STANDARD US1.2b

The student will use maps, globes, photographs, pictures, and tables to
b) locate and describe the location of the geographic regions of North America: Coastal Plain, Appalachian Mountains, Canadian Shield, Interior Lowlands, Great Plains, Rocky Mountains, Basin and Range, and Coastal Range.
 
Where are the geographic regions of North America located?
What are some physical characteristics of the geographic regions of North America?

Geographic regions—locations and physical characteristics
Coastal Plain
• Located along the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico
• Broad lowland providing many excellent harbors

Appalachian Mountains
• Located west of Coastal Plain extending from eastern Canada to western Alabama
• Old, eroded mountains (oldest mountain range in North America)

Canadian Shield
• Wrapped around Hudson Bay in a horseshoe shape
• Hills worn by erosion and hundreds of lakes carved by glaciers
• Holds some of the oldest rock formations in North America

Interior Lowlands
• Located west of the Appalachian Mountains and east of the Great Plains. Rolling flatlands with many rivers, broad river valleys, and grassy hills

Great Plains
• Located west of Interior Lowlands and east of the Rocky Mountains
• Flat land that gradually increases in elevation westward; grasslands

Rocky Mountains
• Located west of the Great Plains and east of the Basin and Range
• Rugged mountains stretching from Alaska to Mexico; high elevations
• Contains the Continental Divide, which determines the directional flow of rivers

Basin and Range
• Located west of Rocky Mountains and east of the Sierra Nevadas and the Cascades
• Area of varying elevations containing isolated mountain ranges and Death Valley, the lowest point in North America

Coastal Range
• Rugged mountains along the Pacific Coast that stretch from California to Canada; Contains fertile valleys