The Coastal Plains are covered with swamps and estuaries. Piedmont is covered
with hard rocks, which meets softer coastal plains. The Appalachian Highlands
offers gaps and thin, stony soil for farmers. h Bodies of Water: The East and
Southern United States' bodies of water are none other then the Atlantic Ocean
and the Gulf of Mexico. h Climate: The climate of this area offers hotter and
longer summers and the winters are colder and harsher. Precipitation is fairly
even. Heavier precipitation is found in the warmer months. h Plants: The plants
found in this part of the United States are mostly needle-leaf and hardwood.
Here are the examples of needle-leaf plants listed in our book: cedar, spruce,
and leaf shedding. Here are the examples of hardwood: elm, oak, maple, ash,
hickory, pine, and cypress. These are very popular in the Eastern and Southern
part. h Animals: Black bears, deers, moose, foxes, wildcats, and muskrats are
mostly found in this area. a The Central Heartland: h Landforms: The Central
Plains include vast grasslands that rise gradually toward the forested foothill,
Ozart Mountains, semi-deserts, and bleaker and emptier prairies. The Great
Plains rise gradually to meet the Rocky Mountains, which are interrupted by
steep hills and gullies known as the Badland. h Bodies of Water: There are only
two bodies of water in the Central Heartland and they are the Mississippi River
and the Great Lakes. h Climate: In the summer it can reach about 100 degrees
Fahrenheit and drop to -40 degrees Fahrenheit. The ocean has a moderating
influence on weather patterns. This section of the U.S. is known for its extreme
climates. The annual rainfall is moderate but less plentiful then the Atlantic
seaboard. The Mississippi River has a steady rainfall. The Great Plain has a
limiting amount of rainfall that some regions are semi-desert. h Plants: This
section's plants are forested, grassland, and partly desert. The grass grows
about 1-2 feet. h Animals: The animals in this area are buffaloes, pronghorns
(American antelope), prairie dog, ground squirrel, jack rabbit, coyotes,
mountain lions, and wolves. a American West: h Landforms: The Rocky Mountains
are one of the many landforms in this area. The Rockies contains 52 peaks and
has a Continental Divider (a ridge). This ridge separates the Mississippi River
and the Gulf of Mexico, the Arkansas, the Platte, the Rio Grande, and the
Pacific and Colorado River. The intermountain Region offers high plateaus,
basins, deep canyons, and wide deserts. The most important part of this region
is the Great Basin and the Colorado Plateau. Everything in this area is low
relief and low elevation landscape, except for the Great Basin. Its elevation is
over 4,000 ft. and has an enormous appearance of a bowl. The Pacific Coast has
few natural harbors and mountains that run parallel to the coast of Central
California. Further inland are higher peaks like the Sierra Nevada. Central
Valley is a valley that runs half the size of the state. h Bodies of Water: The
body of water in America West is only the Pacific Ocean. There are also
important rivers, which are Columbia, Sacramento, San Joaquin, and Colorado
(important water resource). h Climate: The climate in the Rockies is cool, short
summers and cold winters. There is heavy precipitation in this area. The
Intermountain Region lacks precipitation; the temperature ranges from summer to
winter are extreme. Most of California has a medditeranean climate with mild and
wet winters and dry and sunny summers. h Plants: The Rockies has many plants
including junipers, pines, aspen, fir, and spruce flourish. The desert areas
have patches of steppe grass, scrub, sagebrush, mesquite trees, species of
cactuses, and colorful flowers. The Pacific has palm trees, grapes, olives, and
redwood. h Animals: The Rockies has grizzly bears, wild goat, and longhorn
sheep. The desert has roadrunners, peccaries (wild pig), kangaroo rats, Gila
monsters, birds, and lizards. The Pacific offers black-tailed deer, Roosevelt
elk, salmon, abolones, otters, and sea lions.