Physical Regions of North America

Region	Description	Major Cities	Natural Features
Pacific Coast	-Stretches from Alaska to Mexico -High, rugged mountains -Western ranges hug the Pacific Ocean	-Seattle, WA -San Francisco, CA -Los Angeles, CA -Portland, OR	-Cascades -Sierra Nevadas
Intermountain Region	-Rugged region of mountain peaks -High Plateaus -Deep Canyons -Deserts	-Salt Lake City, UT -Phoenix, AZ	-Grand Canyon -Great Salt Lake
Rocky Mountains	-Stretches from Alaska, through Canada, into US -Peaks over 14, 000 ft. high	-Denver, CO -Cheyenne, WY	-Bitterroot Range -Big Horn Mts. -Sangre de Cristo Mts.
Interior Plains	-Between Rockies & Appalachians -Fertile soil good for farming -Grasslands good for cattle -Rich in coal & petroleum	-Dallas, TX -Chicago, IL	-Great Plains -Central Plains
Appalachian Mountains	-Eastern part of N. America -Lower & less rugged than Rockies -Heavily forested	-Birmingham, AL -Louisville, KY	-Green Mts. -Great Smokies -Alleghenies
Canadian Shield	-Lowland (mostly in Canada) -Hills & Plains -Rich in minerals		-Hudson Bay
Coastal Plains (Atlantic Plain & Gulf Plain)	-Flat Lowland -Atlantic Plain (Boston down to Florida) -Gulf Plain (Large deposits of petroleum) -Between Atlantic Ocean & Appalachians	-New York, NY -Boston, MA -New Orleans, LA -Houston TX
Hawaiian Islands	-Far out in the Pacific (2,100 miles from California) -8 Large Islands & many small islands -Islands are tops of volcanoes (some active!)	-Honolulu, HI	-Mauna Loa (Volcano)