Chapter 20: Hawai'i

Hawaii

Hawaii is the only state in the United States that is made up entirely of islands. Honolulu is Hawaii's capital. The weather in Hawaii is warm and tropical. There are many beaches, active volcanoes, and it is surrounded by ocean waters. Hawaii attracts many tourists, such as surfers, biologist, and volcanologists. There are more than one million permanent residents along with visitors. The Hawaii's coastline is approximately 750 miles long. There are eight major islands in Hawaii. One is the Kaua'i island. It is the oldest of the eight islands of Hawaii. It was shaped by a single shield volcano about 5.5 million years ago. The Ni'ihau island is known as the "Forbidden Isle" and it is privately owned. The O'ahu island was formed by two volcanoes, the Waianae and Koolau. Approximately 80 percent of the state's population live in O'ahu. Moloka'i island is known as the "friendly isle." It's northern shore has the highest cliffs in the world which drops 3 thousand feet into the sea. Maui island was shaped 1.2 million years ago. There are  two volcanoes in the Maui island, the Pu'u Kukui and Haleakala. Lana'i is a company island. Many rich people either own a residence there or rent a great part of the island. Hawai'i is the "Big Island" and it is the youngest of all. It is bigger than all the islands combined. The island was shaped by five volcanoes.The last island is called Kaho'olawe and it is the smallest island in Hawaii. It is 11 miles long and 6.0 miles wide. 

Kauai Island

         

Chapter 19: California

California is a diverse state. Everywhere one goes, there is a lot to see. Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Jose, San Diego, and many cities are great to visit. Los Angeles is the second largest city in America. It is also one of the leader in America with green initiatives to cut greenhouse gas emissions. Los Angeles is a very diverse city. Most of it's radio and television shows are in Spanish. It is an automobile capital. Los Angeles is also well known for the motion picture industry. Most of the major studios are located in the area of Los Angeles. San Diego is ranked sixth largest city in the nation. It is very close to the Mexican border. Sea World is a famous amusement park and is located in San Diego. California's gold rush began in 1848 and ended in the early 1860s. San Francisco became the dominant city in California due to the gold rush.

Los Angeles is known to have a great number of homeless people. Living in California can be pretty expensive. Many people work long hours and may even work 7 days a week and might not afford everything they need. Also, there are plenty of people who work for the minimum pay or even less. It is hard to provide for a family nowadays. There are programs that help the homeless. Many volunteers help provide food and shelter for them.  
          

 

Chapter 17: Pacific Northwest

The Pacific Northwest is located between the Intermontane and the Pacific Ocean. It spans 2 thousand miles from Alaska Panhandle to northern California. There are three sub-regions in the Pacific Northwest: Washington and Oregon Coast Ranges, the British Columbia Coast Mountains; the Puget Sound Trough, Willamette Valley, and the Inside Passage; and the Cascade Mountains. The Coast Mountains rise 10 thousand feet above the ocean. The Puget Sound expands from the Inside Passage to Olympia, Washington. The Inside Passage is 800 miles long and it has been a route since 1897. The Cascade Range is 700 miles long and 50 miles wide. It expands from California to Canada. It's elevation is 3,000 to 9,000 feet.

Pacific Northwest

Portland, Oregon is located 70 miles east of the Pacific Ocean. It lies on top of an extinct Plio-Pleistocene volcanic field (Boring Lava Field). Portland is known for producing health. There is bicycle riding, hiking, local foods, healthy lifestyles, and green gardens. The weather in Portland is like temperate oceanic climate. In the summer it is warm and dry. The winter climate is mild. Portland's city park system is one of the best in America. Eighty percent of people who live in Portland live within a half mile distance from a park. The Portland Japanese Garden was designed by Takuma Tono who was a Japanese landscape architect. It was designed since 1963, but was opened to the public in 1967. It occupies five acres of the Washington Park.   

   

Portland Japanese Gardens, Washington Park, Portland, Oregon Video

Chapter 16: Intermontane

Manifest Destiny

The manifest destiny, the belief that Anglo-Saxon American settlers were destined to expand their civilization and institutions across North America, was originated in the 1840s. Due to the expansion, there would be territorial gain and  progress of liberty and individual economic opportunities. John L. Sullivan was the first person to phrase the term. He believed that the manifest destiny goal was to overspread the continent. 

      

                                                                                                      

Mineral resources, such as coal, copper, and uranium can be found in the Intermontane. Copper is the most-mined resource. Chile is the largest producer of copper and the United States is the second. Producing about 25 percent of the nation's copper, Bingham, Utah has the single largest copper producer in the world. Coal can be found in the southern part of the Intermontane. The largest coal-mine is in Black Mesa, Arizona. Uranium was once considered a nuisance mineral found in goal. Uranium was discovered along the Ken River, which is about 30 miles northeast of Bakersfield, in 1954.       

Intermontane's population has been growing since the 1990s. Growth arises due to internal migration to warm climes by retirees. Also, growth occurs because young Midwestern Americans seek better jobs, better weather, and more active cities. Housing costs and racial issues have lead to internal migration. There are "islands" in the Intermontane. The "islands" are isolated cities that have access to water and amenities. They have access to jobs, retirement houses, and recreations.     

     

  

Chapter 15: The Rocky Mountains

The Southern Rockies, Middle Rockies, Northern Rockies, Canadian Rockies, and the Brooks Range divide the Rocky Mountains. The Southern Rockies run from New Mexico to Colorado. The peaks in the Southern Rockies range from 6 thousand feet to more than 50 peaks over 14 thousand feet. The Middle Rockies contain the majestic Tetons and it transitions to the Northern Rockies. There is a national forest within the Northern Rockies. The Canadian Rockies runs across the interior ranges and the plateaus of British Columbia. The climate in the Rocky Mountains differentiate 35 degrees Fahrenheit from the Great Plains. Vertical zonation (distribution of organisms, vegetation, and soils by altitude) and latitude characterize the Rocky Mountains.

The Rocky Mountains

Tourism and recreation are two main contributors to the Rocky Mountains' economy. People love the view as well as the hiking and climbing. There are national parks, ski resorts, and Front Range cities. Tourism is good, but also bad. Although many people get to visit areas where local extractive economies have failed, too many events and people can damage the environment. California is also a tourist place. Many people visit Los Angeles, Sacramento, San Francisco, and other cities. Hollywood is one of the most famous places to visit in California. Also, many events are held there which brings many people. 

   

Chapter 14: The Great Plains and Canadian Prairie

Climate in the Great Plains is extreme, decidedly western, and dramatic. The Great Plains is different from the United States in four ways. The climate, precipitation, soil, and vegetation differentiate the Great Plains and the United States. In the Great Plains, land loses heat faster than water. The lands that are not as close to water bodies, are more extreme. The weather tends to be very cold in the winter and hot/windy in the summer. Because of the extreme weather on the Great Plains, there are thunder storms and hail that precede violent tornadoes.

Live Tornado Video

Cowboys were people who lived in the Great Plains. They rode horseback and herded cattle. Cowboys became the American icon, although they were hired hands. They did not own the land, they worked it. The cowboy was a person who drove pickup trucks and lived in log cabin mansions. According to the Encyclopedia of the Great Plains, cowboys come from different backgrounds. Some grew up around the cattle and others became cowboys when they ran away from their home searching for a new life and jobs. A cowboy's hat became a symbol of the American West. 

   

Chapter 13: The Midwest

The population in the Midwest has been slow since 2010 due to the fact that many people move to the suburbia, outlaying rural areas, and other regions. Compared to the national growth, the Midwest only grew 3.9 percent in 2010. Minnesota and Indiana were the fastest-growing states in the Midwest. Minnesota's population grew 7.8 percent and Indiana grew 6.6 percent. On reason why the Midwest's population has decreased is because of employment loss in the sectors as well as jobs moving to more amenities-based southern climates. Another contributor to the slow population growth is that the out-migration is much higher than the immigration in the Midwest. 

California is one of the fastest-growing states in the nation. According to Public Policy Institute of California, California is one and a half times as populated as Texas (the second most populated state). There are over 37 million people living in California. Although California's population slowed in the last half of the 20th century, it has tripled and has maintained a growth rate much higher than the rest of the United States. California's population is one of the most diverse in the world. About 10 million of its population are immigrants.     

   

Chapter 12: The Ozarks

The Ozark Plateau, also known as the Central Plateau, controls the southern half of Missouri and extends to the northern Arkansas. Its landscape is a mixture of unusual topographic features. There are shut-ins, rivers confined in a deep, narrow, water-sculpted gorge or channels, carved in the hard rocks. There are also balds which are bare mountaintops. The Ozark Plateau and the Arkansas River Valley are separated by the Ouachita and Boston mountains. Its main resource is located in the Courtois Hills where there is timber.

   The Ozarks

The term Hillbilly, a person from the backwoods or a remote mountain area, was used in the Ozarks. Hillbillies were people who were not familiar with office politics nor new models. A hillbilly had the opportunity to get closer to his God and was honest. Although most of the people who live in the Ozarks are not hillbillies, there is a stereotype about them. Hillbilly music has evolved form the Celtic and English folk songs. Nowadays, people who live a hillbilly lifestyle do so because they choose to, not because of the location where they live.