Relief, Lakes, Rivers, Climate

   The US lies in the central part of the North American continent with the Atlantic Ocean to the East, the Pacific to the west, Canada to the North, and Mexico and Gulf of Mexico to the South.

   Relief. Nearly parallel with the coast of the Atlantic Ocean the Appalachian Mountains run from Alabama northeastward into Main. These mountains contain enormous quantities of easily accessible coal and iron (it explains the huge concentration of heavy industry along the lower region of the Great Lakes).

  The heart of the US is a vast plain which is divided into two major parts: the wetter, eastern portion – the Great Plains, both of which have good soil. To the west of the Great Plains is the Cordillera, which accounts for 1/3 of the US. This region is subdivided into other regions.

On its eastern border The Rocky Mountains, stretching from Alaska down to Mexico rise sharply from the Great Plains. These mountains contain many important metals such as lead, uranium and gold.

The western edge of the Cordillera is characterized by the coastal chain of high mountains: the Sierra Nevada and the Cascades in the eastern part and the Coastal Ranges (Береговые хребты, Каскадные горы) long the western coast.

Lakes. Beyond the Appalachian River opens the Central Valley, drained by the Mississippi River and the Great Lakes. The region of 5 Great Lakes is in the north-eastern part of the country. The Lakes are: Lake Superior, Lake Huron, Lake Michigan, Lake Erie, and Lake Ontario. There is the Niagara River and famous Niagara Falls.

Rivers. The Mississippi is one of the world’s great continental rivers. The waters of the Mississippi are gathered from 2/3-ds of the US. Together with the Missouri River (its chief western branch), the Mississippi flows some 4,000 miles (6,400 km) from its Gulf of Mexico. The Mississippi is called “father of waters”. The Ohio and Tennessee are the Mississippi’s principal eastern tributaries.

All the waters east of the Rockies reach the Atlantic; all the waters west of the Rockies arrive at the Pacific. That is why the Rocky Mountains are known as the Continental Divide.

The Colorado and the Columbia are the two great rivers of the Pacific Side. The Colorado is in the south, the Columbia drains the north.

The Rio Grand, nearly 2,000 miles (3,200 km) long, a natural boundary between Mexico and the US.

The Yukon is the largest river in Alaska.

Climate. The US lies between the tropic of Cancer and 50 N latitude, a position that determine Arctic climates, to the high mountaintops and tropics, to a small part of southern Florida. The climate is temperate; the middle latitudes are characterized by extreme variations of temperature.

Since land heats and cods more rapidly places distant from ocean tend to have continental climates that is, they alternate between extremes of hot summers and cold winters (+49^o C) and (-50^oC), in contrast to the marine climates, which are more equable.

Air from the gulf of Mexico can flow northward across the Great Plains, but the continental Canadian air flows south by the same route, and since these two air masses differ, the collisions of ten produce tornadoes, blizzards, hailstorms and other spectacular meteorological displays.

Answer the questions:

1. What oceans is the USA washed up?

2. What is the heart of the USA?

3. What is to the west and to the east of the Great Plains?

4. What do the Rocky Mountains contain?

5. What are the high mountains coastal chains of the western edge of the Cordillera?

6. What rivers are the Mississippi’s principal eastern tributaries?

7. What rivers are the two great ones of the Pacific Side?

8. What river is the largest one in Alaska?

9. What is the cause of tornadoes, blizzards, hailstorms and other spectacular meteorological displays?

2.2. Place – Names in America

European place names appeared in America beginning with the 16th.c. when Europeans came to inhabit the New World. Some of the names that appeared on the map at that time were those of English and French kings and queens. Many names are taken from history and literature, from geology.

Along the east coast of the US, such English names as Plymouth, Cambridge, London, Boston can be found, also with prefix “new”: New England, New Britain, New York.

The first people arrived in America from Holland and built the town New Amsterdam. But 40 years later, when Holland was at war with England, an English fleet under the command at the Duke of York occupied the town and re named it New York. This name has remained to this day. New York City – is a correct name, because there is a state New York. Washington D.C. differs from the state Washington.

The State of New York has Borodino. One of the hottest places in the California desert was called Siberia; it is humorous for those who know the geography of Russia.

There are 22 towns in the U.S. that are called London, or New London, 18 towns named Bristol, many named Chester, Vindsor or New Windsor.

There are towns named Philadelphia in 4 states, besides Philadelphia is the largest city in the state Pennsylvania.

Moscow can be found in 11 American states. In the mid 19^th c. there emerged 5 or 6 Sevastopols on the map of the USA. Odessa is met 9 times and only 2 of these are situated on the seashore, the rest of them are inland towns.

All this explains the American tradition of writing the names of the state as well as the name of the city.

Answer the questions:

1. What is the origin of the place-names in America.

2. What famous European place-names can we find in the geographical map?