Chapter 5 Homework

Chapter 5, Section 1

1. How have the river systems and landforms of the United States and Canada played important roles in this region’s development?

Answer:

Landforms such as plateus and mountains have greatly affected how regions develop.  Cities and settlements often avoid plateus and mountains because it is harder to grow food and find water.  Rivers, lakes, and streams on the other hand attract settlements because it provides a steady source of water and vegetation.  Other landforms that might drive people away and prevent development are deserts and barren valleys.

2. What are some of the major geographical factors and natural resources that have played an important part in the economic development of the United States and Canada?

Answer:

Some major geographical factors and natural resources that helped the economic development of the United States and Canada are the Appalachian Mountains, the Mississippi River, The Canadian Shield, fossil fuels, timber, and minerals.  The Appalachian Mountains and the Canadian Shield offer natural borders.  The Mississippi River and other rivers serve as trade routes and ports.  Both United States and Canada use fossils fuels for their factories and transportation.  Timber and minerals are both staple exports for Canada and the United States and bring in a lot of money to supply their economies

Creative Writing: Write a paragraph describing the landforms that would be visible from an airplane window if you were flying across North America, from Norfolk, Virginia, to Seattle, Washington. Assume that you are flying low enough to see the ground.

Answer:

As you fly over North American, you can see many land features.  First you see the Mississippi River, a huge blue-brown snake weaving through the mountains.  We pass by the huge peakes of the Appalachian mountains.  Once we pass the peaks, we see the endless plains of the Midwest.  We pass over a few more raised bumps of mountains that mark the Grand Canyon, Sierra Nevada, and other mountains.

Chapter 5, Section 2

1. What climate regions are found in the United States and Canada?

Answer:

Climate regions of the United States and Canada are warm and wet climates, warm and dry climates, interior climates, and coastal climates

2. What are three of the weather-related hazards found in the United States and Canada?

Answer:

Three weather related hazards are hurricanes in warm and wet climates, tornadoes in interior climates, and blizzards in high-latitude climates

Creative Writing: Why might two cities at about the same latitude, such as Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (40.0º N), and Salt Lake City, Utah (40.45º N), have widely differing climates? Write a paragraph justifying your conclusion

Answer:

The two cities of the same latitude have different climates because of their longitude.  Philadelphia, Pennslvania is located in a cooler, wet area that experiences varying temperatures and rain.  As a result, Philadelphia has a lot of vegetation that requires water to live.  Salt Lake Coity, Utah, is located in a warm and dry climate.  As a result, it is hotter there, has barely any shrub or rainfall, and is very dry.  Because of how far each place is from water and the coast, the two places differ in temperature, rainfall, and vegetation