A brief journey through the geography of North America, in line with Chapter 3, Sect. 1 of the National Geographic World Cultures textbook.

1. North America
Chapter 3-1: GEOGRAPHY

2. Our Goals
 Identify landforms, bodies of water, and climates of
North America
 Analyze the impact of resources and climate on
economic activities in the Great Plains
 Explain the impact of geographic factors on economic
resources in the West
 Make connections between Mexico’s geographic
features and the country’s economy

3. Physical Geography
 North America = from the tip of Canada to the end of
Mexico
 In the center is the forty-eight contiguous U.S. states
 Alaska is northwest of Canada; Hawaii is in the Pacific

4. Highlands, Plains, &
Plateaus
 Land elevation in North
America rises from east to
west
 The Great Plains are east of
the Rocky Mountains
 Plains = flat areas of land,
making up most of the
center of the continent
 Plateaus = flat areas of
high elevation, located
between mountains in the
central U.S. and western
Mexico

5. Rivers & Lakes
 Major cities have developed along North America’s
rivers
 Ex. Cincinnati on the Ohio River, New Orleans on the
Mississippi, and Juarez on the Rio Grande
 The St. Lawrence River and the Great Lakes provide
a natural barrier between the U.S. and Canada
 The Great Lakes combine to form the largest body of
fresh water in the world!
 The Rio Grande provides a natural border between
the U.S. and Mexico

6. St. Lawrence River & Seaway
St. Lawrence Seaway Locks (1:43)

7. A Variety of Climates
 This region includes temperate –
or mild – climates, as well as
extremes of cold and heat.
 Parts of Alaska and Canada are
covered by glaciers, or large
masses of ice and snow
 Much of northern Mexico is warm
and dry, and Mexico’s southern
half has warm climates and rain
all year long

8. The Great Plains
 The Great Plains runs
through the center of the
continent
 Enough food is produced
there to feed the population
of North America
 There is also enough left
over to export, or send to
other countries for aid or
profit
 We are the “breadbasket of
the world”!

9. Farming on the Great
Plains
 The Great Plains are “great” for growing food for two
reasons:
 1) Rich soil with lots of nutrients
 2) Climate that is temperate and enough rain
 Sometimes, lack of rain for a long period of time brings
drought, which kills crops
 Ex. During the 1930s, the Plains became known as the “Dust
Bowl” because of soil and wind erosion

10. The “Dust Bowl”

11. Farming on the Great
Plains
 Today, prairie has been replaced by fields of
wheat, corn, and other grains
 Huge farms where crops are planted and
harvested by machine are called commercial
agriculture, or the business of producing
crops to sell
 Railways, ships, and rivers such as the
Missouri or Mississippi are frequently used to
help move grain to market

12. Energy Resources
 The Great Plains have major deposits of oil and
natural gas
 In the U.S., most resources are found in southern
Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas
 There are also many offshore drilling rigs in the Gulf of
Mexico, although this can be dangerous
 Ex. In 2010, a BP oil rig caused a huge environmental
disaster
 Wind power may also be important for the Great
Plains

13. The BP Oil Disaster