geography of the united states & canada€¦ · united states & canada by brett lucas . the...
TRANSCRIPT
GEOGRAPHY
OF THE
UNITED STATES
& CANADA
By Brett Lucas
THE SOUTHEASTERN COAST
Setting the Boundaries
What states and provinces are part of the
region?
Southeastern TX, southern LA, southern MS, southern
AL, southern GA, all of FL, eastern SC, and eastern
NC
What regions does it border?
Great Plains, Inland South, and Megaopolis
Physical Geography
Physical Setting
Probably the flattest region of the 15 regions discussed in this class
Poorly drained
Components
Sandy shallow coastline
Barrier Islands
Florida Peninsula
Mississippi Delta
Florida Keys
Coastline
Very flat terrain
Very shallow ocean
Many meandering
rivers
Swamps common,
lack of ‘true”
coastline
Barrier Islands
Shoals as geographic units
Slowly migrating outward
Intensely developed
Florida Peninsula
Limestone Karst
Caves
Sinkholes
Very high water table
Lakes and artesian
wells
Complex drainage
system
Florida Peninsula
Everglades
Mississippi River Delta
Landscape in transition
Bayou
Intra-coastal Waterway
The Intra-coastal Waterway is a 4,800-km (3,000-mile) waterway along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the United States.
Some lengths consist of natural inlets, salt-water rivers, bays, and sounds; others are man-made canals.
Enhances freight transport
Extends across much of the region
Climate
Summer dominates
Mild winter, though frosts occur in most places
Heavy rainfall
Very humid
Hurricane prone
Climograph – Wilmington, NC
Climograph – Charleston, SC
Climograph – Savannah, GA
Climograph – Jacksonville, FL
Climograph – Miami, FL
Climograph – Tampa, FL
Climograph – Mobile, AL
Climograph – Baton Rouge, LA
Climograph – Houston, TX
Climograph – Brownsville, TX
Galveston, 1900 Hurricane
Worst natural disaster in
US History at the time
It had estimated winds
of 135 mph
6,000 killed in city
(20% of the population)
Allowed Houston to
surpass Galveston in
regional supremacy
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina was the costliest and one of the five deadliest hurricanes in the history of the U.S.
It was the sixth-strongest Atlantic hurricane ever recorded and the third-strongest hurricane on record that made landfall in the United States
Climate Comparison
Spokane
WA
Houston
TX
Miami
FL
Wilmington
NC
Jan Temp (F) 33 / 21 62 / 41 75 / 59 56 / 35
Jul Temp (F) 82 / 54 93 / 73 89 / 77 89 / 71
Rainfall 16.5 in. 45 in. 58 in. 54 in.
Snowfall 49 in. 0 in. 0 in. 2 in.
Soils & Landscape
Sandy soils, clay, poorly drained
Forest (pines and cypress) on more stable ground
and located more to the east
Grasslands near coast
Everglades is an example with tall sawgrass
Wildlife
Wintering ground for many birds
Cougar
Alligators
Snakes
Many exotic species flourish here
Florida’s climate can accommodate many species
Population & Settlement
Early Settlement
Extremely varied/complex settlement
French settlers came down the Mississippi and
gradually spread along the coast
British moved along the Atlantic shore (Georgia
founded in 1773)
Spanish settled Texas from Caribbean/Mexico
Settlement of Florida
First permanent European settlement by Spanish (St.
Augustine, 1565), evicted French settlers of a year
earlier
Camped by French on the west and English on north
through 1700’s
Ceded to Britain, 1763
Returned to Spain, 1781
Settlement of Florida
Spanish settlers returned along with many Native
Americans, Africans, Americans
Ceded to US in 1821
Two Seminole Wars to evict native population,
1818 and 1835-41
Contemporary Migration
Cuban immigration to Florida
Haitian immigration to Florida
Mexican immigration to Texas
Retirement immigration to entire region
Contemporary Migration
Booming areas
Houston
Most of Florida peninsula
Retirement areas of southern Texas, Carolinas
Other areas with less growth
New Orleans to Florida panhandle
Charleston, Savannah
Population Numbers
State/Province 2000 (1,000’s) 1990 (1,000’s) Change
Florida 15,982 12,937 +23%
Wilmington, NC 233 171 +36%
New Orleans 1,337 1,285 +4%
Houston 4,670 3,731 +21%
Brownsville, TX 335 260 +29%
US & Canada 312,600 276,700 +13%
Population Density - NC
Population Density - SC
Population Density - GA
Population Density - FL
Population Density - AL
Population Density - MS
Population Density - LA
Population Density - TX
Human & Economic Geography
Fishisng
Louisiana catch second
only to Alaska in US
Shrimp most places in
gulf
Many leading fishing
port in the region
Forestry
Turpentine and resin
Half of the worlds output here
Distilled from yellow pine
Lumber and pulpwood
Forestry
Difficult in many regions with poorly drained land
Climate suitable for some crops not suitable in other
areas
Adequate moisture
Winter crops grown for rest of US and Canada
Most crops grown elsewhere are absent here
(grains)
Citrus
Florida, more than
75% of national
output
Also in Rio Grande
Valley
Danger from frosts has
pushed dominant area
south
Winter Vegtables
Tomatoes
Peppers
Squash
Eggplant
Sugar
Important historically
Sugar plantations in Louisiana
Current growth
South Central and Southeast Louisiana
Southeast Florida
Increased in importance since Cuban sugar is prohibited
Crops & other Livestock
Rice
Used to extremely
important in Carolina’s
in Georgia
Cotton
Tobacco
Beef
Coastal Louisiana,
Texas, Florida
Mineral Industries
Salt
Sulfur
Oil and Natural Gas
Mouth of the Mississippi to the mouth of the Rio Grande
off shore and near shore reserves
Expanding industry, with better technology
Many cities in the area have large refineries and
shipping ports
Oil Drilling in the Gulf
Already in western
Gulf
Proposed ending of
moratorium in Eastern
Gulf
Significant
environmental hazard
with the BP Spill in
2010
Manufacturing
Mostly, due to proximity of natural resources
Petrochemicals
Plastics
Oil refinement
Rubber
Explosives
Tourism & Recreation
Mostly beach or
water-related
Disney and other
amusement parks in
Orlando
“Winter haven”
Retirement center
Cruise ship industry
Service Industry
Large boom in retirement population
Dramatic increase in employment in services for
older population
Large employment in tourist trade as well,
particularly in Florida
New Orleans
Enormous shipping port
Only US major city
below sea level
Most French-cultured city
in US
Major tourist destination
Slow growth
Hit hard by Hurricane
Katrina in 2004
Houston
Fastest growing large city in country
Busy port, industrial area
Dominated by energy industry
Space industry
Largest US city without an amusement park close by
Other Florida Cities
Large service sectors
Tourism centers (especially Orlando)
Retirement centers
Most cities on peninsula rapidly growing
Tampa 2.4 M., Orlando 1.6 M., West Palm Beach 1.1 M.
Much of the coastal areas one large area of urban sprawl
Jacksonville and other northern cities showing less growth
Other Cities
Petroleum-based and Petrochemicals
Baton Rouge
Beaumont - Port Arthur
Historic Industrial Cities
Charleston
Savannah
Other Ports
Mobile (steel)
Brownsville (agriculture)
Outlook
Future growth
Petroleum industry and related manufacturing
Expansion of port facilities
Retirement centers
Natural environment very sensitive to growth