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Geography Alive, Grade 5, Chapter 6

Terms in this set (31)

What are national parks?
National parks are large areas of land that governments have set aside in order to preserve them in their natural state.
How many national parks are there today in the U.S. and in Canada?
There are 58 national parks in the U.S. and 42 in Canada.
Why were most national parks created?
Most national parks were created to protect land and wildlife because of their rarity, beauty or other quality. Some parks preserve bits of history as well.
What are geysers?
Geysers are springs that throw jets of hot water into the air. The fur trappers called the geysers in the Rocky Mountains "the place where hell bubbles up". Today this place is known as Yellowstone National Park.
What was the first national park in the world?
Yellowstone became the first national park in the world in 1872.
What are five things that national parks protect?
Some things national parks protect are: unique landforms, wildlife, history, bodies of water and unusual flora (plant life) rare fauna (animal life).
What are conservationists?
Conservationists are the people that led the movement to set aside special places as parks.
Who is the best known American conservationist and as "The Father of the National Parks"?
John Muir was the best-known American conservationist and was know as "The Father of the National Parks." Muir Woods, near San Francisco, California, are named after him. He spent much of his life trying to preserve the beautiful wild places as parks.
What is fauna?
Fauna is all the animal life in a particular region.
What is flora?
Flora is all the plant life in a particular region.
What is a topographic map?
A topographic map is a map that uses contour lines an symbols to show a region's physical and human features. These features may include hills, valleys, rivers, lakes, roads, trails and buildings.
What are glaciers?
Glaciers are large, slow-moving masses of ice. Because of their enormous size and weight, they act like bulldozers. They scrape and reshape the land as they move.
What was the first international park?
The Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park unites two parks, one on each side of the border that divides the U.S. and Canada. The U.S. national park is in Montana and is known as Glacier National Park.
What park straddles the Continental Divide?
Waterton-Glacier International Peace Parks straddles the Continental Divide.
Where does the Continental Divide run?
The Continental Divide is a ridgeline along a chain of mountains stretching from Mexico through Colorado and into Canada and Alaska.
What is Waterton Lakes park famous for?
Waterton Lakes park is famous for the rich diversity of fauna and flora.
What does the Waterton Lakes park protect?
Waterton Lakes park protects prairie grasslands, mountain forests and more than 900 types of wildflowers. The park is also rich in history including the site of the first Canadian oil well.
What created the "skeleton forest" of trees that were previously burned on Prince Edward Island?
Prince Edward Island has migrating sand dunes. The winds are slowly driving the dunes from the edge of the beach inland. Seeing the dunes move over a period of months or years is like watching a game of leap frog in nature. The island's migrating dunes have covered up parts of forests, killing the trees. As they move on, they reveal a "skeleton forest" of trees that were previously buried.
What are three of the features of Yosemite Park?
Three of the features of Yosemite Park include:
1) Half Dome - A long time ago, a glacier sliced a huge granite mountain with a rounded top in two. The ice left just half of the dome behind with a sheer cliff.
2) El Capitan - a favorite wall for experience rock climbers.
3) Yosemite Falls - three connected waterfalls.
What do Yosemite's flora (plant life) include?
Yosemite's flora (plant life) include mariposa lilies and sequoia trees.
What is the tallest mountain in North America?
The tallest mountain in North America is Mt. McKinley in Alaska's Denali National Park.
Who is Mt. McKinley named for?
Mt. McKinley is named for President William McKinley.
Why is Wapusk National Park hard to visit?
Wapusk National Park is hard to visit because it is located in northern Manitoba, far from any road. It was created to protect polar bears. Much of the park is tundra. The ground freezes hard in winter. In summer, the ground becomes a swamp.
Why is the Wapusk National Park important for polar bears?
Every year, about 100 pregnant polar bears come to the park to dig dens in the damp earth. Here they give birth to their cubs.
What is a preserve?
A preserve is an area where animals are protected from hunting.
What makes the Everglades National Park unique?
The Everglades National Park is unique because it is the only North American preserve with a humid subtropic climate. Summers are hot and rainy, and winters are mild.
What environments does the Everglades Park contain?
The Everglades National Park contains ponds, rivers, swamps, sawgrass prairies and pineland forests. These environments support a great variety of birds and animals.
What kind of birds and animals is the Everglades Park known for?
The Everglades National Park is known for large, wading birds like the spoonbill, wood stork, great blue heron and egret. It is also the only place in the world where alligators and crocodiles live near one another.
What are three threats to national parks?
Three threats to national parks are:
1) air pollution
2) local development which makes water levels drop in the Everglades because people are taking too much water
3) water that does reach the park is often polluted with sewage and toxic waste.
4) parks rich in natural resources face threats by people that are eager to use the resources for farming, logging, mining or oil drilling
What are three countries that have over 30% protected land?
Some countries that have over 30% protected land are:
Germany
Saudi Arabia
Tanzania
Venezuela
Columbia
What countries have less than 5% protected land?
Countries that have less than 5% protected land include:
Libya
Romania
Ukraine
Vietnam
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