Geography- overview of the United States

1. In size, the United States ranks what number among countries of the world?

Third largest country in the world.

2. In size, what is the largest state? the smallest state?

Alaska is the largest and Rhode Island is the smallest.

How many times bigger is the largest state than the smallest?

over 500 times.

What are geographic regions?

Groups based on Climate, indigenous animals and plants, and population that geographers make in order to simplify the amount of states and to classify them in smaller units to examine them more closely

What is demography?

Demography is the distribution of human-populations

What does population density mean?

The ratio of people per square mile

What is the least populated state?

Wyoming

How many urbanized areas are there in the United States?

452

What are the three largest cities?

New York, Los Angeles, Chicago

What does topography mean?

The shape of the earth's lands

What do topographical maps show?

Elevation, the height of the land

What is the elevation at sea level?

0 Feet

Describe where you would find coastal lowlands

The eastern part of the country

Describe where you would find Great Plains

Central part of the lower 48 states

Describe where you would find Rocky Mountains

To the west of the great plains, northern Alaska through Canada, to northern New Mexico

Describe where you would find Appalachian Highlands

From Alabama into the province of Quebec

Describe where you would find Great Basin

Death Valley, California

What other mountain ranges are in the United States?

Cascades, Sierra Nevada

In what state would you find the last volcano to erupt in the United States?

Washington

In what other two states will you find active volcanoes?

Alaska and Hawaii

What oceans border the United States?

Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico, Arctic Ocean

What body of water borders the southern coast of the U.S.?

Gulf of Mexico

What are the names of the five Great Lakes?

Lake Michigan, Lake Superior, Lake Huron, Lake Erie, Lake Ontario

What are two important uses of the Great Lakes?

drinking water, shipping industry

What is the longest river in the United States? Where does it begin and end?

Mississippi River, begins in Lake Itasca in Minnesota and ends in the Gulf of Mexico

Which river begins in the Rocky Mountains and is one of the most important rivers in the west?

colorado river

What are three of its uses?

Drinking water, Irrigate desert lands for farming, hydroelectric power

What is another important western river?

Columbian River

What are its uses?
(Columbian)

Irrigates millions of acres of farm land , hydroelectric power, can be navigated by large ocean going ships

What important function did rivers serve before the invention of electricity?

To help run factories, ran water wheels

What does the word climate mean?

The long term weather areas of an area

population growth rate

The average annual percent change in the population, resulting from a surplus of births over deaths and the balance of migrants entering and leaving a country.