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 appalachian mountains | one of the two major mountain chains in the US and canada; located west of the coastal plain and run around 1,600 miles from newfoundland to alabama |
| the great plains | a largely treeless area that rises to around 4,000 ft above sea level; left of interior plains and right of the rocky mountains |
| canadian shield | a rocky, mainly flat area that covers around 2 million square miles around hudson bay; averages about 1,500 ft above sea level but reaches over 5,000 ft |
| rocky mountains | one of the two major mountain chains in the US and canada; extends about 3,000 miles from alaska to south new mexico |
| great lakes | some of the world's largest lakes; lake huron, lake ontario, lake superior, lake michigan, & lake erie |
| beringia | a land bridge that once connected siberia and alaska |
| migration | movement of people |
| columbian exchange | a trade route in the colonial era between the Europeans and the colonies in the US |
| louisiana purchase | the region of land between the mississippi river and the rocky mountains; purchased from france by the US in 1803 |
| frontier | the free, open land in the united states that was available and suitable for settling |
| exports | goods sold by a country to another country |
| free enterprise | an economic system where private individuals own most of the technology, businesses, and resources without worrying too much about governmental control |
| service industry | any kind of economic activity that produces a service rather than a product |
| multinationals | corporations that engage in business worldwide |
| megalopolis | a region in which several large cities and surrounding areas grow together |
| midwest | the subregion of the US that contains 12 north-central states |
| province | a political unit |
| parliament | a legislature that combines the legislative and executive branches |
| métis | people of mixed french and native heritage in canada |
| urban sprawl | poorly planned development that spreads a city's population over a wider and wider geographical area |
| melting pot | the mixing of cultures, ideas, and peoples that has changed the American nation. The United States, with its history of immigration, has often been called a melting pot. |
| megalopolis | a very large urban complex (usually involving several cities and towns) |
| mosaic | art consisting of a design made of small pieces of colored stone or glass |
| suburbs | Residential areas surrounding a city. Shops and businesses moved to suburbia as well as people. |
| infrastructure | the stock of basic facilities and capital equipment needed for the functioning of a country or area |