1. States California Arizona Nevada New Mexico Texas 2. Relief To the west in California is the Central Valley that separates the Coastal Ranges from the Sierra Nevada Mts. Further east are the Highlands inter montane plateaus and basins of Nevada and Arizona The southern Rocky Mts are in Texas 3. Drainage The main rivers are the Colarado,the Gila, and the Rio Grande,the Sacramento and San Joachin The Colarado flows through the barren landscape of Nevada The Gila Valley is in Arizona The Rio Grande separates Texas from Mexico In California the Sacramento and San Joachin have been used to develop one of the worlds largest irrigation schemes 4. Soils Much of the area is arid or semi-arid with vast areas of desert eg. Death Valley In the river valleys alluvial soils are fertile and suitable for agriculture On mountain slopes soils are poor 5. Climate Because it is such a vast area climate varies. Much of the area is arid or semi-arid with less than 250mm of rainfall annually. Southern California,Arizona and New Mexico are desert or semi-desert. Death Valley[California/Nevada] is one of the hottest places on earth with recorded temperatures of over 50 degrees C. Other factors that influence climate are altitude and distance from the sea. 6. The American SW forms part of the US sunbelt.Areas bordering Mexico have over 2,500 hours of sunshine annually Central Valley in California has a Mediterannean climate of hot dry summers and mild moist winters and provides a very pleasant lifestyle although summer temperatures can be very hot 7. Primary Activities The 2 main primary activities are agriculture and mining Intensive agriculture is practised in California in the Central Valley[fruit ,vegetables and vines] Extensive agriculture is practised in New Mexico, Nevada, Arizona and Texas[cattle ranching] Agriculture is largely influenced by climate, soils and the availability of water. Desert areas are devoid of agriculture because of very low rainfall and extreme temperatures 8. Central Valley-intensive agriculture Central Valley produces citrus fruits, vegetables,salad veg and is home to world famous vineyards Crops grown are oranges,dates,cherries,peaches,plums,tomatoes,lettuc brocolli,brussell sprouts and vines California is the 2nd largest [roducer of citrus fruits in the States after Florida One third of all fruit crops in the US is grown in California Oranges are a large section of citrus fruit production 9. Irrigation is widely used to support agriculture esp in the Central Valley. Water from the Sacramento and San Joachin rivers supply the Central Valley project It is one of the biggest and mast successful irrigation schemes in the world and a major factor in the success of the Central Valley Also in California are the Napa Valley and Sonama Valley that specialise in viticulture. Sunshine and high temperatures provide quality grapes for world famous wines eg Gallo Family Vineyards [monoculture] 10. The Central Valley also produces cotton and rice Dairy farming is found in the Central Valley because of access to water 11. Outside California agriculture is largely extensive in nature and pastoral farming dominates. Huge ranches characterise areas of Nevada ,Arizona,New Mexico and Texas Pastoral farming[ranching] require large areas of land as rainfall is unreliable and vegetation is sparce Farm units are usually owned by huge agri-companies involved in the production and distribution of foodstuffs Cattle are reared on ranches and then are fattened in cattle lots before sale Many farm workers use cowboy skills on the huge ranches and many are migrant workers from Mexico 12. Mining In the past settlers were attracted to the SW because of its mineral wealth The discovery of gold in 1848 led to the Californian Gold Rush and in 1859 a silver deposit was discovered in Nevada To-day, oil and natural gas deposits are the dominant resources Texas has enormous deposits of both The wealth of such areas tends to fluctuate according to oil values on world markets Uranium,sulphur,gold,silver,lead and zinc are also mined 13. Secondary Activities The American SW has many advantages for indusrtial development Availability of raw materials Cheap land for factories Excellent transport infrastructure Access to markets in the US as well as European and Asian markets US airforce bases and aerospace industry are based in Texas and California Highly educated graduates Good quality of life attracts workers 14. California-Secondary Activies Silicon Valley us located south of San Francisco and is a world leader in IT Intel,Hewlitt-Packard,Apple and IBM are all located in California Stanford Uni and Uni of California are central to the growth and success of Silicon Valley 50% of all high-tech equipment in the US is manufactured here World wide markets also A vast array of products come from Silicon Valley:software applications,laser technology and microchips 15. Texas- Secondary Activities Most important state for oil and gas production Coastal cities are called the Chemical Crescent Oil refineries,petro-chemical plants and fertiliser factories are numerous Offshore oil and gas platforms Important cities with huge output are Houston,Dallas,Fortworth,Austin and San Antonio Austin is home to Dell Corporation Huge aerospace indusrty in Houston 16. Many other industries are located on the Mexican border. Maquilladoras [twin-factories] operate at low cost but are highly profitable Many house-hold name multinational companies are located on the border. Unskilled workers on low pay work in product assembly on the Mexican side while research,development and marketing is done on the American side 17. Tertiary Activities in the SW Tourism is a major section of the economy of this region The Grand Canyon, Yosemite Park and the Carlsbad Caves attract thousands of visitors annually Climate attracts many domestic and international tourists Many urban attractions-San Francisco, Los Angeles and esp Hollywood Las Vegas in Nevada is the gambling capital of the world and a major entertainment centre Alcatraz, Chinatown,Hollywood. Winter sports in mountainous regions Wild West experience Disneyland 18. Transport Roadworks are particularly well developed Some cities have experienced rapid urban sprawl.In los Angeles there is a lack of public transport and a strong car culture Many thousands commute to work and a dense network of roads has developed Cheap cars and fuel contribute to this car culture L.A. Has the most polluted air of any US city with severe smog Demand is rising for better public transport Tolls, special lanes for those car-pooling and advances in use of electric cars are all features of transport in California 19. Human Processes The SW is a multi-cultural society with a population of some 60m Native American Indians are a small % of population and live mostly in Arazona and New Mexico The Navajo are the largest tribe. Originally nomadic hunters they live on reservations with an unique lifestyle Another culture in the area is Hispanic Spanish speaking California,Arizona,New Mexico and Texas Because of a shared border with Mexico the influence of Spanish culture is strong. Huge Spanish speaking population with Spanish tv channels,radio,newspapers and schools 20. Job opportunities and a better standard of living are pull factors Many Hispanics are in low paid jobs Border states are often referred to as Mexamerica California has a large Asian population that originally came during the Gold Rush and during the construction of aquaducts and railways In the past discrimination was severe and led to ghettos Chinatown,once a ghetto is now a major tourist attraction There are many illegal immigrants who are regularly deported 21. Growth of an urban area Los Angeles has a population of 14m and is the 2nd largest city after New York It has Americas largest container port which generates billions of dollars in wages and taxes for the state of California L.A. has been a city since the 1880s and grew rapidly beginning with the Gold Rush Gold was not the only attraction as its growing port, railway construction and oil provided jobs The railway allowed people and goods to move more easily and suburbs grew 22. In 1932 the Olympic Games were held here and lead to improvements in recreational facilities and roads through and around the city In the 1940s the citys tram system was closed. L.A. Became-and still is-a car dependent city with resultant air pollution problems During WW2 L.A. became a major industrial centre for aircraft and ammunitions because of its Pacific coast location Major manufacturing centre but faces competition as factories relocate to Mexican border L.A has many ethnic groups 23. Central Valley 24. Solar power 25. Central Valley