Geography Unit: North America Section: Physical Characteristics and Systems of North America Tutorial: Regions of North America Regions of North America Welcome to the tutorial about the regions of North America! Pay close attention and you will learn about the geographic features, places of interest, industries, and the people and culture of the eight distinct regions that make up the diverse continent of North America. Click on each portion of the map to learn more about each region. The Coastal Plain The Coastal Plain has a variety of features that make it unique from the other regions of North The Atlantic Coastal Plain is the flat stretch of land that borders the Atlantic Ocean including the Gulf of Mexico. The Atlantic Coastal Plain stretches from New Jersey in the United States to the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico. The area from central Florida to the Yucatan is sometimes separately referred to as the Gulf Coast Plain. The entire stretch of land goes on for over 2000 miles and most of the land is at or close to sea level. The Coastal Plain is very wet, with many marshes, rivers, and swamps and includes the continental shelf of the mid-atlantic and southeastern United States. Cities, towns, and beaches of the Coastal Plain are year-round tourist destinations and many important cities are centers of international business. Newark, New Jersey, Miami, Florida, New Orleans, Louisiana, and Biloxi, Mississippi are four important cities in the region. Families make pilgrimages to Orlando, Florida to visit Disney World, and many people spend weeks or months on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Have you ever enjoyed a delicious peach in the spring or seen large piles of shrimp at your local supermarket? Chances are these foods came from the Coastal Plain. Seafood, shipbuilding, tourism, and the military are all major industries in the Coastal Plain region of the United States. Manufacturing, wood products, and agriculture are also important sources of employment. The Coastal Plain has well-irrigated soil and easy access to harbors, making for many industry options. Oil and petroleum are also important industries in the Gulf Coastal Plain region. It is believed that people have occupied the area of the Coastal Plain for thousands of years. Native Americans began cultivating crops and settling in towns throughout the area around 1,000 years ago. Europeans arrived less than 500 years ago forcing out many of the Native Americans and forcibly bringing Africans to this land as slave labor in the centuries before the Civil War. This diverse heritage can still be felt today in most parts of the Coastal Plain. The Appalachian Range The Appalachian Range has a variety of features that make it unique from the other regions of North
The Appalachian Mountain Range extends from Alabama in the southern United States to the Gaspe Peninsula in the Quebec province in Canada. The Appalachians are rich in coal; other resources include iron, petroleum, and natural gas. There are many resorts and recreation areas in this area, including Shenandoah, Virginia and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina. There were few passes in the Appalachian Mountain Range so the Appalachians were a barrier to early westward expansion and played an important role in U.S. history. Many cities and towns in the Appalachian Range are tourist destinations for those looking for great art, good food, and beautiful scenery. For people looking to be a little closer to nature, the Appalachian Trail extends from Katahdin, Maine to Springer Mountain in Georgia. Over 4 million people hike or walk all, or part of, the Appalachian Trail every year. Today, many people are familiar with Scranton, Pennsylvania because it has been popularized on the television show, The Office. However, Scranton is just one of many cities in the Appalachian Range that has experienced a significant downturn in their standard of living in the past few decades due to the closing of many mines historically the very reason for their city s existence. Mechanization of the coal industry in the Appalachia region greatly contributed to the growth of this nation in the 1900s. However, in the 21st century, many of these mining communities are experiencing incredible poverty, low high school graduation rates, and high unemployment. Believe it or not, the popularity of the quirky television show has actually done a lot to boost the economy in Scranton! Other cities have not fared as well. The lands of the Appalachian Mountain Range exist as they do today mainly in part to Franklin Roosevelt and the New Deal. In the 1930s, there were many dilapidated farmhouses like the one in this photo. Farming families were barely surviving. FDR placed large amounts of farmland under federal control and turned it into public lands. Families were forced to give up their lands for a national cause and it signaled a significant change in American land conservation policies. The Canadian Shield The Canadian Shield has a variety of features that make it unique from the other regions of North The Canadian Shield is a rocky surface of mainly igneous rock and many coniferous forests. This relief map shows the varying age of the bedrock underlying North America. As you can clearly see from this map, the age of the land under the Canadian Shield is very similar as seen by the swath of red. It is estimated that the land of the Canadian Shield is 2 billion years old. This rock, made bare by years of erosion, dates back to the Precambrian Era. The Canadian Shield is also referred to as the Precambrian Shield. Long cold winters and short cool summers are a part of life in the Canadian Shield. It encompasses the area of Northeast Alberta, Northern Saskatchewan, Northern Manitoba, Southern N.W.T, Ontario (except for the Ontario Peninsula), Quebec, Labrador, Eastern Minnesota, Northern Wisconsin and Northern Michigan. Fishing, hunting, and logging are three of the most prevalent industries in the area. Mining is one of the biggest industries in the region. Iron, nickel, silver, titanium, uranium, copper, zinc, lead, diamonds, and platinum are the minerals that are mined in the Canadian Shield. The southern part of the Canadian Shield enjoys four beautiful seasons. Many people live in the region. The northern part of the Canadian Shield is sparsely populated due to its extremely difficult winters. Mainly the northern part of the Shield is only populated by indigenous people such as the Inuit seen in this photo.
The Interior Lowlands The Interior Lowlands has a variety of features that make it unique from the other regions of North The Interior Lowland, although noticeably hillier than the coastal plains, has almost no rough terrain. This smooth terrain allowed for early settlers to easily traverse the land. Settlement was aided by the fact that the land was great for farming. Chicago is one of the most important cities of the Interior Lowland region. Chicago is a major international business center, home to many schools and hospitals, and a popular tourist destination. The Interior Lowland region is also home to Indianapolis and the Indy 500, the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana, and many other excellent schools, universities, and small cities. Farming and manufacturing are two important industries in the Interior Lowland region. The city of Detroit is the home of the American auto industry, although Detroit is recently synonymous with urban decay due to the severe crisis in the automotive sector. After the Revolutionary War, the western frontier of the Interior Lowlands was open and soon settled after finding the soils of the Interior Lowlands were favorable to farming. Many immigrants moved past the coastal communities looking for more land and more opportunities. You will find many descendents of German, Scottish, and Irish immigrants. The Great Plains The Great Plains has a variety of features that make it unique from the other regions of North The Great Plains slope eastward from the foothills of the Rocky Mountains and merges into the Interior Lowlands. It is believed that the Great Plains were once covered by a large sea. The region has highly variable weather set against grassy, rolling land. Much of the Great Plains is relatively flat, but the landscape is marked by a few interesting features such as the Black Hills of Wyoming and South Dakota and the Flint Hills of Kansas. Many people are familiar with The Dust Bowl that occurred across the Great Plains region during the 1930s due to years of poor agricultural management and sustained drought. Its primary area of impact was on the southern Plains but the Northern Plains were affected as well. Colorado, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, and Wyoming are the states that make up the Great Plains. Efforts to restore wilderness the Great Plains region has promoted the growth of a new industry: eco-tourism. Historically, the Great Plains has had a large share of both the dairy and cattle industries. The people and culture of the Great Plains region is closely tied to the presence of many Native American tribes in the area. Many tribes were indigenous to the area, but many other tribes were pushed to the Great Plains as our nation expanded and new settlers forced the Indians off their native lands. The Great Plains contains many Indian reservations, as can be seen in this map compiled by the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs.
The Rocky Mountains The Rocky Mountains has a variety of features that make it unique from the other regions of North The Rocky Mountain range extends from central New Mexico to northeastern British Columbia. The mountain range consists of jagged peaks as well as flat-top elevations. Denver, Colorado is one of the most well known cities of the Rocky Mountain region. It is a thriving city with a lot of business and tourism. Oil shale found in the Rocky Mountain region led to the birth of an oil industry that spurred rapid growth in the region. Mining was also an important industry in the area. As you drive around the region, you will see many closed mines and abandoned towns. Most of the Rocky Mountain region has had to redevelop itself as the oil and mining industries declined. Tourism is an important year-round industry in the area. Many people flock to the Rockies, not just for skiing, but to enjoy the beautiful hiking and other outdoor activities in the summer months as well. The Rocky Mountain region was settled by primarily European immigrants. English is the predominant language, but pockets of Spanish-speaking populations do exist. Did you know that the famous, nationwide, little burrito shop, Chipotle, originated on a small street corner in Denver? As in the Great Plains region, the influence of the indigenous people can still be felt as well. The Basin and Ridge The Basin and Ridge region has a variety of features that make it unique from the other regions of North The Basin and Ridge region covers parts of several states and is located west of Rocky Mountains and east of the Sierra Nevadas and the Cascade Mountains. The Basin and Ridge region is an area of varying elevations containing isolated mountain ranges and Death Valley, the lowest point in North America. Death Valley is a stunning area of the Basin and Ridge region. Salt Lake City in Utah is also a bustling business center and tourist destination. The Basin and Ridge region clearly describes the area: Mountain ranges interrupted by desert basins run from the northwest to the southeast. Mild winters contribute to a productive farming industry. Mineral exploitation spurred economic growth in parts of this region, chief among them the mining of copper. The area also has military installations, major industrial manufacturing, and a thriving petroleum industry. An interesting part of the Basin and Ridge region is the state of Utah. Utah was founded by Mormons and continues to be heavily influenced by this religion. Salt Lake City, Utah was the site of the 2002 Winter Olympics. The Coastal Range The Coastal Range region has a variety of features that make it unique from the other regions of North
The Pacific Coastal Ranges are the series of rugged mountain ranges that stretch along the western coast of North America from Alaska to northern and central Mexico. This area contains fertile valleys and the Sierra Nevada Mountains and the Cascade Mountain range. The proximity of this region to the Pacific Ocean provides easy access to many other areas of the world. The region s biggest cities are Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, Portland, Seattle, and Vancouver are some of the important cities in the region. Tourists flock to the Napa Valley region all year long to visit the vineyards and wineries. Millions of people drive the scenic Pacific Coast Highway every year. Fishing, wood products, vineyards, agriculture, oil, and tourism are some of the biggest industries in the Coastal Range region. The Pacific Northwest is known for its salmon and timber, while Napa Valley is famous around the world for its wineries. The U.S. Navy has a very large military installation in San Diego home of the NAVY S.E.A.L.S. - with additional military installations up and down the coast. Immigration and migration continue to shape the Coastal Range region. The region that encompasses the Coastal Range is diverse like most of the regions of North America. The Coastal Range region of the United States and Canada has had a large influx of Asian immigrants over the centuries as well as a large number of immigrants from Central and South America. The photo seen here is of Immigration Station on Angel s Island almost the west coast equivalent of Ellis Island. Angel Island mainly served as a detention center. Beginning with the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, there were many laws passed that prohibited the immigration of certain nationalities and social classes of Asians. Although all Asians were affected, the greatest impact was on the Chinese. Test your knowledge Test your knowledge! Can you match the brief descriptions in the columns on the right with the name of the correct region on the left?