Here, you see the Pacific Region, in relation to the rest of the world. It is located in the western part of North America. It borders on Canada, Mexico and the Pacific Ocean.
A relief map shows 4 natural areas in the region. Throughout the main ring are three bouts running North and South from Mexico to Alaska. The Inland mountain area, the Valleys, the Coastal area, and there is also an area far away from the mainland, the Hawaiian Islands.
The Inland Mountain area is a chain consisting of the Sierra Nevada, the Cascade Range, the Coast Mountains, and the Alaska Range. It is in the Alaska Range that you will find North America’s highest peak, Mount McKinley.
Many of the mountains were formed by volcanoes. The lowest slopes are covered with dense forest. The Cascades take their name from the many cascades and rapids which rushed down through the forest at valleys.
The high peaks of the Sierra Nevada, rob crowds of their moisture. So while in the white fine snow, anytime of the year in the Sierra Nevada at Mount Whitney, the 2nd highest point in North America, one of the hottest and driest places in the world is only 70 miles or 110 Km away, at Death Valley, California. It is also the lowest point in the Western Hemisphere.
The 2nd mainland area is a line of hurdle valleys. The Central Valley in California, fed by the Sacramento River and the San Joaquin River, and the Willamette Valley in Oregon, close to the Colombia River, the valleys lye between the Inland Mountain area and another mountain chain bordering the Pacific coast.
The mountains of the Coastal Area appear as islands in Alaska, a rugged in Washington, and roll through Oregon and California. South of the 3 bouts a low in areas stretches inland, and that is where Los Angeles, California has grown.
Far from the west coast of the continent lies another natural area of the Pacific region, the Hawaiian Island.
(Running Water)
For thousands of years, hot melted rock called Lava has burst through the ocean floor, the rock piles up to form volcanic mountains. The tops of these mountains form a chain for Hawaiian Islands.
The beauty of the physical landscape makes the Pacific region an attractive place to live for many people. But, there are hazards.
Although these houses in Southern California have a beautiful view, they are endangered of being washed away by mod slides cause by heavy winter rains. Dry summers increase the danger of brush and forest fires. And in parts of the region, there is high risk of earthquakes.
San Francisco, California seats partially on a fault line. That is where an earthquake can occur, and that is a dangerous place to be. It is the risk, which the people of the region have chosen to live with.
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