America

1
Americas Waterways
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Americas Waterways

• Colorado River
• Rio Grande River
• St. Lawrence River
• Gulf of Mexico
• Pacific Ocean

• Mississippi River
• Missouri River
• Ohio River
• Columbia River
• Atlantic Ocean

3
Why are waterways important to United States
history?
Settlement
Transportation
Trade
4
River Descriptions

• The Columbia River was explored by Lewis and
  Clark.
• The Colorado River was explored by the Spanish.
• The Mississippi and Missouri Rivers were the
  transportation arteries for the farm and
  industrial products. They are also links to ports
  and other parts of the world.

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Additional Rivers

• The Ohio River was the gateway to the west.
• The St. Lawrence River forms part of the
  northeastern border with Canada and connects the
  Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean.
• The Rio Grande forms the border with Mexico.

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Great Lakes

• Inland port cities grew in the Midwest along the
  Great Lakes.

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• The Pacific Ocean was an early exploration
  destination.
• The Gulf of Mexico provided the French and
  Spanish exploration routes to Mexico and parts of
  America.
• The Atlantic Ocean served as the highway for
  explorers, early settlers, and later immigrants.

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• The location of the United States, with its
  Atlantic and Pacific coasts, provide access to
  other areas of the world.