Outline of the course
1. Physical and human geography of the US (Part 1)
2. Physical and human geography of the US (Part 2)
3. Myth and History
4. US Political Institutions
5. The US economy
6. American Culture
Physical and human geography of the US (Part 1)
Rockies 2x longer than the Appalachians. Mt Withney is the highest mountain of the country.
USA is a large country of 9 631 418 square kilometers situated in North America (with Canada and
Mexico). It’s seventeen times as big as France, or as large as Europe from the Atlantic to Oural, or
slightly larger than China.
What is called continental US are the 48 contiguous states bounded on the north by Canada, on the
east by the Atlantic Ocean, on the south by the Gulf and Republic of Mexico and on the west by the
Pacific Ocean.
Two more states joined the Union in the 20th Century : Alaska and Hawaii (1959). Alaska is separated
from Continental US by more than 500 miles of Canadian Territory. Hawaii, a chain of volcanic and
coral islands lies about 2400 miles southwest of California in the Pacific Ocean. (Porto Rico also asked
to be part of it but for the moment it has a special status). In addition to the 50 states the US has
territories and possessions, located in the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific
US Commonwealths and territories : Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa,
Northern Mariana Islands.
1) The Gulf and Atlantic coastal plains
They’re low-flying flatlands near the seashore and extend from Massachusetts, in the NE, to
Texas, in the SE.
The Atlantic coastal plain is a 2200 mile (3400 km) flat stretch of land bordering the
Atlantic Ocean from Cape COD, in Ma to Fl. The Atlantic Coastal plain includes many
rivers descending from the Piedmont Plateau, hence the presence of rapids and
waterfalls. There are also many sandy beaches, but also lagoons and marshy
wetlands (Beaufort, South Carolina).
The Gulf Coastal Plain stretches west along the Florida Panhandle and southwest
along the coast of Texas. It extends northwards with the alluvial plain of the
Mississippi River. (Petrol productions). It’s a mixture of flat land, hills and mineral-
rich soil. There are deltas and bayous in the gulf coastal plains. A bayou is a sluggish,
marshy stream connected to a river (The Mississippi, or the Everglades in Florida).
And a delta refers to alluvial deposits on either side of a river (The Mississippi River).
The Coastal Plains are low-leveled and bounded landward by highlands.
, 2) The Appalachians
The Appalachians Mountains are located westward of the Altlantic Coastal Plain. They extend
from northern Alabama to southeastern Canada.
Appalachians are an ancient mountain range – hence their relatively low elevation- and they
stretch 1250 miles. They are forest covered. (The Great Smoky Mountains running through
Tennessee and Kentucky).
3) The Interior Plains
West of the Appalachians, you come across the huge Interior Plains. They stretch to the
Great Plains just east of the Rockies. They are a huge region of flat lands and low hills. They
stretch for 1200 miles across the center of the US and extend from the Canadian border to
the Gulf of Mexico.
They are crisscrossed by many rivers (Missouri, Arkansas, Platte River, Mississippi, and Ohio
River) and bounded by the Great Lakes (Lake Superior, Lake Michigan, Lake Huron, Lake Erie
and Lake Ontario).
At about the 100th meridian, they gradually rise to the Great Plains, which occupy 502 000
square mile of west-central North America.
4) The Interior Highlands : Ozarks and Ouachita
The Interior Highlands are located just west of the Mississippi River between the Interior
Plains and the Gulf Coastal Plain. This region consists of the rolling Ozarks to the north and
the Ouachita mountains, to the east.
5) The Rockies
The Rockies is a great mountain chain, which stretches NW-SE from northern British Columbia in
Canada to the southern US State of New Mexico. They run more than 3 000 miles and their width
ranges from 120 to 650 kilometers. Geologically young, they are much taller than the
Appalachians (above 5000 feet) and considerably more rugged. They form a majestic mountain
barrier.
6) The Intermontane Plateaus
They lie west of the Rocky Mountains and consist in a large, arid desert between the Rockies and
the Cascades and Sierra Nevada ranges.
The Colorado Plateau includes large barren areas, spectacular geological formations –
such as the Grand Canyon, the Arches, and Bryce Canyon.
The Basin and Range Province is a series of separate and parallel mountains ranges
sitting parallel to low, broad valleys (basins). It spans almost 800 000 square kilometers.
The Death Valley is to be found there. Three well known towns are located there : Las
Vegas (Capital of Nevada), Phoenix (Main City of Arizona) and Salt Lake City (Capital of
Utah).
, The Columbia Plateau is an area of flat land and gently rolling hills cut by the rivers
canyons of the Columbia and its tributaries.
The Pacific system (Cascade Range and Sierra Nevada) is one of the most geologically
young and tectonically active in North America. The Cascades are a lofty mountain
range of the north-western US. They lie from about 100 to 150 miles inland from
the Pacific Ocean and stretch over 700 miles across California, Oregon and
Washington. The highest point is Mount Rainier (4,392 m/ 14,410 ft), in
Washington.
Spanish for “snowy mountain range”
The Sierra Nevada is a high, rugged, and dense mountain range. It extends more
than 250 miles (400 km)in California from the Cascades in the north to the Mojave
Desert in the south. It averages 50 miles in width.
Mount Whitney (), at 14,494 feet (4,418 metres), is the
highest peak in the coterminous United States.
Yosemite National Park is part of SN.
The Laurentian Upland : An eighth and last physiographic division could be
the Laurentian Upland, a U-shaped region of ancient rock located mostly
in Canada but which extends over parts of Northern Minnesota, Wisconsin,
Michigan, and New York Stat. It consists in rolling hills, lakes and wetlands.
The Adirondack Mountains in the state of NY and the Superior Highlands
might be regarded as parts of the Laurentian Upland
Physical and human geography of the US Part 2
Introduction :
The physical geography of the US is exceptional for its immensity, its variety, and its beauty. It played
a major role in human settlement. Let us first consider the making of US territory. Then we’ll move to
the American people. Finally, we’ll see the US as a Land of Immigrants and ask ourselves whether
“God’s chosen nation” is a melting pot or a salad bowl.
1) The birth of a nation
Christopher Columbus discovered what he thought was India in 1492. When he landed within the
Bahamas Archipelago, he was convinced he had reached Asia, specifically India; hence he called the
Native Americans “Indios” – Indians. (Antilles = West Indies en anglais, East India pour l’Inde qu’on
connait).
In fact, CC did discover America (he reportedly glimpsed the Continent itself when he
discovered Trinidad in 1498-1500) in the sense that he brought America to the attention of
Western Europe.
Martin Waldseemüller called the new continent “America” from Amerigo Vespucci’s
Latinized name (1507).
