[[File:NorthAmerica-sel-regions LCPS VA-Edu..jpg|none|thumb|Major regions of North America from the Virginia Dept. of Education SOL framework document>>
Key
A) Coastal Plain
East Coast, location of the original 13 American colonies
B) Appalachian Mountains
border between the 13 colonies and the French-Indian lands to the west of the Appalachians
C) Canadian Shield
distinct climate and geographic area north of Great Lakes and New England
D) Interior Lowlands
fertile lowlands along the Mississippi River
E) Great Plains
low, flat grasslands between the Mississippi Lowlands and the Rocky Mountains
F) Rocky Mountains
great mountain range that served as barrier between the middle and western parts of the continent
G) Basin and Range
isolated region that was not directly connected by rivers to other regions and that was between the Rocky Mountains and the Coastal Ranges (mountains)
H) Coastal Ranges
Mountain range along the west coast that feeds water into the fertile valleys and lands along the coast
lowland coast region along Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico
the 13 American colonies were settled in the Coastal Plain from modern Georgia to Massachusetts
note that Massachusetts is part of the Appalachian region, but it was settled along with the Coastal Plain
the western barrier to the Coastal Plain is the eastern slope of the Appalachian Mountains
[[File:AppalachianLocatorMap2.png|thumb|AppalachianLocatorMap2|alt=|border|none>>[[File:Appalachian region of United States.png|thumb|Appalachian region of United States|alt=|none>>
APPALACHIAN REGION
Appalachian Mountains =
mountain range that extends along the western border of the Coastal Plain from Georgia to New England
includes sub-regions
the Piedmont, Low Plateaus and Mountains
the Appalachian Mountains served as a barrier between
early American colonies (to the east of the Appalachians along the Coastal Plain)
and French and Indian lands (to the west of the Appalachians)
all rivers from the eastern slope flow towards the Atlantic Ocean
all rivers from the western slope flow towards the Mississippi River
after Britain defeated France in the 1854-63 French-Indian War, the entire Appalachian region (and all lands up to the Mississippi River) became British
however, the British King prohibited American colonists from occupying it
INTERIOR LOWLANDS
[[File:Satellite image illustrating the Great Plains.jpg|thumb|Satellite image illustrating the Great Plains|alt=Satellite image illustrating the Great Plains.jpg|border|none>>[[File:Map of Great Plains.svg|thumb|Great Plains region|alt=|none>>
high mountain range above and to the east of the Great Basin
the "Continental Divide" is in the Rocky Mountains, marking the point at which the land descends to the east or the west
important rivers flow from origins in the Rocky Mountains
[[File:Basin and Range Province Boundaries and Landmarks.svg|thumb|One of various geographical definitions of the Province|alt=|none>>[[File:GB-Definition-Map.jpg|thumb|The hydrographic Great Basin (magenta outline), distinguished from the Great Basin Desert (black), and the Basin and Range Geological Province (teal).[3]|alt=|border|none>>[[File:Great Basin map.gif|thumb|Great Basin map|alt=Great Basin map.gif|border|none>>
BASIN AND RANGE
the "Great Basin" = a geographic depression (low area) that was once under the sea
no rivers or water flow out of the Great Basin
the VA & US SOL refers to the "Great Basin" as the "Basin"
the Range includes mountains from which water flows into the Great Basin
the western border of the Range are the Sierra Nevada Mountains
as an isolated watershed (where the water flows -- into itself), the Great Basin is an isolated geographic area for human occupation and development
[[File:California Mountain Ranges.png|thumb|Northern and Southern Coast Ranges and other major mountain ranges of California|alt=|border|none>>
PACIFIC COASTAL RANGE
western slope of the Sierra Nevada mountains that border the Great Basin and Rocky Mountains
and that produce important rivers that flow into the Pacific Ocean
water flow from the mountains allows for great agricultural production in the "central valley"
= valley area between the mountains
the Sierra Nevada mountains created a barrier to movement between the West coast and the Basin & Range area
that isolation was not fully broken until the building of railroads/ tunnels through the mountains
the easier path to the West coast was to the North along the "Oregon Trail", which crosses lower mountains
[[File:Map of Major Rivers in US.png|thumb|Map of Major Rivers in US|alt=|border|none>>
BIG IDEAS
rivers start in mountains and flow downhill
thus they define the major regions of the country
for movement, rivers are important for
as highways:
travel along them, especially down stream
(upstream was difficult until the introduction of powered steam ships)
as moats:
large rivers are difficult to cross , so they can also act as barriers to movement and thereby create dividing points between geographic regions and political boundaries
ex. many state borders are defined by rivers
US Rivers to know:
Hudson River
Mississippi River
Missouri River
Ohio River
Virginia Rivers to know:
James River
Potomac River
Roanoke River
Virginia has approx. 49,350 miles of river
all Virginia rivers flow towards the Atlantic
[[File:Chesapeake bay watershed map.jpg|thumb|The Chesapeake Bay watershed|alt=A rough map of the Chesapeake Bay watershed with blue lines for rivers drawn on top.>>
BIG IDEAS
the rivers and streams that flow into the Chesapeake Bay are from the eastern slopes of the Appalachian Mountains
these rivers create important trade links and locations for cities
especially Philadelphia, Baltimore, Jamestown (and, later, Washington DC)
[[File:Mississippi River Watershed Map.jpg|thumb|Mississippi River Watershed Map|alt=|border|none>>[[File:Mississippi river map.png|thumb|Mississippi river map|alt=|border|none>>
BIG IDEAS
all the rivers that flow into the Mississippi River start in:
western slope of the Appalachian Mountains/ region
eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains
Great Lakes region
this confluence (joining) of rivers creates vast trade networks used across North American history to today
as it is near the mouth of the Mississippi River, New Orleans lies at an important geographic location for trade and movement of people
after building of various canals, the east coast and Great Lakes were connected to rivers that flowed into the Mississippi River basin
after the introduction of steam engines, which allowed boats to move upstream, trade became two-way across the Mississippi River basin
Map of the "Water Level Routes" of the New York Central Railroad (purple), West Shore Railroad (red) and Erie Canal (blue)
This map shows the route of the Erie Canal, which connected Lake Erie with the Hudson River
the Erie Cana connected New York City to the Great Lakes
the map also shows the route of railroads that were built along a similar path and that essentially replaced the canal for transportation of people and goods
BIG IDEAS
canals allow for transport of good and people across areas that were not connected by natural rivers
canals allow for two-way movement, both up and down stream
i.e., canals are designed to move goods upstream which would be otherwise impossible on most rivers
especially for moving across the Appalachian Mountains
[[File:Virginia geographic map-en.svg|thumb|Virginia is shaped by the Blue Ridge Mountains, the Chesapeake Bay and its watershed, and the parallel 36°30′ north.|alt=A topographic map of Virginia, with text identifying cities and natural features.>>
BIG IDEAS
while the earliest successful Virginia colonial settlement, Jamestown, as at the mouth of the river at the coast
English western expansion and settlement in Virginia followed along the various rivers
most of which connect to the Cheasapeake Bay or at its mouth
Native American regions of North America[edit | edit source]
[[File:NativeAmericanRegions map 1.jpg|thumb|Major Regions of North America|alt=|none>>
[[File:Langs N.Amer.png|thumb|Language families of Indigenous peoples in North America: shown across present-day Canada, Greenland, the United States, and northern Mexico|alt=|none>>
BIG IDEAS
Native American tribes and language groups were divided into these basic geographic regions
these maps will not be on the Virginia SOL
however, they provide a good overview of distribution Native American ethnic, language and tribal groups
[[File:North American cultural areas.png|Cultural areas of North America at time of European contact|alt=|border|none|thumb>>
[[File:Early indian east.jpg|thumb|Eastern tribes & general language groups, pre-colonial era|alt=Early indian east.jpg|none>>
BIG IDEAS
at the time of English and French colonization, Native American tribes occupied all areas of European colonization
and were aligned by language and ethnic groups
the English and French made treaties and/or fought with various tribes
which re-aligned Native American tribal arrangements
the French generally allied with Algonquin tribes and confederations
the English generally allied with Iroquois tribes and confederations
Colonial America & territorial expansion[edit | edit source]
1748
[[File:Nouvelle-France map-fr.svg|thumb|Map showing French possessions in North America just before the French-Indian War (1754)|alt=|border|none>>
BIG IDEAS
red = British colonies in red, including 13 American
striped red = British territory in Canada ceded (surrendered) by France to Britain in 1713
blue = French territory, called "New France"
orange = Spanish territory, which includes Florida and parts of modern Southwest US (an area that belonged to Mexico after Mexican independence from Spain)
the red (British) and blue (French) territories are separated by the Appalachian Mountains
