1. North America Physical Features and Resources

2. North America’s Landforms • Mountains in the east and west surround a great lowland area in the interior. • The granite Canadian Shield covers nearly ½ of Canada.

3. Landforms In the East: Atlantic Coastal Plain, Piedmont, Appalachian Mountains. The Interior: Interior Plains, Great Plains, The Gulf Coastal Plain, The Canadian Shield The Mississippi River drains much of the interior of the USA. The West: The Rocky Mountains, the Great Basin, the Sierra Nevada and Cascade Ranges.

4. The Fall Line The inland area at the start of the Piedmont Plateau. These areas (on rivers) were the farthest inland that ships could travel. Many American cities developed here.

5. Settlement Patterns In both countries settlement started on the East Coast. Then the Interior (Ohio River valley and along the Great Lakes) were settled. Eerie Canal in New York North from New Orleans along the Mississippi. The plains areas were considered undesirable – “The Great American Desert” = The Great Plains West Coast was settled next. CA gold rush and Oregon Trail Then, with farming improvements, the plains were settled and used for farming.

6. Bodies of Water Major Rivers: Used for exploration, travel, trade, irrigation. -Include Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, St. Lawrence Many western rivers originate in the Rockies: Colorado, Columbia, Yukon Many Lakes found in North America

7. Climate and Biomes