REGIONS OF THE USA

THE WEST&

Southwest

GeographySeptember 30 & October 1, 2015

Southwest & West

• Objective:– Students will observe the Southwest Region and analyze the physical,

cultural, and economic aspects of the West Region.

• Essential Question:– What is the relationship between physical geography and population?

WARM-UP:

CNN STUDENT NEWS

Write a ONE SENTENCE summary on TWO news stories from CNN Student News.

After the video you will have 5 minutes to write your 2 summaries.

Summary: “A brief statement or account of the main points of something.

Discussion to follow: What do you think?

Western Region: Climate• Northwest Pacific: Oregon and Washington to the Cascade Mountains.

• This is the perhaps the wettest part of the country. There are scattered rain showers all year round.

• Temperatures are mild. The summer months are pleasantly warmer but never too hot.

• However, weather is generally unstable: Areas can be wet or very dry for years and vice versa.

• Forest fires can be common.• You can see fogs along the coast during the warmer weather.

CLIMATE

West: Economy

• Megalopolis areas: Los Angeles & San Francisco Bay Area.• Center of mass media – Radio & Television.• Tourism is prominent along the Pacific Coast &

Hollywood Film Industry.• Center of the Computer Industry in Silicon Valley.

MONTANA (HELENA)

St. Helena CathedralThe state Capitol building

IDAHO (BOISE)

WYOMING (CHEYENNE)

3.- Las Vegas (Nevada)

West: Agriculture• Interior west:–Wheat Belt•Must be irrigated by constant water supply and a long sprinkler

system.–Strip Mining.• Strip away soil and rock. Can lead to erosion & other problems.

• Pacific States:–California: Aerospace, agriculture: Vegetables & Fruit.–Oregon & Washington: Forests & Fish.

CALIFORNIA (SACRAMENTO)

NEVADA (CARSON CITY)

UTAH (SALT LAKE CITY)

West: People• More than 74 million people live in the West.

• Still one of the most sparsely settled areas in the US.

• Populated by Native Americans since 11,000 BC.

• Many settlers traveled to the West: Mormons, Miners, immigrants (Europe, Asia, & Mexico / S. America) in 1800’s.

ARIZONA (PHOENIX)

NEW MEXICO (SANTA FE)

St. Francis cathedral

Lensic Theatre

2. San Francisco (California)

West: Culture

• Large Mormon population in Idaho, Utah, Arizona & Nevada.• Casino Resort towns of Las Vegas & Reno• Numerous American Indian tribal reservations.

• Many People share & celebrate a “frontier spirit” and hold progressive / libertarian views.

• Many immigrants.• Foods: California Pizza, Sushi, Chinese Chicken Salad, Bacon

Cheeseburger. Rice. Wine. Oranges.

WILD WEST CITIES

7. Denver (Colorado)

8.- San Diego (California)

9. Seattle (Washington)

Mount Rainier

10.- Portland (Oregon)

Western Region: Landform

• Rocky Mountains• Sierra Nevada Mountains• Yellowstone National Park–Wyoming / Montana /

Idaho• The Great Salt Lake• Utah

•Death Valley–California•Yosemite National

Park• San Andreas Fault

Line

LANDFORMS

RIVERSMOUNTAINS

NATIONAL PARKSDESERTS

RIVERS

MOUNTAINS

THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS

1.THE GRAND CANYON (COLORADO)

DESERTS

Alaska and Pacifc Islands: Geography• Alaska:–Vast land of few people, many of them native.–Great stretches of wilderness, protected national parks & wildlife

refuges.–Cold or frigid climate.– Economy: oil, forests, & fish.

• Hawaii:–Center gateway between the US and Asia.– Economy: Tourism.–Mild climate & Fertile soils.

Fun Facts: Alaska• It’s the only state capital that cannot be reached by

road or rail; everyone and everything comes to Juneau by boat or plane.

• Activities: hiking, boating, biking, skiing and fishing.

ALASKA (JUNEAU)

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