2.  With a partner, think of some major
geographic landforms in the United States.
 List them out, be sure to mention them by
name!
 Ex. The Rocky Mountains

4.  The vast and varied landscape and abundant
resources have attracted immigrants and shaped
the development of the United States

5.  All major types of
landforms are
found in U.S. from
towering mountain
ranges to low lying
coastal plains as
well as tropical
forests and
deserts.

6.  The Coastal Plain
is a low lying, flat
area that extends
from Delaware
down to Florida.
 This area features
many excellent
harbors such as
the Chesapeake
Bay

7.  Appalachian Mountains run
1,600 miles from Maine to
Alabama
 - include Green and Catskill
mountains in the north
 - Blue Ridge and Great Smoky
mountains in the south
 More than 400 million years old
 Erosion has created gentle
slopes, peaks from 1,200–2,400
feet
 The Appalachian Trail is a
scenic hiking path along the
chain

11.  Mt. Rushmore is
probably one of
the most famous
monuments in
the United States
carved out the
side of the
mountain in the
Black Hills, South
Dakota.

12.  Because the Black Hills are
sacred to the Native American
Lakota people, a more fitting
monument is that of Crazy
Horse.
 Crazy Horse was a great,
compassionate leader of the
Lakota’s during their darkest
days.
 Because the original sculptor
died in 1982, the memorial has
no timetable to be completed.
 Funding has been an issue since
they refuse assistance from the
government.

13.  When complete,
the sculpture will
be 641 feet wide
and 563 feet high.
 - compare that to Mt.
Rushmore where the
heads are 60 ft. high
 It will be the
largest sculpture
in the world.

14.  Ancient glaciers
leveled the land,
left fertile soil
 The Great Plains
extend from west
from the
Mississippi River all
the way to the
Rocky Mountains

16. I thought the Rocky
Mountains would be a
little rockier than
this…
So did I…
That John Denver is full
of it, man!

17.  Rocky Mountains run
3,000 miles from Alaska
to New Mexico
 Relatively young: 80
million years old
 Less erosion means
rugged, 12,000-foot,
snow-covered peaks
 Continental Divide—the
line of highest points
along the Rockies

21.  Between the
Rockies and the
Pacific Ocean is a
land of varied
landforms.
 Such landforms
include mountain
ranges, valleys,
canyons and
deserts.

23.  Mt. McKinley is the
tallest mountain in
the United States.
 It is measured at
20,320ft!
 The natives
originally named it
Denali, meaning
“the high one”.

24. Mojave Desert
Sonoran Desert
Great Salt Lake Desert

26.  Death Valley is the
lowest, driest,
hottest location in
North America.
 The hottest
temperature ever
recorded there was a
staggering 134
degrees Fahrenheit!
 That’s just 2 degrees
shy of the world
record!

28.  The Grand Canyon
is one the largest
canyons in all the
world.
 Carved out by the
Colorado River for
millions of years,
it is 277 miles
long, up to 18
miles wide and
over a mile deep
in some areas!

30. Wine Country!

31.  The United States does
not have many large
islands.
 The largest would be the
Hawaiian Islands which
are linked to the United
States politically rather
than geographically.
 Alaska’s Aleutian Islands
and the Florida Keys are
other small island chains.

33.  The United States is
bound by waterways
including the Atlantic
and Pacific Ocean and
the Gulf of Mexico.
 The country also has
many large lakes and
rivers that provide -
transportation,
hydroelectric power,
irrigation, fresh
water, fisheries.

34. Atlantic Ocean
Pacific Ocean

35.  The Mississippi River is
the longest river in the
United States and 4th
longest in the world.
 It flows for 2,320
miles!
 The Mississippi and its
tributaries, the Ohio
and Missouri Rivers,
make it the largest and
busiest system in the
United States.

37.  The United States
consists of thousands
of lakes.
 Some of the largest
freshwater lakes in
the world are the
Great Lakes in the
Midwest which border
Canada.
 - Huron - Michigan
 - Ontario - Erie
 - Superior

38.  Utah’s Great Salt
Lake is the largest
salt water lake
(inland sea) in the
Western Hemisphere!
 The lake has very
high salinity and is
far saltier than sea
water.