1. Regions of North America
By Megan Ursaki

2. Map of Regions of North
America
Legend
Red – Canadian Shield
Blue – St-Lawrence Lowlands
Yellow - Interior Plains
Green – Intermountain Region
Purple – Arctic Plains
Orange – Appalachian Region
Brown – Coastal Plains
Pink – Western Cordillera

3. Western Cordillera Region
Topography
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Located on western
part of Canada
Mountainous
Mountains, trees, gra
ss, forests, and water
Rocky landscape
Includes Williston
Lake, Okanogan
Lake, Pacific Ocean
and the Columbia
River.
Series of
mountainous belts
along pacific coast
Rocky mountains are
eastern part of
Cordillera
Climate
•
•
•
•
•
•
Varies throughout
the year
Summer hot, warm, rainy, bre
ezy, cool evenings
Winter cold, rainy, breezy, s
nowy
General climate can
be described as
cool, breezy, rainy, w
arm
Rains a lot
Moist and mild western part of
cordillera
Vegetation
•
•
•
•
•
Variety of vegetation
Douglas fir, forage
grass, white
spruce, lodge pole
pine, ponderosa
pine, and many
other trees and
grasses
Vegetation grows
because it rains a lot
and soil is good
Lower slope trees
and other plants
grow larger and last
longer
Variety of vegetation
Economic Activity
•
•
•
•
•
•
Main occupations
are foresting and
mining
Gold mining
Sightseeing
Very tourist friendly
region
Harvests lots of
lumber/timber
Oil
Environmental
Concerns
•
•
•
•
Timber
harvesting, grazing,
oil
exploration, mining,
and reservoir
operations
Lumber and oil
produce most
damage and erode
the slopes, and
cause the siting of
streams
Harmful metals
released into water
from mining
Wildlife habitat lost
from lumber
harvesting

4. Interior Plains
Topography
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Plains not entirely
flat
Gently rolling hills
in most places
Deep river valleys
Very diverse
Huge sized region
Elevation from 600
meters to 1500
meters
Three different
elevations
Climate
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Continental
climate
Oceans do not
influence climate
like some other
regions
Extreme climates
Long hot summers
Cold winters
Little precipitation
More north,
winters long and
cold, summers
short and hot
Vegetation
•
•
•
•
•
•
Mixed deciduous
trees
Scattered
evergreens
Prairie grasses
grew tall
Grassland
Trees grew only in
river valleys
Northern part –
boreal forests
grow
Economic Activity
•
•
•
Agriculture,
mining,
Livestock grown –
cattle, pigs,
poultry, etc.
Vegetables grown
– wheat, barley,
oats, flax, canola,
mustard,
potatoes, corn,
and sugar beets
Environmental
Concerns
•
•
•
Farm pollutants
seeping into the
ground an running
off into river and
lake systems
Lumber harvesting
Air and water
pollutions

5. Coastal Plains
Topography
Climate
• Average
elevation less
that 250m
above sea level
• Mostly flat or
gently rolling hills
• Swampy,
wetland
• Easily flooded
land because it
is so flat and low
• Most land is only
approx. 30m
above sea level
•
•
•
•
•
Varies greatly
Cold snowy
winters and hot
humid summers in
the north
Sub-tropical
climate in the
south
Southern part has
hurricanes
Hurricane season
between late
summer and early
winter
Vegetation
Economic Activity
Environmental
Concerns
• Soil in the
Coastal Plains is
very sandy
• Natural
vegetation
adapted to the
soil
• Some areas are
jungles (Mexico)
• Original
vegetation was
pine forests
• Tourism
• Shipping at
ports
• Paper making
• Commercial
fishing
• Forestry
• House
expansion –
land
consumption
• Air pollution
• Climate change
• Sea level rises
15%

6. Canadian Shield
Topography
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
More than 2 billion
years old
Great volcanic
mountains leveled
my millions of years of
erosion
Geographic
foundation of
Canada
Covers more than
half of Canada
Platform of rocks
Overlaps into USA in
two areas
Barren rock
Chaotic pattern of
rivers, lakes, swamps
Climate
Vegetation
Economic Activity
Environmental
Concerns
• Climate varies
throughout
region, because
region stretches
across huge
amount of
Canada
• Going north,
winters are
longer and
colder, summers
being shorter
and cooler
• Mostly covered
by boreal forests
• Some deciduous
trees like poplar
and white birch
• North of the tree
line, no trees
grow because
the season is too
short,
permafrost, and
little
precipitation
• Lumber
• Mining of metals
• Copper, iron,
zinc, silver, gold,
lead, uranium,
nickel, cobalt,
tungsten
• Diamonds
• Timber
• One of Canada
largest diamond
producers
• Acid rain
• Emissions
• Coal power
plants
• Industrial boilers
• Automobiles
and trucks etc.

7. Intermountain Region
Topography
Climate
• Between ocean • Most of the
coast and rocky
region is dry
mountains
• Some parts of
region
• Differentiating
temperature
landscape
varies
throughout
• Winters cold
region
and wet,
• Variety of
sometimes dry
mountains but
• Hot dry summers
mainly flat
• Snowy winters
• Some lakes or
• Majority is dry
rivers etc.
region
Vegetation
Economic Activity
Environmental
Concerns
• Grassland
• Plants that can
survive in semidesert and
desert areas
• Thick woods in
some areas
• Pine forests
• Coal and iron
mining in some
areas
• Foresting pine
and lumber
• Conserve
wildlife habitat
• Foresting and
mining
• Not a lot of the
area is
habituated by
humans so there
isn‘t as much
damage as
other regions
with more
population

8. Arctic Plains
Topography
Climate
Vegetation
Economic Activity
Environmental
Concerns
• Combination of
lowlands and
mountains
• Lowlands in
series of island
to the north of
Hudson Bay
• Mountains are in
extreme
northwest
• Near the ocean
is flat
• Climate is very
severe
• So far from
equator
• Winter lasts for
10 months –
cold and harsh
• Summer is short
and not very
warm – little
precipitation
• Arctic is actually
a desert
• Few life forms
can survive and
grow
• Lichen
• Too cold for
trees
• Small shrubs,
mosses and
lichen are the
only things that
can grow
• Close to the
ground
• Mining
• Construction
• Hunting and
fishing
• Gold mining
• Transportation
• Touristy
• Future economy
estimated to be
more on nonrenewable
resources
• Preventing
pollution
• Climate change
• Marine
environment
protection
• Land
environment
protection
• Increased
marine travel
and accessibility
harms
environment

9. Great Lakes-St Lawrence Lowlands
Topography
•
•
•
•
•
Smallest
region
in Canada
Rolling
landscape
Created mainly
by glaciation
Deep river
valleys
Gradually rises
into Canadian
Shield landform
Climate
Vegetation
Economic Activity
• Humid
• Continental
climate
• Great lakes
make it more
humid
• Summers vary
from warm to
hot
• Winters from
cool to cold
• Originally had
• Farming –
very fertile soil
poultry, dairy,
• Heavy forests
meat products
• Maple, beech,
and specialty
hickory, black
crops
walnut
• Manufacturing
• Mixed
– cars and
deciduous and
parts, textiles
conifers
and clothing,
• Maple, beech,
industrial and
oak, ash, birch,
farm chemicals
spruce, for,
• Mining
pine, and cedar
Environmental
Concerns
Pollution
Water pollutions
Tar sands
Climate
change
• Greenhouse
gases
• Global warming
(pollution and
greenhouse
gases)
•
•
•
•

10. Appalachian Region
Topography
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Made up of many
mountainous ranges
Old mountains - formed
300,000,000 years ago
Also has fertile plateaus
and river valleys
Rivers provide
transportation
Coal, oil, and gas are
found in rocks
Extends from northern
Alabama (34°N, 87°W)
for 1600km northeast to
New York State (45°N,
72°W)
northern part is
glaciated
Tops of mountains
eroded by water, ice,
and gravity
Rugged rolling
mountains
Source of many rivers
Waterfalls
Climate
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
2 ocean currents
affect climate
Labrador current
causes freezing
during winter in
north Appalachians
- brings cold water
Gulf Stream brings
warm water
Frost 200days in
south, 140 days in
north
High precipitation
and snow
Mostly continental
climate
Wide temperature
variations between
summer and winter,
day and night
Vegetation
•
•
•
•
•
Originally
covered by
dense forests
Wood used to
make furniture
and charcoal
Heavily forested
with coniferous
and deciduous
trees
Survives in poor
and
unproductive
mountain soil and
plateaus and
river valleys
type of rock
called
sedimentary
•
Economic Activity
Environmental
Concerns
•
•
•
•
•
•
Forestry
Farming
Mining
Coal mining
Hydro electricity
Transportation railways built in
1880s
Improved
movement of goods
up and down
valleys
Traded coal,
packages meat
and trees
Main crop tobacco
Manufacturing of
textiles and
electronics
• Loss of natural
resources
when coal
and trees are
exported
• Loss of natural
surrounding
when
resources are
extracted
• Loss of animal
habitat
•
•
•
•

11. "Coastal Plains." WikiSpaces.com. Wiki. Web. 18 Feb 2014. <http://ss9geography.wikispaces.com/Coastal Plains>.
"Coastal Plains." WikiSpaces.com. Wiki. Web. 18 Feb 2014. <http://ss9geography.wikispaces.com/Coastal Plains>.
Sources
 Cranny, Michael. Crossroads: A Meeting of Nations.

Scarborough, Ontario: Prentice Hall Ginn Canada,
 1998. 163-179. Print.

 "Appalachian Region Notes." . N.p.. Web. 12 Feb 2014.
<http://projects.cbe.ab.ca/ict/2learn/jwfech/geography/east/appalachian/Appalachian Region Notes.htm>

 Armand, Earnley. "Rocky Mountains." . Encyclopedia Britannica, 24 0001 2013. Web. 17 Feb 2014.
<http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/506418/Rocky-Mountains/39935/National-parks-forests-andrecreational-areas
 "Canada's Regions: Great Lakes St-Lawrence Lowlands." MTHS Online. GGC1D Template. Web. 16 Feb 2014.
<https://sites.google.com/a/ocsb.ca/cgc1d-template/unit-2-physical-geo/4-canadas-regions/canada-sregions--great-lakes-st-laurence-lowlands>.
 "Coastal Plains." WikiSpaces.com. Wiki. Web. 18 Feb 2014. <http://ss9geography.wikispaces.com/Coastal Plains>.