US Geography: detailed description of the states

The United States of America is the largest state located on the territory of North America. The name of the country speaks for itself, in it the administrative units are the states united in the state. Geography of the United States is unique due to the location between the two oceans. Let's look at this country in more detail.

Location

The United States is located in the central mainland of North America. Include 48 states located directly on the continent, and two - outside it.

These are Alaska, located in the very north of the mainland and without borders with the main state, and Hawaii - the islands in the Pacific Ocean.

Also, the US owns some separate territories located in the Caribbean, such as Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands. And also the islands located in the Pacific Ocean, in the Alaska region. Separately, it must be said that the central federal district of Columbia does not belong to any state.

Due to such an extensive location, the US geography and their climatic zones are very diverse.

Physiography

On the territory of the country there are several, to be more precise, 5 natural zones, which radically differ from each other. Geography of the United States briefly shows how different can be the landscape of only one country. The main part of the state is divided into 4 regions: North-East, Midwest, South and West.

Thus, the eastern part of the country, off the Atlantic coast, is covered with the Appalachian Mountains. There are many convenient bays for entering the ships, the coast with its lowlands attracted the attention of the first settlers from Europe. Later on, there were the first big cities in America.

The physical geography of the USA, especially in the central part of the country, attracts tourists' attention with the beauty of the valleys, which were formed due to the lowering of the relief. Also there are many large rivers, lakes, marshes and extraordinary beauty of waterfalls.

Further, in the west, the terrain of the terrain is replete with vast plains covered with steppe vegetation, called prairies. This territory is perfectly adapted for agriculture. Humidity and abundance of precipitation contribute to the cultivation of maize and wheat.

The cordilleras are quite high mountains. In this part of the country there are many natural parks. It is replete with canyons, which are visited by many tourists every year. Mountains are almost close to the shores of the Pacific Ocean. A small part of the coast is attracted by its subtropical climate and magnificent beaches.

The northern part of the United States, Alaska, is located beyond the Arctic Circle. A large part of the peninsula is occupied by the mountain ranges of the northern Cordillera. Because of the severe colds, it's very difficult to learn Alaska.

For a more detailed description of the US geography, see below.

Appalachian Area

Let us consider in more detail the states located in the east of the country. They are located in the north-eastern region. It is interesting that they took the first settlers. In total there are 10 states. The main of them - Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey - the most densely populated in America. It must be said that the largest number of emigrants live here, of which the US population consists. Geography and climatic conditions in this region are similar to European ones.

Because of the not very mild climate, although the Atlantic Ocean partially softens it, the mountains have fairly long and cold winters. Therefore, in this part of the country, industry is more developed than agriculture. In addition, there are many minerals in the mountainous region. It was here that coal was discovered and its extraction was organized. Throughout the country, the development of minerals led to the fact that the economy began to develop actively. At the moment, the economic geography of the United States is extensive and includes four developing regions in different directions.

The Appalachian Mountains stretch for 1,900 km along the entire Atlantic coast from Maine to Alabama in the south. The highest in the system, Mount Mitchell, is just over 2000 meters. In the mountains, several rivers originate: the Hudson, which divided the Appalachians into northern and southern, and Roanoke, which divided the southern ridge of the Blue Ridge in half. Despite the presence of rivers and forests, the soil in this area is very acidic, which requires constant alkalization and fertilization.

The Atlantic Lowland

It is a lowland that borders the Atlantic coastline from New York State to the southern Florida state. In this region, a mild subtropical climate prevails. Geography of the USA makes an unforgettable impression on travelers, and the Atlantic lowland is one of the main reasons. It is divided into several parts.

The northern part from the states of New York to Virginia is characterized by an uneven coastal line with large peninsulas separated by the Long Island straits and the bays of New York, Delaware, Albemarl and Pamlico. All these areas are favorable for navigation. It is this part of the plain that includes wetlands with beaches. In the state of New York is the most beautiful waterfall in the world - Niagara.

Center and south

The central part of the lowland is in the states of North and South Carolina and Georgia. Its landscape is very hilly. There are fewer bays in this place, and their dimensions are insignificant. On the islands directed towards the ocean there are delightful sandy beaches.

The southern part is in the state of Florida, located on the peninsula of the same name. Here there are low hills and large swamps. In the south of Florida is the marshland Everglades, it was here that there were cypress trees from the distant past and steppes with tall grass. This rare part of the subtropics is mostly located in the same national park.

It is not for nothing that the description of the country of the USA - geography, climate, economy, tourism - starts from the state of Florida in the reference books.

The Lower Lowlands

The lowland is located in the south of the state of Alabama to the state of New Mexico. Its border is the River Grande. It also goes deeper into the continent almost to the southern part of Illinois and is divided into three parts: the eastern, the Mississippi and the western. On the shore there are large port cities: New Orleans, Houston and Veracruz.

In the eastern part of the lowlands alternate low hills and lowlands, elongated parallel to the southern extremity of the Appalachians. It is interesting that there are no waterfalls in the furthest zone of the Fall-Hills hills. This feature of the United States in terms of geography is unique, since the bulk of mountain ranges abound in a multitude of water cascades. The western part of the plain is similar in structure to the eastern one, so we will not dwell on its description. But the part that adjoins the Mississippi is very interesting.

The plain of the Mississippi River is between 80 and 160 km wide, framed by ledges, whose height reaches 60 meters. A powerful water artery slowly flows through a vast valley with a slight inclination. Numerous sections indicate how the position of the river bed has changed. In the floodplain area there are fertile alluvial soils. In addition, there are significant deposits of gas and oil. In this area, the geography of the United States, farming and industrial activities are of considerable interest.

Great Plains

This is a plateau to the east of the known to all the Rockies. The height of the plateau is 700-1800 meters above sea level. The Great Plains accommodated the states of New Mexico, Nebraska, Texas, Oklahoma, Colorado, Kansas, North and South Dakota, Wyoming and Montana.

All the rivers flow along the general slope of the surface in an easterly direction and are related to the basin of the Mississippi and Missouri rivers. The Missouri plateau stands out on one side flat, and on the other - a hilly surface, cut through countless deep river valleys. Interestingly, the bottoms of the valleys are much larger than the rivers themselves, and are limited by steep rocks rising to 30 meters.

The plateau is heavily divided, in some places the network of valleys is too frequent to be used for farming. In the north there are poorlands, or, as they are called, "bad lands", practically without soil cover. To the south - in the state of Nebraska - the mountains of Sand Hills. In the state of Kansas - the relatively low mountains of Smoky Hills and Flint Hills, as well as the elevation of Red Hills. High valleys are practically unsuitable for agriculture, but here wheat is excellent and there is an abundance of pasture for cattle.

Rocky Mountains

On the western part of the US territory extends the Cordillera mountain system, which stretches from the north to the south-east by parallel ridges and the plateaus, valleys and valleys that separate them. The longest mountain range, which I want to mention, is the Rocky Mountains. They are smaller in area than the Appalachians, but they abound with great heights, more rugged terrain, colorful landscapes and a complex geological structure.

Colorado

In the description of the US country in terms of geography, all the textbooks include natural features of the state. These include the Southern Rockies, located in the state of Colorado. They consist of several significant ridges and large hollows. One of the highest mountains, Albert, reaches 4,399 meters. Beautiful, often snow-covered peaks, raised 900 meters above the upper forest boundary, form a bright panorama of the highlands. On the juicy forest slopes, the major rivers of the USA - Colorado, Arkansas, Rio Grande, originate.

Along the western edge of the Middle Rocky Mountains is a seismically active zone. There from time to time there are earthquakes. It is in this area is the world-famous Yellowstone Park.

Cascade Mountains

Cascade mountains, located mainly in the states of Oregon and Washington, to some extent have a volcanic origin. Lava creates a wavy surface, strewn with craters of volcanoes. The largest of them rise above the border of the forest, which is at an altitude of 2700 meters.

The highest peak of the Cascade Mountains, Rainir, stands out for its conical shape and is covered with glaciers. It is in this place is the national park Mount Rainier.

Geography of the United States briefly shows which elevations - from small in the east of the country to more than 4000 meters in the west - can be on one continent. This leads to a huge number of natural disasters on both sides of the continent.

California

Next to the Cascade Mountains are located one more - Sierra Nevada. They are mostly in California. It is interesting that this colossal ridge, stretching for 640 km, is composed mainly of granite. Its eastern edge abruptly cuts off to the Great Basin, and the western slope comparatively gently slopes toward the Central California Valley. At the same time, the southern part is the highest and is known as the High Sierra. In this place seven snow-covered peaks exceed 4250 meters. And Mount Whitney with a height of 4418 meters - the highest point in the US - is located just 160 km from the Valley of Death.

The steep eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada mountains is an arid zone, and the flora there is very poor. There are only a few rivers on this slope. But the gentle western slope is cut by innumerable deep valleys. Some of them are the most beautiful canyons, such as the famous Yosemite Valley on the Merced River in the Yosemite National Park and the large canyons of the Kings River in the Kings Canyon National Park. A significant part of the slope is shrouded in forests, and it is here that giant sequoias grow.

Alaska

A significant part of the state is penetrated by mountains stretching from west to east. The northern part is a flat Arctic lowland. It is fringed in the south by the Brooks Range, which includes De Long, Endicott, Philip Smith and the British mountains. In the center of the state is the Yukon Plateau with the flowing river of the same name. The Aleutian Range arches in a semicircle near the Susitna River valley and passes into the Alaska Range, thus creating the Alaska Peninsula and the adjacent Aleutian Islands. It is on the Alaska Range that the highest point of the United States is Mount McKinley, 6193 meters high.

Alaska is the largest US state in terms of area and the smallest by population. According to the latest data, it has a population of 736,732 people. On the territory of Alaska there are active volcanoes. The valley of ten thousand houses arose precisely because of the eruption of the volcano in 1912. Most of the population of the peninsula - natives of America, as well as the Eskimos, Aleuts and Indians.

In the US, the geography of states, so sharply different from each other, attracts the attention of many tourists. Having passed the territory of the whole country, you can get great pleasure from the kinds of majestic mountains, excellent canyons and mighty rivers.