USA and Canada Notes Page 1 (World Geo)

Notes: The US and Canada                  Annotations

*One Source of the Mississippi river is in Minnesota . The mouth empties into 

the Gulf of Mexico. Two major tributaries are the Ohio the Missouri Rivers. 

(Rivers and streams from 32 states drain into the Mississippi river) 

*The Missouri river is actually longer than the Mississippi. (about 2700 miles in length)

*The longest river in Canada is the Mackenzie River--- it flows toward the Arctic Ocean. 

(1120 miles; source is the Great Slave Lake.)


Other important rivers in the US include:

  • St Lawrence River- serves as part of the northern boundary between 

the US and Canada. 

  • Rio Grande- marks part of the border between the US and Mexico

  • Yukon River- drains much of Alaska and part of northwestern Canada

  • Columbia River- located in northwestern US/Canada; carries a large volume 

of water toward the Pacific Ocean. 

  • Colorado River- provides water for the area from the northern California 

to the Gulf of California, where it empties


The Great Lakes are found in the eastern part of the US and Canada; formed by glaciation.

  • Lake Superior- largest freshwater lake in the world.

  • Lake Michigan- the only Great Lake to lie entirely within the US.

Name all five (they spell HOMES)


The Great Slave Lake and the Great Bear Lake- two large lakes found in western Canada 

(the Northwest Territory) Each lake would hold a dozen Lake Ponchartrains’ or more!


The Great Salt Lake, located in Utah, is unique because of its salty water.


Fisheries are places for catching fish and other sea animals. The Great Lakes are the center 

of the fishing industry in Canada. 


Numerous minerals- gold, silver, nickel, iron, copper, uranium, and zinc--- as well as important 

energy resources—oil, natural gas, and coal—can be found in both the US and Canada. 

(Rich coal deposits can be found in the Appalachian Mountains.) 

  • Forestland- cover 1/3 of both countries 

  • Central Lowlands or plains contain some of the world’s most fertile soil

  • The Canadian Shield is an area in southeastern Canada of rocky land formed 

when glaciers plowed up the landscape during the ice age. Needless to say, this 

is not a good area for farming.