Section 1 Key Terms
A Shoshone Woman who guided Lewis and Clark on their exploration of the Louisiana Territory.
Sacagawea
The Mississippi and Missouri in the US, and the MacKenzie in Canada.
Rivers
Mountain range located between the central lowlands and the Atlantic Coastal Plain.
Appalachian Mountains
The state of the atmosphere near earth at a given time and place.
Weather
This region contains the highest mountain range. This area runs from Mexico to Alaska along the western portion of the continent.
Rocky Mountains and Coastal Ranges
Features of Earth's surface, such as mountains, valleys and plateaus.
Landforms
These moved across the continent thousands of years ago. When they melted, the land was left with new lakes, valleys and hills.
Glaciers
This area covers most of Greenland, curves around the Hudson Bay, and reaches into the Great Lakes
Canadian Shield/Laurentian Plateau
The way that business owners use resources to provide the goods and services that people want.
Economy
Center vegetation zone of North America. Example is the Mississippi Valley
Grassland
A network of major rivers and their tributaries.
River system
North America is found in this area; defined as the area between the Arctic Circle and the Tropic of Cancer.
Middle Latitudes
Consists of grassland with few trees. This area gradually rises from the Central Lowlands to the Rocky Mountains.
Great Plains
The typical weather in a region over a long period of time.
Climate
This region is located between the Rocky Mountains and the western coastal mountains. It is a dry area containing deserts, plateaus, and basins.
Intermountain Region
The wearing away of soil and stone by rivers and other water events.
Erosion
Possible responses: Any Central American country, Cuba, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Greenland.
Runs along the Gulf of Mexico and the east coast. Consists of rich farmland and some swamps and wetlands.
Atlantic Coastal Plain
Trees, shrubs, grasses, and other plants.
Vegetation
Tree covered areas of Canada and the northeast, northwest, and southeast United States
Forrest
A thick sheet of ice that moves slowly across the land.
Glacier
This 1980 event is an example of a violent change in Earth's geography
The eruption of Mt. Saint Helens
West of the Appalachians. They extend west to the Great Plains and are generally flat. Soil is rich and ideal for farming.
Central Lowlands
Moisture, such as rain and snow that falls to Earth.
Precipitation
Vegetation zone in Northern Canada and Alaska
Polar and Tundra