Landforms
The oldest mountain range in North America.
The Appalachian Mountains
A smaller river or stream that flows into a larger one.
A tributary
Coal, petroleum, and natural gas, formed from ancient plant and animal remains.
Fossil fuels
Native Americans are descended from peoples who migrated to Alaska from this continent.
Asia
A city of at least 50,000 people plus its nearby suburbs.
A metropolitan area
The Hawaiian Islands were formed by this. A) Glaciers B) A volcanic hot spot C) Colliding plates D) River erosion
B) A volcanic hot spot
The Mississippi River’s headwaters are in this state. A) Louisiana B) Minnesota C) Colorado D) Illinois
B) Minnesota
The dry side of a mountain, where the rain shadow falls. A) Windward B) Leeward
B) Leeward
New England’s harbors, timber, and fish made these two industries important.
Shipbuilding and fishing
The mild-climate region of the South and Southwest where many businesses have moved.
The Sunbelt
The highest point in the U.S., at 20,320 feet, found in the Alaska Range.
Mount McKinley (also called Denali)
Name 3 of the 5 Great Lakes. Hint: HOMES.
Any 3 of Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, Superior
: This state ranks first in U.S. petroleum reserves. A) Alaska B) California C) Texas D) Pennsylvania
C) Texas
A network of safe houses that helped enslaved people escape to freedom.
The Underground Railroad
Which is one of the LEAST crowded parts of the U.S.? A) The Northeast B) The Pacific coast C) The dry Great Basin D) The Great Lakes region
C) The dry Great Basin
This plateau formed when lava flowed slowly through cracks in Earth’s crust. A) Colorado Plateau B) Columbia Plateau C) Piedmont D) Great Plains
B) Columbia Plateau
This system of canals, rivers, and waterways connects the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean.
The Great Lakes–St. Lawrence Seaway
This climate stretches from northern California to southern Alaska and gets over 100 inches of rain a year in places.
Marine west coast
Large supplies of this resource gave the Midwest cheap steam power and made it a center of industry.A) Gold B) Coal C) Timber D) Petroleum
B) Coal
This factory region of the Northeast and Great Lakes has been losing population since the 1960s.
The Manufacturing Belt
Explain why the Appalachians are lower and more worn down than the Pacific Ranges.
The Appalachians are the oldest range. They formed long ago when tectonic plates collided, and ice and water have worn them down ever since. The Pacific Ranges are young.
Give TWO reasons cities grew along the fall line, and name one of those cities.
Rapids and waterfalls stopped ships from going farther inland, and the waterfalls powered the first factories. Cities: Philadelphia, Baltimore, or Washington, D.C.
Name the Great Plains’ climate type, and explain why it has very cold winters and very hot summers.
Continental climate. The Great Plains are in the center of the continent, far from the ocean’s moderating influence.
Name the main economic activity of the Middle Colonies AND the Southern Colonies, with the geographic reason for each.
Middle Colonies: cash crops, because of fertile soil, mild winters, and warm summers. Southern Colonies: plantation agriculture, because of the mild climate, rich soil, and open coastal plain.
Explain why so many Americans moved from rural areas to cities (urbanization).
Farm machines meant fewer workers were needed, so people moved to cities, where the Industrial Revolution created jobs.