Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
1.4. Physical geography of the US
Projection: Polyconic American (100° W)
50
0 km
0
Ecological regions
California Chaparral and Woodlands
North American Desert
Marine West Coast Forests
Northern Forests
Eastern Temperate Forests
Tropical Humid Forests
Great Plains
Southern Semi-Arid Highlands
Northwestern Forested Mountains
Temperate Sierras
Taiga
Tundra
Alaska
0
5
00 km
Regional projection
Level I of the Omernik Classification (1987)
adopted in 2005 by the U.S. - Canada -
Mexico Environment Cooperation
Commission
Source : E.P.A. (U.S. Environemental Protection Agency)
Designed and made by JM Zaninetti, University of Orleans, CEDETE Institute
Figure 1.10.
Major biomes in the US
The combination of topography, land type, and climate determines the major
ecological regions found in the US (see Figure 1.10). In its simplest form, the
48 conterminous states share a space which is divided into about ten large
homogenous ecological regions generally oriented north-south, while Alaska is
divided into four large ecological regions separated by zone, two of which include
biomes which cannot be found in any other state of the United States. Consider the
