Page 1 - SSW: Human-Environment Interaction in North America

Week 8 of 32 • Page 4 UNIT: GEOGRAPHY

Human-Environment Interaction in North America WEEK 8

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Highways
In 1919, Dwight D. Eisenhower was part of the and add layers of sand, gravel, and rock. All of The vehicles driving on highways pollute

military’s first automobile caravan. It took the these activities disrupt natural habitats and natural habitats. Litter, CO2 emissions, fluid
caravan 62 days to get from Washington, D.C., wildlife. Animals that try to cross highways can leaks, salts used for melting ice, and other
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to San Francisco, California, because the roads get hit by oncoming cars. Larger animals, such things all contribute to polluting the natural
weren’t in good condition. Eisenhower saw the as deer, elk, and moose, cross busy highways environment. Animals may try to eat trash Models of the W orld REGIONS AND PEOPLE OF THE

benefit of the U.S. having good roads. In 1956, as they look for food, water, and shelter. Other and litter they find discarded by the roads,
Congress passed the Federal-Aid Highway Act. animals like snakes and turtles are sometimes which can make them get sick or die. Harmful WESTERN HEMISPHERE
Under this law, any highway paid for by the drawn to the surface of roads because of chemicals can get into the soil or rainwater,
government became an interstate highway. the warmth the asphalt absorbs from the which kills plant and animal life.
The 46,000 miles of the Interstate Highway Today, conservationists are looking for Human-Environment Interaction
System took nearly three decades to complete. sun. Reptiles like to lay down on these warm ways to reduce the damage that highways and
Each state was responsible for the location and surfaces to regulate their body temperatures. major roads have on the environment. Wildlife
construction of the roads. When cars approach, they are often too slow bridges and tunnels have been built in some The physical environment in different regions help make up people do and the activities they can enjoy are also human
Although the highways have improved life to get out of the way in time. Some animals places to give animals a way to cross major that area’s landscape, landforms, elevation, climate, animal characteristics of a place.
and travel for people, they also negatively will avoid crossing roads altogether, but in roads safely. Advances in electric-powered life, and water features. As vastly different and original to each When we discuss a place’s human characteristics, we also
affect wildlife in several ways. Building these doing so, they are cut off from the natural vehicles have the potential to reduce and even area those features are, so are human characteristics within examine its political, cultural, and economic characteristics.
roadways often required workers to blast habitat and resources they may need to eliminate harmful CO2 emissions and chemical each region. A place’s human characteristics are a result of A place’s political characteristics are organized by where
tunnels through mountain sides, level out hills, survive on the other side. pollution on roads. people’s ideas, choices, and actions as they interact with the people live. This includes cities, states, and countries. Cultural
physical environment. This includes the population size, ethnic characteristics include a place’s religious beliefs, languages,
and religious identifiers, language patterns, and other aspects arts, and celebrations. A place’s economic characteristics are

of culture. based on natural resources. These natural resources are
In other words, where people live and the kinds of houses used for goods and services and contribute to a place’s
they build are human characteristics. The kinds of work resulting economy.
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Waterways Throughout North America
Water influences where people live and work. Populations are almost port cities like Chicago and Toronto are near this seaway. Major North

always larger near water sources. Water is used for things like American seaports are found in California, Washington, and British
agriculture, energy, transportation, and washing and drinking. Columbia in the west; Texas, Louisiana, and Florida in the south; and
All the ways waterways are used in North America create jobs Georgia, North and South Carolina, Virginia, New York, New Jersey, and
for thousands of people. Quebec in the east. Millions of goods pass through these ports to and
from places all over the world every year.
Agriculture
Farming and ranching rely heavily on dependable water sources. Water Energy
is needed for raising livestock and growing crops. Ditches and canals Along with agriculture, shipping, and trade, waterways in North America This map shows where humans’ impact on the environment
are used to divert water from rivers and tributaries to irrigate are also used to create energy. The U.S. shares one of the most famous increased or decreased from 1993 to 2009.
crops on farms. waterfalls in the world, Niagara Falls, with Canada. The Niagara River
forms part of the U.S.-Canada border. Some of the Niagara River is
River Transportation diverted to hydroelectric plants before it reaches the Falls. Both countries
Rivers help move goods and people. The longest river in North America use this hydroelectric power. Another large power plant can be found at
is the Missouri River, at 2,341 miles. The Missouri River runs southeast the Hoover Dam in the western U.S. state of Nevada. The Hoover Dam
from Montana in the north to Illinois, where it joins with the Mississippi generates enough electric power to serve 1.3 million people.
River. The Mississippi River runs south from Minnesota all the way
down to Louisiana.
Many states use these waterways to transport goods to ports and MAJOR WATERWAYS IN THE UNITED STATES
markets around the country and the world. Although it is not as fast
as shipping overland, a significantly larger number of goods can be

shipped for much cheaper on waterways.
One example of how this works would be transporting grain from
Nebraska to one of the major sea ports in Louisiana. The grain would be
transported to a river port in Nebraska on the Missouri River. From there,
it would be loaded onto 15 large commercial barges. These barges
would then be towed up or down the river to their next destinations.
It would take six trains with over 216 rail cars or 1,050 semi trucks to Aerial view looking roughly north at
carry the same amount of cargo as the 15-barge tow. The expense to Interstate 805 in San Diego, California

fuel the trains or trucks would make the cost of shipping significantly
higher than by barge tow.
ESSENTIAL QUESTION
ESSENTIAL QUESTION
Sea Ports and Trade
North American rivers flow into the Hudson Bay, the Gulf of Mexico, and

the Pacific, Arctic, and Atlantic Oceans. The St. Lawrence Seaway allows
ships to travel between the Atlantic Ocean and the Great Lakes. Busy How do human-environment interactions describe the criteria for North America?