Topography
- The Interior Plains are a vast, large area of plain. Not all of it is flat, however
- Most parts consist of gently rolling hills, and deep river valleys
- In the USA, the Interior Plains run between the Appalachians at the east, and the Rocky Mountains back west
- In Canada, the Plains lie between the Canadian Shield and the Rockies
- From north to south, it extends from the Arctic Ocean down to the Gulf of Mexico
- Because of its' large size, the region is very diverse in terms of land elevation, vegetation and climate
- In the USA, the Plain are divided into the Central Lowland and Great Plains
- The northern boundary of the Central Lowland is formed by the Canadian Shield, Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River
- The Great Plains are higher in elevation than the Central Lowland, rising from about 600m to 1500m above sea level in the east
- In the Canadian Prairies, the Interior Plains contain 3 different elevations, separated by escarpments
- The Interior Plains, in general, are gently rolling, gradually lowering down from west to east
- The Plains continue above the Prairies, all the way to the Arctic Ocean
Climate
- Climate is continental, and is not influenced by the oceans
- The temperatures and climate are in extremes; long, hot summers and cold winters
- There is little rain in the plains
- Up north, the winters are longer & colder, and the summers are shorter & cooler
- Temperatures in the south are high, usually staying above 0 degrees Celsius in the winter and rising to the high 20's in the summer months
- In the north, temperatures are a bit cooler but more extreme. It could go up to -20 in the winter, and as high as 20 in the summer
Vegetation
- Central Lowland is covered with mixed deciduous and coniferous trees
- In the Great Plains, prairie grasses are found everywhere and grow as tall as humans
- Grasslands are also found in the Canadian Prairies. Trees only grew in the river valleys
- Up farther north, boreal forestry grows and becomes tundra as it goes towards the Arctic Ocean
Economic Activity
- Natural resources that created jobs for residents of the Interior Plains include coal mining, oil extraction, and natural gas retrieval
- Other jobs common in the Plains are farming of the various crops and plants found around the region, and manufacturing
Environmental Concerns
- Pollution, like most other places around the world, is an issue of the Interior Plains
- Gasses and exhaust released from facilities that mine natural resources, and factories that manufacture products, cause a green house effect on the atmosphere and is a foreseeable problem
- Because oil wells are also common throughout the region, areas near are prone to oil spillages and accidents that are capable of destroying the ecosystems present