UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 5949 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 



DOMINION OF CANADA 

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RELIEF MAP OF THE UNITED STATES 



ier air on all sides of such an area pushes 

 toward the center. As the air rises it is chilled 

 and drops part of its moisture, which falls 

 cither as rain or snow. Such areas of low 

 pressure are constantly traveling across the con- 

 nncnt from west to east, as may be seen by 

 examining a weather map; and it is largely in 

 this way that the moist air is drawn into the 

 nor of the continent from the ' Atlantic 

 Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. In the interior 

 of the country east of the Rocky Mountains 



heaviest rainfall is in the summer, during 

 tin- growing season, while west of the Rocky 



:it tins the prevailing rainfall is as a rule in 

 wintiT. wln-n the land is cooler than the sea and 

 chills the west winds which blow over it from 



>cean. (See WEATHER BUREAU.) 



Effects of Varied Climate. The combined 

 effect of all these climatic influences is seen in 

 the distribution of types of plants and animals. 

 A life-zones map is therefore, in a real sense, 

 a general climatic map. Such a map has been 

 worked out by the Biological Survey in the 

 Department of Agriculture at Washington, and 

 it may be had upon request. It will be noted 

 that the mountains carry the cool northern cli- 

 mate into the very heart of the South, whili 

 all the climatic belts bend to the north in tin- 

 interior plain, owing to the great heat of sum- 

 mer in that region. This makes it an easy mat- 

 ter to grow crops farther north than would 

 otherwise be possible. The alternation of heat 

 and cold is also favorable to activity both of 

 body and of mind. 



The People of the United States 



During colonial days many people of cxcep- 



ind int. -II:. driven to 



. i trope by civil or religious per- 



n at home. This applies not only to 



Mt ms in New England but also to 



Catholics in Maryland, Quakers and Germans 



mia and the Huguenots in South 



of these phases of settlement 



is discussed in the subhead Hittory, under the 



I states named. While the number of 



those who came for such reasons was perhaps 



than the number who were moved by a 

 desire to better their condition, they nc\.rth.- 

 less absorbed tin- entire max* and gave a touch 

 of idealism to the American character which it 

 has never lost. 



Immigration. Previous to the Revolutionary 

 War most of the settlers, aside from the negro 

 slaves, were of British origin, though Pennsyl- 

 vania was nearly half German. Ann tin 

 Revolution, immigration remained light down 

 to about 1840, but thereafter it increased in 



