The Geography of the United States

1. The Geography of the United States By: Ms. Susan M. PojerHorace Greeley HS Chappaqua, NY

2. US Geography Basics • Third largest country in the world. • Half the size of Russia. • One third the size of Africa. • Half the size of South America. • 2 ½ times the size of Western Europe.

3. Topography

4. Topography of the US

5. The Contour of the US

6. Topography of the Northeast

7. Topography of the Southeast

8. Topography of the Midwest

9. The Great Plains

10. Topography of the West

11. Grand Canyon

12. The Continental Divide The Continental Divide in the Americas is the line that divides the flow of water between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Ocean. Rain or snow that drains on the east side of the Continental Divide flows toward the Atlantic Ocean while precipitation on the west side drains and flows toward the Pacific Ocean. (However, some rivers empty into thedesert and don't end up in the oceans.)

13. Bodies of Water Great Salt Lake Chesapeake Bay LakeOkeechobee

14. Great Salt Lake • 2000 square miles. • 10’ – 28’ deep. • 6 times saltier than the oceans.

16. Rivers St. Lawrence R. Columbia R. Hudson R. Missouri R. Potomac R. Mississippi R. Ohio R. Colorado R. Arkansas R. Rio Grande R. Yukon R.

17. The Mississippi: America’s Great River Road • The “Big Muddy”. • 2,350 miles. • Draining all or part of 31 states & 2 Canadian provinces. • Covers 40% of the U. S.

18. Mountains Adirondack Mts. Cascade Mts. Rocky Mts. Appalachian Mts. Sierra Nevada Mts. ^ Mt. Whitney ^ Pike’s Peak ^ Mt. McKinley Alaskan Range

19. Plains GreatBasin Central Plains Atlantic Coastal Plains Gulf Coastal Plains

20. The Great Plains

21. Plateaus Cumberland Plateau

22. Cumberland Plateau & ‘Gap’ • AL, KY, TN, VA, WV • 24,640 sq. mi. • Natural passage [Gap] through the Cumberland Mts.

23. Deserts Death Valley Mohave Desert

24. Mohave Desert – 3,000’

25. Death Valley, CA • 3.3 million acres. • 95% wilderness. • 82’ below sea level • Less than 2 “ of rain annually • No rain fell in 1929 • 1913 – record 134 degrees Farenheit!

26. Completed Map St. Lawrence R. Columbia R. Adirondack Mts. Cascade Mts. Hudson R. Missouri R. Rocky Mts. Great Basin Potomac R. Cumberland Plateau Great Salt Lake Mississippi R. Chesapeake Bay Central Plains Appalachian Mts. Sierra Nevada Mts. ^ Mt. Whitney Ohio R. Colorado R. ^ Pike’s Peak Death Valley Atlantic Coastal Plains Arkansas R. Mohave Desert Gulf Coastal Plains LakeOkeechobee Rio Grande R. Yukon R. ^ Mt. McKinley Alaskan Range

27. Demographics

29. U. S. Population as of August 22, 2003 303,824,640 • One birth every 7 seconds. • One death every 13 seconds. • One international migrant (net) every 35 seconds. • Net gain of one person every 10 seconds.

31. Geographic Problems

32. Seismography Data: 1977-1997 Earthquakes!

33. Tornadoes Per Year: 1950-1997

35. Hurricane Camille: “The Storm of the Century” until … Katrina?!? • August 17, 1969 • Category 5 • Killed 412 people

36. Katrina: The Most Expensive Hurricane • August 2005 • The nation's most costly natural disaster • Katrina killed more than 1,600 people • Destroyed 200,000 Gulf Coast homes • Displaced about 1 million people. • News reports place insured property damage at $25.3 billion in 1.7 million insurance claims -- 975,000 of them in Louisiana.

37. The Geographic Diversity of America!