answers may vary. Sample
United States and Canada: Climate
mountaintop is pulverized to get at the coal. Begun in West answers: landslides, damaging
Virginia and Kentucky in the late 1960s, the pace of moun- wildlife habitat, flooding, and
taintop removal has picked up in the past decade as demand
for coal has grown with the rise in the cost of other fuels. And
contamination of water supplies.
with the increase in mountaintop removal has come greater The final paragraph of the pas-
outcry about the effects of the practice. . . . sage describes the environmen-
Opposition groups blame strip mining and the clear-cutting tal problems.
that precedes it for flooding. They say it damages wildlife
habitat. They worry about sludge ponds, filled with the liquid
waste created in the coal-cleaning process. . . . Extended Response
— Tim Thornton, “Mountaintop Removal,” Roanoke Times, 13. Answers may vary. Sample
July 2, 2006 answer: Lakes and rivers have been
11. How does strip mining differ from the traditional practice of
used as sources of transportation
tunneling into the mountain? in the United States and Canada.
The Great Lakes, the Mississippi
12. According to its opponents, what environmental problems
are caused by the practice of mountaintop removal mining?
River and its tributaries, and the
St. Lawrence River are all used for
Extended Response transporting inland goods to the
13. Exploring the BiG Idea coast and overseas. The fall line
Describe the effect that lakes and rivers have had upon the originally marked the furthest
economic development of the United States and Canada.
inland extent of settlers since rivers
10. What type of climate dominates the extreme southeastern were not navigable beyond the fall
United States?
STOP
line, and transporting goods would
A tropical dry have been cumbersome. As a
B humid subtropical result, the East Coast is one of the
Geography ONLINE
C humid continental most heavily developed parts of
For additional test practice, use Self-Check Quizzes—
D subarctic Chapter 5 on glencoe.com. the United States and Canada.
Need Extra Help?
Students will find information on
If you missed questions. . . 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 river systems and lakes in Section 1
Go to page. . . 133 134 140 141 134 135 139 142 139 139 145 134 133 of the chapter.

Chapter 5 145

Geography ONLINE
Critical Thinking
144-145_C05_STP_879995.indd 145 1/22/10 12:22:08 PM

9. C The text describes how landforms affect cli-

TEST-TAKING TIP Have students visit the Web
site at glencoe.com to review
mates. Answers A and B are incorrect because Descriptive words such as extreme, most, Chapter 5 and take the Self-
tree and grassland growth are influenced by cli- farthest, or greatly can offer a hint about Check Quiz.
mate, but do not affect climate. Answer D is also the answer to a question. Have students
incorrect since river volume due to rainfall and try removing the descriptive word from
snowmelt is affected by climate, but does not the question. If more than one answer is
influence climate. Need Extra Help?
true when the descriptive word is
10. A Students may answer B, since the humid removed, reread the question, paying Have students refer to the pages
subtropical climate dominates most of the south- attention to the descriptive word, and listed if they miss any of the
eastern United States. But the extreme southern select the best answer. questions.
tip of Florida has a tropical dry climate.
145