Chapter 3, Problem 3.1R

To determine

The major landforms and climates of North America and the ways in which the physical setting of the region has shaped human settlement patterns.

Answer to Problem 3.1R

The North America has extensive plains and prairies in the interiors. The continent’s eastern seaboard of low-lying estuarine conditions is bounded by the Appalachians in the west. High mountains, coastal plains and plateaus are mostly found in the western part of North America. If the settlement pattern is considered for the early days, they were mostly concentrated in the eastern coastal areas pertaining to the Atlantic trade networks. However, taking advantage of the expansive grasslands for the purpose of agriculture, made the people to move their settlement to the west.

Explanation of Solution

The landscape of North America predominantly consists of interior lowlands that are bounded by the mountainous features toward the west part of the region. Widespread coastal plains extend from southern New York to Texas, in the eastern part of the United States.

The Atlantic coastline is composite and is build up of sank river valleys, swamps, bays and low barrier islands. The Piedmont region adjacent to the coastline represents a ‘transition zone’ between the flat lowlands and steep slopes of mountains which have low mountains and undulating hills. The Appalachian Mountains are located on the west and north of the Piedmont. In addition to coastlines and mountains, the western portion of North America has plateaus too.

Vast lowlands occupy much of the North American interior, stretching in the east–west direction from the Ohio River valley to the Great Plains and in the north–south direction from west central Canada to the lower Mississippi near the Gulf of Mexico.

Due to  the size of the region, its latitudinal range, diverse terrain, and the climate of North America vary. Much of North America is located in the south of the Great Lakes and east of the Rockies has a long growing season with $30-60\text{inches}$ of annual precipitation and a forest of deciduous broadleaf. The forests were later removed for cultivating agricultural crops.

From the west Texas to Alberta, there prevails drier continental climates with great seasonal temperature ranges and random annual precipitation with an average range from $10-30\text{inches}$. Characteristic midlatitude seasonal changes are found in the Rocky Mountains and the intermontane interior. However, there may be great modifications in the climate and vegetation by the topography. Several arid interior environments are located in the dry rain shadow region of the Sierra Nevada and Cascade Range. Moreover, marine west coast climates prevail in the northern San Francisco and dry-summer Mediterranean climate is observed throughout the central and southern California.

Though many people settled in the eastern coastal areas for the purpose of Atlantic trade works during the early time, the population concentration shifted to the west taking the benefits of the widespread grasslands for promoting agriculture.