United States Geography

The United States is a nation in the Western Hemisphere. It consists of forty-eight contiguous states on the North American continent; Alaska, an enormous peninsula which forms the northwestern most part of North America, and Hawaii, an archipelago in the Pacific Ocean. It also holds several United States territories in the Pacific & Caribbean. The country shares land borders with Canada and Mexico and a water border with Russia.

The United States is the world's third or fourth largest country. Its rank depends on whether one includes two territories claimed by India but governed by China when calculating China's size. Both China and the United States follow behind Canada and Russia in total area. By land area (exclusive of waters), the United States is the world's third largest country, following Russia and China.

The United States shares land borders with Canada (to the north) and Mexico (to the south), and a territorial water border with Russia in the northwest. The contiguous forty-eight states are otherwise bounded by the Pacific Ocean on the west, the Atlantic Ocean on the east, and the Gulf of Mexico to the southeast. Alaska borders the Pacific Ocean to the south, the Bering Strait to the west, and the Arctic Ocean to the north, while Hawaii lies far to the southwest of the mainland in the Pacific Ocean.

Forty-eight of the States are in the single region between Canada and Mexico; this group is referred to, with varying precision and formality, as the continental or contiguous United States, and as the Lower 48. Alaska, which is not included in the term contiguous United States, is at the northwestern end of North America, separated from the Lower 48 by Canada. The State of Hawaii is an archipelago in the Pacific Ocean. The capital city, Washington, District of Columbia, is a federal district located on land donated by the state of Maryland. (Virginia had also donated land, but it was returned in 1847.) The United States also have overseas territories with varying levels of independence and organization.

 

 

The eastern United States has a varied topography. A broad, flat coastal plain lines the Atlantic and Gulf shores from the Texas-Mexico border to New York City, and includes the Florida peninsula. Areas further inland feature rolling hills and temperate forests. The Appalachian Mountains form a line of low mountains separating the eastern seaboard from the Great Lakes and the Mississippi Basin. The five Great Lakes are located in the north-central portion of the country, four of them forming part of the border with Canada. The southeast United States contain subtropical forests and, near the gulf coast, mangrove wetlands, especially in Florida. West of the Appalachians lies the Mississippi River basin and two large eastern tributaries, the Ohio River and the Tennessee River. The Ohio and Tennessee Valleys and the Midwest consist largely of rolling hills and productive farmland, stretching south to the Gulf Coast.

 

The Great Plains lie west of the Mississippi River and east of the Rocky Mountains. A large portion of the country's agricultural products are grown in the Great Plains. Before their general conversion to farmland, the Great Plains were noted for their extensive grasslands, from tallgrass prairie in the eastern plains to shortgrass steppe in the western High Plains. Elevation rises gradually from less than a few hundred feet near the Mississippi River to more than a mile high in the High Plains. The generally low relief of the plains is broken in several places, most notably in the Ozark and Ouachita Mountains, which form the U.S. Interior Highlands, the only major mountainous region between the Rocky Mountains and the Appalachian Mountains. The Great Plains come to an abrupt end at the Rocky Mountains. The Rocky Mountains form a large portion of the Western U.S., entering from Canada and stretching nearly to Mexico. The Rocky Mountains generally contain fairly mild slopes and low peaks compared to many of the other great mountain ranges, with a few exceptions (such as the Teton Mountains in Wyoming and the Sawatch Range in Colorado). In addition, instead of being one generally continuous and solid mountain range, it is broken up into a number of smaller, intermittent mountain ranges, forming a large series of basins and valleys.

West of the Rocky Mountains lies the Intermontane Plateaus (also known as the Intermountain West), a large, arid desert lying between the Rockies and the Cascades and Sierra Nevada ranges. The large southern portion, known as the Great Basin, consists of salt flats, drainage basins, and many small north-south mountain ranges. The Southwest is predominantly a low-lying desert region. A portion known as the Colorado Plateau, centered around the Four Corners region, is considered to have some of the most spectacular scenery in the world. It is accentuated in such national parks as Grand Canyon, Arches, and Bryce Canyon, among others.

The Intermontane Plateaus come to an end at the Cascade Range and the Sierra Nevada. The Cascades consist of largely intermittent, volcanic mountains rising prominently from the surrounding landscape. The Sierra Nevada, further south, is a high, rugged, and dense mountain range. It contains the highest point in the contiguous 48 states, Mount Whitney (14,505ft). These areas contain some spectacular scenery as well, as evidenced by such national parks as Yosemite and Mount Rainier. West of the Cascades and Sierra Nevada is a series of valleys, such as the Central Valley in California and the Willamette Valley in Oregon. Along the coast is a series of low mountain ranges known as the Pacific Coast Ranges. Much of the Pacific Northwest coast is inhabited by some of the densest vegetation outside of the Tropics, and also the tallest trees in the world (the Redwoods).

Alaska contains some of the most dramatic and untapped scenery in the country. Tall, prominent mountain ranges rise up sharply from broad, flat tundra plains. On the islands off the south and southwest coast are many volcanoes. Hawaii, far to the south of Alaska in the Pacific Ocean, is a chain of tropical, volcanic islands, popular as a tourist destination for many from East Asia and the mainland United States.

The Atlantic coast of the United States is, with minor exceptions, low. The Appalachian Highland owes its oblique northeast-southwest trend to crustal deformations which in very early geological time gave a beginning to what later came to be the Appalachian mountain system. This system had its climax of deformation so long ago (probably in Permian time) that it has since then been very generally reduced to moderate or low relief. It owes its present day altitude either to renewed elevations along the earlier lines or to the survival of the most resistant rocks as residual mountains. The oblique trend of this coast would be even more pronounced but for a comparatively modern crustal movement, causing a depression in the northeast resulting in an encroachment of the sea upon the land. Additionally, the southeastern section has undergone an elevation resulting in the advance of the land upon the sea.

While the Atlantic coast is relatively low, the Pacific coast is, with few exceptions, hilly or mountainous. This coast has been defined chiefly by geologically recent crustal deformations, and hence still preserves a greater relief than that of the Atlantic.

The low Atlantic coast and the hilly or mountainous Pacific coast foreshadow the leading features in the distribution of mountains within the United States. The east coast Appalachian system, originally forest covered, is relatively low and narrow and is bordered on the southeast and south by an important coastal plain. The Cordilleran system on the western side of the continent is lofty, broad and complicated having two branches, the Rocky Mountain System and the Pacific Mountain System. In between these, lie the Intermontaine Plateaus. Heavy forests cover the northwest coast, but elsewhere trees are found only on the higher ranges below the Alpine region. The intermontane valleys, plateaus and basins range from treeless to desert with the very arid region being in the southwest.

Both the Columbia River and Colorado River rise far inland near the easternmost members of the Cordilleran system, and flow through plateaus and intermontaine basins to the ocean.

The Laurentian Highlands, the Interior Plains and the Interior Highlands lie between the two coasts, stretching from the Gulf of Mexico northward, far beyond the national boundary, to the Arctic Ocean. The central plains are divided by a hardly perceptible height of land into a Canadian and a United States portion. It is from the United States side, that the great Mississippi system discharges southward to the Gulf of Mexico. The upper Mississippi and some of the Ohio basin is the semi-arid prairie region, with trees originally only along the watercourses. The uplands towards the Appalachians were included in the great eastern forested area, while the western part of the plains has so dry a climate that its native plant life is scanty, and in the south it is practically barren.

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50 Adventures in the 50 States
by Kate Siber, illustrated by Lydia Hill
from Wide Eyed Editions
for 2nd-Adult
in United States Geography (Location: GEO-REFUS)
$30.00
50 States - Activity Book
by Gabrielle Balkan, Illustrated by Sol Linero
from Wide Eyed Editions
for 3rd-6th grade
in United States Geography (Location: GEO-REFUS)
$11.99
7 Continents: North America
by Marilyn Evans
Pap/Map from Evan-Moor Educational Publishers
for 3rd-6th grade
in Evan-Moor Geography (Location: GEO-CUREM)
$15.39
All About America Learning Wrap-Up Keys
from Learning Wrap-Ups
for 3rd-7th grade
in United States Geography (Location: GEO-REFUS)
All About Our 50 States
All About Books #44
by Margaret Ronan, with drawings by William Meyerriecks and maps by Frank Ronan
from E.M. Hale and Company
for 3rd-8th grade
in All About Books (Location: VIN-ALL)
Anno's U.S.A.
by Mitsumasa Anno
from Philomel Books
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Anno's U.S.A.
by Mitsumasa Anno
from Philomel Books
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Children's Atlas of the USA
by Craig Froman
from Master Books
for 3rd-6th grade
in Oversized Geography (Location: GEO-OVER)
$19.99
Desk Atlas of the United States
1st edition from Geography Matters
for 2nd-8th grade
in Oversized Geography (Location: GEO-OVER)
$13.50 (1 in stock)
Don't Know Much About the 50 States
by Kenneth C. Davis
from HarperCollins
for 3rd-4th grade
in United States Geography (Location: GEO-REFUS)
$6.50 (1 in stock)
Enchantment of America: New England Country
by Dorothy Wood, illustrated by Tom Dunnington
Second Printing from Children's Press
for 3rd-6th grade
in Vintage Readers & Textbooks (Location: VIN-READ)
$9.00 (1 in stock)
Fandex Family Field Guides: 50 States
by Tom and Thomas J. Craughwell
from Workman Publishing
for 3rd-6th grade
in United States Geography (Location: GEO-REFUS)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Go, Go America
from Scholastic Press
for 3rd-6th grade
in United States Geography (Location: GEO-REFUS)
Greetings From the 50 States
by Sheila Keenan, Illustrated by Selina Alko
from Scholastic Press
for 3rd-6th grade
in United States Geography (Location: GEO-REFUS)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
How and Why Wonder Book of North America
by Irving Robbin, illustrated by Darrell Sweet
Deluxe Edition from Charles E. Merrill Company
for 3rd-6th grade
in How and Why Wonder Books (Location: VIN-H&W)
Junior State Notebook
from Geography Matters
for 1st-5th grade
in Geography Matters products (Location: GEO-GEOM)
Map of the United States Sticker Picture (Dover Sticker Books)
from Dover Publications
for Kindergarten-5th grade
in United States Geography (Location: GEO-REFUS)
$7.95
Maps of the USA
by Jo Ellen Moore
from Evan-Moor Educational Publishers
for 1st-6th grade
in Evan-Moor Geography (Location: GEO-CUREM)
National Geographic Kids U.S. Atlas
6th edition from National Geographic
for 3rd-6th grade
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$12.99
National Geographic Kids Ultimate U.S. Road Trip Atlas
by Crispin Boyer
3/21/12
for 3rd-5th grade
in United States Geography (Location: GEO-REFUS)
National Parks of the USA
by Kate Siber, Illustrated by Chris Turnham
from Wide Eyed Editions
for 2nd-Adult
in Landmarks & Symbols of the United States (Location: HISV-LANUS)
$30.00
National Parks of the USA
by Kate Siber, Illustrated by Chris Turnham
from Wide Eyed Editions
for 2nd-Adult
in Landmarks & Symbols of the United States (Location: HISV-LANUS)
$14.95
National Parks of the USA - Activity Book
by Claire Grace; inspired by the book by Kate Siber, illustrated by Chris Turnham
from Quarto Publishing
for 2nd-6th grade
in Landmarks & Symbols of the United States (Location: HISV-LANUS)
$10.99
Passport to America
by Craig Froman
from Master Books
for 3rd-6th grade
in United States Geography (Location: GEO-REFUS)
Passport to America - Extra Passport
by Craig Froman
from Master Books
for 3rd-6th grade
in United States Geography (Location: GEO-REFUS)
$3.20
Puerto Rico
by Kathy Feeney
from Capstone Press
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in United States Geography (Location: GEO-REFUS)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
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by Laurie Keller
1st edition from Square Fish Publishing
for 1st-3rd grade
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$8.99
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by Terri Johnson
from Knowledge Quest
for 1st-6th grade
in Historical & Cultural Atlases (Location: HISRF-ATLAS)
State Captials
from Kane Miller
for 2nd-5th grade
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$8.00 (1 in stock)
State Notebook
from Geography Matters
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in Geography Matters products (Location: GEO-GEOM)
$14.95
States & Capitals Learning Wrap-Up Keys
from Learning Wrap-Ups
for 3rd-6th grade
in United States Geography (Location: GEO-REFUS)
States & Capitals Songs - DVD
by Kathy Troxel
from Audio Memory
for 2nd-5th grade
in United States Geography (Location: GEO-REFUS)
$15.00
States & Capitals Songs with CD
Audio Memory CDs
by Larry & Kathy Troxel
from Audio Memory
for 2nd-5th grade
in United States Geography (Location: GEO-REFUS)
$12.95
Train of States
by Peter Sis
Reprint from Greenwillow Books
for Preschool-3rd grade
in American History Reference (Location: HISA-REF)
$8.99
Trivium Tables Cycle 3 Geography
from Classical Conversations
for 2nd-8th grade
in Classical Conversations (Location: CUR-CC)
$12.00
Trivium Tables Cycle 3 Geography (old)
from Classical Conversations
for 2nd-8th grade
in Classical Conversations (Location: CUR-CC)
$9.00
Ultimate Geography and Timeline Guide
by Maggie Hogan & Cindy Wiggers
4th edition from GeoCreations
for Kindergarten-12th grade
in Geography Activities & Games (Location: GEO-ACT)
Ultimate Geography and Timeline Guide (old)
by Maggie Hogan & Cindy Wiggers
3rd edition from GeoCreations
for Kindergarten-12th grade
in Clearance: History & Geography (Location: ZCLE-HIS)
$20.00
Ultimate Geography and Timeline Guide (really old)
by Maggie Hogan & Cindy Wiggers
1st edition from GeoCreations
for Kindergarten-12th grade
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$8.00 (1 in stock)
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by George Wiggers, Hannah (Wiggers) Gullett
3rd edition from Geography Matters
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in Geography Matters products (Location: GEO-GEOM)
Uncle Josh's Outline Map CD-ROM
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2nd edition from Geography Matters
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USA Map Puzzle
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USA Wooden Map Puzzle
from Melissa & Doug Toys
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in United States Geography (Location: GEO-REFUS)
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by John Carratello, Patty Carratello
2nd edition from Teacher Created Materials, Inc.
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in United States Geography (Location: GEO-REFUS)
$5.00 (1 in stock)