Chapter Five

Section 1

1. The lakes and river systems in the United States and Canada supply North America with drinking water, transportation of people and goods, as well as providing hydroelectric power through the use of dams. The mountain ranges on both the western and eastern sides of the continent decides which direction the rivers flow. The Continental Divide, a ridge or high point in the rocky mountains that directs the rivers to flow into the pacific ocean. The Fall Line, in the Appalachian Mountains, is the ridge that directs the eastern seaboard's rivers to flow out toward the gulfs, and the oceans, and away from the center of the continent.



the rivers of North America



2. Some of the major geographical features and natural resources that played important roles in the economic development of Canada and the united states are forests with desirable woods, coal, natural gas, fossil fuels, petroleum and minerals such as gold, silver, iron, copper and potash - a mineral salt.

creative writing: If I were on a non-stop flight from Norfolk, Virginia, to Seattle, Washington, and the airplane was low enough that I could easily see the ground through the window, I would be able to see all the landforms in between these two cities. The first thing I would see would be the Piedmont, a wide area of both high and low rolling hills. Next would be the old, green and sloping Appalachian Mountains, and after those, I would see the snaking Ohio River. Then the airplane would fly over the Great Planes, which would stretch for miles around, criss-crossed by the Mississippi and Missouri rivers. Then I would be flying over the Black Hills, a small mountain range of dark rock and wooded slopes, before going over the sharp grey points of the Rocky Mountains. Last of all would be the Columbia and snake rivers, both of them fast and cold from rain and snow melt.

Section 2
1. The types climate regions found in Canada and  the United States are subtropical, tropical, desert, and Mediterranean.


2. Three of the weather-related hazards found n the United States and Canada are hurricanes (huge tropical storms with winds of at least 75 mph), supercells (violent storms that often sprout tornadoes), and blizzards (snow storms with winds of at least 35 mph).

creative writing: The land forms surrounding an area and the area's elevation determine its climate. Two places of similar latitudes like Salt Lake City, Utah (40.45º N) and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (40.0º N) have very different climates because of these variables. Salt Lake City is 4,226 feet above sea level, and Philadelphia is 45 feet above sea level, which means that Salt Lake City is moss likely to be colder than Philadelphia. Salt Lake City is also a steppe climate, which means that it receives little rain and is hot in the summer and cold in the winter, while Philadelphia is in a humid subtropical climate which means that it receives a lot of rain, but has mild winters and muggy summers.