North America Regions

1. North America Region Project Socials 9: Chin Nicole Hunter Legend/Key

2. Appalachian

3. Appalachian Mountainous area East coast of north America Extends 2400 kilometres Width of the mountain varies between 160 to 480 kilos Topography Climate Vegetation Made out of many different mountain ranges Mountains formed almost 300,000,000 years ago Labrador Current brings cold water to south Causes freezing during to the winter season in northern parts of the region Gulf stream brings warm water north from the Caribbean Originally the region was heavily forested with different coniferous and deciduous trees Trees could survive in poor and unproductive mountain soil Concerns Water pollution isn’t adequately regulated Absence ownership holds hurt Appals Economic Activity Mining Forestry Agriculture Chemical industries Heavy industry The region poverty rate was 16.1%

4. Coastal Plains Lowland area Stretches about 3200 kilos from cape cod Average elevation of less then 200 metres above sea level Surface is mostly flat and gently rolling The region contains many swamps and marches When there’s sinking, the land submerge the lower reaches of many streams Economic Activities Concerns Vegetation Climate Topography Tourism and recreation Shipping at the ports Commercial fishing Paper making Farming pollution seeping into the ground Running off into the river and lake system Driving automobiles Disposing waste into landfills Lumber harvesting The soil of Coastal Plains are very sandy The originals vegetation of the area was pine forest Natural vegetation adapted the sandy soil In the north there's cold and snowy and hot humid summers South has subtropical climate, with cool to warm winters Also the southern has a higher chance of having a hurricane Hurricane seasons occurs between late summers and early winters

5. Coast Plains

6. Great Lakes – St. Lawrence Lowland

7. Great Lakes – St. Lawrence Lowland Smallest geographical region in Canada Includes the triangle formed by Lake Huron, Ontario and Erie Contains many escarpments Best known being the Niagara Escarpments Economic Activities Climate Has a rolling landscape Mainly made by glaciation Flat plains are broken by hills and deep river valleys On the St. Lawrence section consist of flat plains on either side of the river Concerns Vegetation Topography A humid continental Climate Humid because of the Great Lakes Tends to cool during the summer The great lake warms the surrounding areas in winter Winter vary from cool to cold and warm to humid Number of non native species that are taking over the lakes Every eight months a new species enters the great lakes New animals or insects coming into or leaving an ecosystem can be just as damaging as pollution Most of the food source of most fish in lake Michigan had being Diporeia Diporeia shrimp have declined from over 10,000 per square meter to virtually zero on the lake bottom because of zebra mussels Lake Michigan the decrease in Deporeia is extreme high at 44% killed over the past ten years Lake Huron is down by 57% in Deporeia polutation in just in past three years Originally the region, which has very fertile soils, was heavily treed Once had Canada's largest broad-leafed forests, because its soil and climate conditions aloud maples, beech, hickory, and black walnuts to thrive Other places in the region the Vegetation was mixed forest of both deciduous and conifers Transportation Trading post Supports multi billion outdoor recreation Tourism industry Extensive agricultural

8. Interior Plains

9. Interior Plains Vast seep of plain Not entirely flat Land is composed of gently rolling hills deep river valleys In USA, this region runs between Appalachian Mountains on the east coast, and on the rocky Mountains In Canada, this region runs between Canadian Shield and Rocky Mountains Topography Originally the Central Lowland east of the Mississippi was covered with trees and were scattered evergreens West of Mississippi in the region, prairie grasses grew as tall as a person Natural vegetation of the Canada prairies was also grassland Tree grew only in the river valleys Northern part of the region, boreal forest grows, gradually becoming tundra towards the Arctic Ocean Vegetation Its divide into Central Lowland and Great plains in the US Central Lowland is formed by Canadian Shield, St. Lawrence, and, the Great Lakes The region is higher in elevation than the Central Lowland Its rising about 600 metres to 1500 metres above the sea level in west Plains are softly rolling also gradually sloping down from west to east Is a continental Climate Climate of extremes It has long hot summers, cold winters and little precipitation Farther in the north, the winter season are shorter and cool in the north as well Northern part of the region has Arctic climate with really long cold winters Climate Concerns Economic Activities Farm pollutants seeping into the ground Separating off into the river and lake programs Incorporate industry Agriculture (split into two parts) Livestock: cattle,pigs,poultry Vegetables: wheat,barley,oats,flax,conola

10. Canadian Shield

11. Canadian Shield Its not facing enough people living in it to support the economy and pay taxes Lakes are located where racks are igneous Pollution of the great lakes Acid rain Has industry dominated by the mining of metals and mineral Early 1900s Hudson Bay, used land as a resource for fur trading Mining is the logging of the boreal forest Boreal forest covers most of the shield; spruce, pine, and fir Also some deciduous trees such as: white birch and poplar The trees are weak The trees are more good for pulp and paper Varies throughout the vast area Winter is extremely long and cold Summer is becoming shorter and cooler Glaciers removed most of the soil leaving a barren rock surface Glaciers also affected the drainage of the shield to a significant degree Shield consist of a chaotic pattern of rivers,lakes,swamps and muskeg Elevation of the Shield is about 100 metres in the south Middle of the shield is a lot lower in elevation than its other portion Economic Activities Concerns Vegetation More then 2 billion years old Consist of great volcanic mountain Mountains were levelled by millions of years of erosion Platform of rocks that stretch from Labrador, around Hudson Bay and James Bay Climate Topography

12. Western Cordillera

13. Western Cordillera Runs along the west coast of North America Consist of range after range of mountains Separate by plateaus and valleys Construction and development of the land Causes of habitat destruction in Eco zone Lead to death Winters are above freezing Summers are cool Parts of the wettest regions on earth Climate Concerns Comprised of new mountains not yet worm down by erosion More then twice as high Rivers going east to south Leeward slopes: grass and cactuses Top of mountains Vegetation becomes scarce or crease Fishing Mining Orchards Vineyards Forestry Economic Activities Topography Vegetation

14. Intermountain region

15. Intermountain region Area in us and Canada Lies between the rocky mountains and cascades, and Sierra Nevada Thinly populated, high plateaus Contain only deserts in the US Many bird habitats are being destroyed by human actions Up to 11 bird species in the region is endangered Because of the dry air, forest fires can be a problem Concerns Winter can be cool, wet or hot Southern parts of the region, winters are short and warm Northern: Climate is more moderate Moist winters and hot dry summers Climate Ranges between sparse grassland to plants that can survive in semi deserts or deserts conditions Higher areas are covered in thin pine Stream and rivers never reach the sea They instead, flow into brackish lakes, such as great salt lake in Utah Some rivers do find a way to the ocean There's areas that can be made productive by irrigation Cattle ranching Irrigation Vegetation Economic Activities Topography

16. Arctic

17. Arctic Combination of lowlands and mountains Lowlands are found un a series of islands lying north of Hudson bay Mountain are found in extreme northwest border Near the ocean is very flat Mountains of far north were formed by folding and are covered by glaciers Immense lowlands in the west Very severe Its far from the equator Winter lasts for ten months in far north Summer is very short and not very warm Some parts of the arctic is covered in ice year round Trees can’t grow on the tundra because the climate is too cold and dry Only small amounts of thawing occurs during the summer Mosses,shrubs,lichens , are the only things that can grow They’re attach to ground, soaking up the moisture and tiny amounts of warmth that’s there Melting of the permafrost Global warming cold change the landscape Buildings and roads put warmth and pressure on the permafrost causing melting Invasive species push aside native vegetation and reduce of the plant cover North and South pole means stronger ultraviolet rays will harm tundra Climate Concerns Topography Vegetation Economic Activities Extraction of petroleum and mineral resources One tenth of worlds oil Quarter of its natural gas Commercial fishing Traditional hunting, reindeer herding

18. Mount Logan

19. Resources http://www.appalmad.org/ http:// www.arc.gov/appalachian_region/TheAppalachianRegion.asp http://ca.yahoo.com/questions/index?qid=20100505773826AAllqep www.ask.com/answers/43443121/what-is-an-econmic-activity-in-the-coastal-plains www.great.lakes.net/econ/ http:// ca.yahoo.com/questions/index?qid=20100505773826AAllqep www.interiorplains.weebly.com/economic-activities.html gcp.desire2learn.com/d21/ lor /viewer/viewfile.d2file/6605/8957/CanadianEnviormentalIssuesL12_print html www.thearctic.is/articles/overviews/changing/enska/index.htm