How and Why Wonder Book of North America

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THE HOW AND WHY WONDER BOOK OF

NORTH AMERICA Written by IRVING ROBBIN

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Illustrated by DARRELL SWEET Editorial Production: DONALD D. WOLF

Edited under the supervision of Dr. Paul E. Blackwood U. S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare Washington, D. C. Text and illustrations approved by Oakes A. White, Brooklyn Children's Museum, Brooklyn, New York

WONDER BOOKS • NEW YORK

Introduction A picture of North America taken from a man-made satellite will show the irregular coastline, the magnificent mountains, the plain and valleys, the rivers and lakes, and the adjacent gulfs and oceans. But such a picture will not reveal the most interesting things about this continent. A more meaningful picture would be obtained by a careful observer on an automobile trip starting from Alaska, and going through Canada, the United States, Mexico and Central America. It would disclose historical markers, industrial cities, beautiful scenery, art forms and abundant evidence of a variety of cultures along the way. The How and Why Wonder Book of North America effectively combines the advantages of an overall view of this continent with a ride through its local areas in an automobile. For it deals with the early history and origins of the people, the current government forms and the geographic features of each country. In all, over sixty questions are answered about the major countries and island groups that make up North America. From this book the reader will not only learn the names of the various countries making up the continent of North America, but he will also obtain a balanced picture of the place each country maintains in relation to the others. Today we all need more knowledge and understanding of our neighbors throughout the world. Every up-to-date young person will find The How and Why Wonder Book of North America a rich source of information about the lands and the people of the New World-from Alaska to British Honduras, from Greenland to El Salvador. Paul E. Blackwood U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare Washington, D. C.

© 1962, by Wonder Books, Inc. AU rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. Published simultaneously in Canada Printed in the United States of America.

Contents Page

THE SHAPE OF NORTH AMERICA How do we know the shape of a continent? What does North America look like? North America (Summary) What is topography? What are the physical features of Central America? What are the countries of Central America? Where is the highest capital in North America? What is the topography of the United States? What bodies of water separate the United States and Canada? What is the highest mountain in North America? THE FIRST MEN IN NORTH AMERICA Where did the first people in North America come from? When did the Eskimos cross into Alaska? What kind of cultures grew in Mexico and Central America? How did Eskimos and the northwest tribes progress? How did people live in the far west, southwest and Great Plains? What kind of society did the eastern tribes have? THE DISCOVERY OF AMERICA What island was the steppingstone to North America? What lands were discovered by the Vikings? How were the Viking ships constructed? Did Columbus set foot on the North American mainland? After whom was America named? COUNTRIES OF NORTH AMERICA CENTRAL AMERICA Where was the first European settlement in the New World? What was the main interest of the Spanish conquistadors? Panama Canal Zone (Summary) What is the organization of Central America now? What is the Panama Canal's chief value? Panama (Summary) Nicaragua (Summary) Costa Rica (Summary) El Salvador (Summary) What are the main products of the Central American lands? Honduras (Summary) Guatemala (Summary) British Honduras (Summary) How do people live today in Central America?

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MEXICO Mexico (Summary) Who were the Aztecs? How is modern Mexico blended with the past? What is Mexico's climate? What are Mexico's leading industries? What are some of the crops grown in Mexico? What is happening in modern Mexico? THE UNITED STATES The United States (Summary) What developments took place in fishing and shipbuilding in the northeastern U.S.? How did transportation and mineral wealth in the Northeast help to develop the industries? Where are the cultural centers of the nation? Why is the Midwest so important to the nation? In what way is the Mississippi of importance? What are some of the products of the Midwest? Why have Chicago and nearby areas become famous? How did the southern states develop at first? What are some of the products and industries of the South? Are there oil deposits in the ocean? What state was originally bought from the French? How was the West settled? What kind of climate does the West have? What are some of the industries and products of the western states? Where is the saltiest lake in the nation? What are some of the chief products and industries on the West Coast? What state was bought from Russia? Is Hawaii in North America? CANADA What is the early history of Canada? What is the geography of Canada? Canada (Summary) What are some of Canada's chief products? How does snow affect Canada's transportation? Greenland (Summary) The West Indies (Summary) THE NEW FACE OF THE CONTINENT Is it possible to drive a car from one continent to another continent? What are some major products that have been developed in North America? What is the future of North America? The Ten Longest Rivers in North America The Ten Tallest Mountains in North America The Ten Largest Lakes in North America

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ARCTIC OCEAN

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The relief map of the continent shows the great variety of topographic features of North. America.

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The political map of the continent shows the location of the countries of North America.

UNITED STATES

SOUTH AMERICA

The Shape of North America Man knows the shapes of the various parts of the world How do we know because of maps, the shape of but can we trust a continent? maps? We can. Cartography - the technique of map making - is quite an exact science, a science that has developed throughout the many centuries that men have traveled over the surface of the earth. In the very near future, however, we will all get a chance to actually see an entire continent. Satellites orbiting in space will photograph all or most of our planet, and it is expected that the

pictures will not be too different from the maps we are used to seeing. The continents, with their distinct shapes, will be just where we expected them to be - surrounded by the oceans and reaching for the sky with snow-tipped mountains. Canada, the United States, Mexico, Central America, What does Greenland and the North America islands of the West look like? . Indies are all part of the North American continent. Then, when we finally look down upon our

The highest and lowest points of the continent are within the borders of the United States. Above: Mt. McKinley (Alaska); left: Death Valley (California).

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.NORTH AMERICA AREA: 9,435,000 square miles. It is the third largest continent in the world. The continents of Asia and Africa are larger. POPULATION: Over 246,000,000. HIGHEST POINT: Mount McKinley in Alaska, 20,320 feet. LOWEST POINT: Death Valley in California, 282 feet below sea level. DIMENSIONS (mainland): East to West, 3,000 miles; North to South, 4,500 miles. North America lies between the continents of Asia and Europe. COUNTRIES: Canada; United States; Mexico; British Honduras; Guatemala; Honduras; El Salvador; Nicaragua; Costa Rica; Panama; Islands of the West Indies; and Greenland.

world, the familiar outlines of North America will be seen in the Western Hemisphere. It is attached to · South America by a slender strip of land. This strip, the Isthmus of Panama, gradually broadens as we follow it northward through the Central American region. To the east a sprinkling of islands dots the Caribbean Sea, while from the west the blue Pacific brings its ocean swells all the way from Asia. The . continent begins to take solid shape in Mexico. Here is a rugged land mass with parallel mountain ranges flanking a high plateau. The southern end of Mexico features the Yucatan Peninsula, a bold spit of land that juts into the sea. With Florida to the east it is as though the pincers of a giant crab enclosed the Gulf of Mexico. Actually, the G\llf of Mexico could be called a sea. There are over 1,000 miles of water from the inner curve of the Yucatan Peninsula to Florida's west shore. 6

This body of water washes the shores of the United States and brings us to the great mass of the continent itself. From the Atlantic to the Pacific Oceans this part of North America stretches about 3,000 miles over a land that is rich in resources, fertile soil and varying climates. It is an exciting continent with long winding rivers, broad grassy plains and dramatic, snow-capped mountain ranges. To the east the Great Lakes sprawl like giant fingers planted on the flat land. The largest of these, Lake Superior, has the distinction of being the largest inland body of fresh water anywhere in the world. As we move northeast in Canada the land begins to break up. More lakes appear, and the large pointed shape of. Hudson Bay is in view. Finally, the land ends in a huge group of assorted islands capped by Greenland - one of the largest islands in the world. But to the west the mountain ranges climb higher and higher. They end in Alaska, which thrusts toward Asia. Like a set of chin whiskers the Aleutian Peninsula points the way to Siberia, and the continent ends as the Aleutian Jslands trail off even further to the west. Topography is the science of plotting the physical features What is of an area, working topography? out the contours of the land and determining the elevations of mountains and the depths of valleys. The surface of North America has almost every kind of natural and physical feature found on earth - from a mountain 20,320 feet high to a valley that is 282 feet below sea level.

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Central America 1s an area of great contrasts. A What are the long mounphysical features tainous ridge of Central America? forms a backbone, and the lands at the foot of the mountains are mostly hot steaming jungles. In general, the entire strip of land can be classed as having a tropical climate with heavy seasonal rainfall. It is believed that millions of years ago a natural channel existed, connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans somewhere in the region of Panama. This means that Central America was really two peninsulas at one time - a long one extending south from North . America and a shorter strip of land jutting north from South America. But then the ridge OVER 72°

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of mountains began pushing up and the door between the oceans was closed. Most of the mountains are volcanic and there are still many active volcanoes throughout Central America. One of the best known is Izalco in El Salvador. It is called "The Lighthouse of Central America" because the eruptions can be seen from many miles out at sea. The volcanoes have steadily raised the height of the mountains and, at the same time, created many beautiful lakes. There are seven countries in Central America, all What are the squeezed together countries of Central America? in the winding strip of land. The twisting shape of Panama turns from

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The charts below show the average range of temperature in degrees Fahrenheit during the month of January (left) and the mO!Jth of July (right). There is quite some difference between the climate of Guatemala in ·central America and Greenland in the far north .

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The plant and animal life-from the tundras in the north to the jungles of the south-are as varied as the climate .

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the great mass of South America and is broken in the middle by the man-made Panama Canal. Then, as the land begins to widen, we come to Costa Rica. The border between Costa Rica and Nicaragua is one of the few natural land breaks in the entire area. The mountains pause briefly and beautiful Lake Nicaragua helps form the natural boundary. Then, as the mountains rise again;·' we come to Honduras with El Salvador sandwiched between that country and the Pacific Ocean. Central America ends as Guatamala and British Honduras share the Yucatan Peninsula with Mexico.,, We could call Mexico "The Country in the Sky" beWhere is the cause most of highest capital it is on a great in North America? plateau over a mile high. The mountain range that runs north out of Central America splits in two and forms a pair of parallel ridges - the Sierra Madre Oriental and the Sierra Madre Occidental. But we do not find a valley between the broad backs of the mountain ranges. Instead, there is a high plateau, dry and windswept. On this plateau stands the capital of the country, Mexico City, at an altitude of 7,347 feet. It is the highest capital in North America. There are . very few · lowlands in Mexico~ The coastal strips, the Yucatan Peninsula and some parts of Lower California offer the only sea-level territory in the entire country. Moving north the mountains and the plateau taper gradually until they reach 10

the United States border. Here the Rio Grande River traces its way past El Paso to Brownsville on the Gulf of Mexico. West of El Paso the border seems to be laid out by a ruler with a series of straight lines connected by aJ jog or two. In the United States we seem to find continuations of the two What is the mountain ranges in topography Mexico. They are the of the U.S.? Rocky Mountains and the Sierra Nevada Range. Actually, only the Rockies continue the Mexican mountains: The Sierra Nevada Range is a separate entity. Both ranges are young in the long time scale of the earth's history, and their rugged peaks show little signs of erosion. Unlike the gently rising and smoothly rounded Appalachian Range in thf" eastern section of the United States, these western mountains have been thrust up boldly from the bedrock of the planet. Geologists say they resulted from a dramatic shearing of the crust - a slow but powerful earth movement that tilted great masses of rock on end and pushed them toward the sky. The Appalachian Range, however, resulted from a slow folding of the crust, the end product of steady pressure applied for millions of years. Between the two ranges lie the fertile Great Plains - mile after mile of wide horizons interrupted now and then by low rolling hills and majestic rivers. These rivers, the result of the inland drainage of the mountain chains, were one of the important factors in the early

A topographical map of the continent show.s the distribution of mountain ranges, lowlands, plains and plateaus.

exploration and development of the United States. They provided excellent transportation routes, and for many years most of the produce of the country traveled in barges along these inland waterways. The coastline of the United States fronts on both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans and also on the Gulf of Mexico. It is one of the longest coastlines in the world, offering access to all the shipping· lanes. But even more important is that t' this long and involved coastlin~ contains two of the finest sheltered harbors to be found anywhere - New York City and San Francisco.

Unlike other areas in the world, where countries are What bodies of water sometimes separate the United States and Canada?

separated by natural geographic boundaries, the line between the United States and Canada runs almost directly across North America, through lakes, plains and mountains. The Great Lakes and part of the St. Lawrence River are the only natural formations that have become part of the boundary between the two countries. Of the Great Lakes -· - Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, Ontario - only Lake Michigan is entirely within the United States. 11

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STONE AGE WEAPONS AND TOOLS

The migration route of Stone Age people into the Western Hemisphere may have been over the Bering Strait to America .

Once across the border into Canada there is very litWhat is the tle change in the highest mountain in North America?

shape of the land. The broad plains continue northward, and in the west the Rockies and the Sierra Nevada Mountain ranges join forces and climb even higher toward the sky. They end in Alaska in a mighty cluster of mountain peaks dominated by Mt. McKinley,

At right, a buffalo hunt. For a long time the buffalo was the chief source of meat for the Plains Indians.

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SOUTH AMERICA

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the tallest mountain in North America. It is 20,320 feet high. In the east, however, the Appalachian Range tapers gradually into the picturesque, low rolling hills of the Laurentian Mountains. Then, with Hudson Bay dominating the landscape,

Canada begins to dissolve into a group of islands. We are now above the Arctic Circle, where daylight and darkness last for six months at a time. As we approach the North Pole the huge mass of Greenland, which belongs to Denmark, lies to the east.

The First Men in North America Many scientists are of the opinion that there was a time when no men walked on North America. Only the prehistoric animals ranged freely across the broad stretches of the plains and climbed the snowy slopes of the mountains. The woolly mammoth; the giant bison, the saber-toothed tiger and the swift wolves had the land to themselves. Elsewhere in the world men were developing and forming primitive societies. Places like the Near East, Asia and

parts of Europe were awakening to the sounds of the early hunters, but North America remained silent. But men did come here. Perhaps they walked across a narWhere did the row strip of land that first people in once connected Asia North America to the tip of Alaska. come from? This neck of land, which many experts believe existed, separated the Bering Sea from the Arc-

Indians of the Northwest were experienced fishermen and were noted for their hand-carved totem poles.

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tic Ocean, and eventually it was washed away when the glaciers melted and the oceans rose. During the many thousands of years that the land bridge existed, wandering tribes of hunters came from Asia and crossed into North America from Siberia. They were the ancestors of the people we now call Indians. The migration started sometime between 20,000 and 40,000 years ago. Some scientists believe that these tribes were among the less developed groups from the Old World and were gradually forced out of the better areas of Asia. Siberia is cold and inhospitable, and it seems reasonable that wandering tribes would keep moving, trying to find a more pleasant place to live. These first people in America were very primitive, and they came here before many things had been discovered. At that time men did not know how to plant seeds and to grow their own food. They had not domesticated any animals, and their tools and weapons were quite simple. They used spears and clubs because the bow was unknown. Weaying and pottery had to wait many thousands of years, and there was no knowledge of metals. They were Stone Age people. The migration across the Bering Strait was slow and steady. When did the The Indians did not Eskimos cross arrive all in one into Alaska? group. For a period of over 20,000 years tribal units continued to cross the icy strait and move down into North America. It is believed that the Eskimos were among the last to come - over 2,000 years ago - and 14

perhaps they crossed in their small boats. They probably had to remain in Alaska and the other far-northern regions, because the warmer areas were already settled and well defended. Although they came at different times, the early tribes had one great similarity. They all seemed to resemble the Mongolians who still roam across Central Asia. The high cheekbones and straight black hair of these Indians and Eskimos place them as. related to the Asiatic peoples. Once on the continent they spread s 0 u t h rw a rd What kind of rapidly, forming cultures grew very distinctive in Mexico and cultures. In CenCentral America? tral America and Mexico very complex societies were developed over the years, with involved religious rituals, systems of law and advanced mathematical systems. They domesticated animals, learned to work with metal and built large cities. These cultures, the Mayan, Aztec and Toltec,

Left: typical adobe (dried mud) dwellings of the Pueblo Indians. Below: a Hopi woman

had just about reached the heights of the ancient Egyptian culture when America was discovered by Europeans. Throughout the rest of the continent the Indians spread and settled. Some remained hunters; others concentrated "' on agriculture or fishing. But they retained the same tribal life that they had known for thousands of years. Only the type of area in which they settled changed their way of life. The Eskimos developed a umque method of copHow did Eskimos ing with the bitand the northwest ter snows and tribes progress? blizzards of the north. The igloo is still one of the most efficient dwellings in the world, and Eskimo clothing has been copied for many of our modern, winter-clothing designs. They domesticated, bred and trained dogs to pull their sleds,. developed skin-covered boats and used oil lamps for the long winter months. In the northwest regions the newcomers became fishermen and hunters.

They built swift canoes and used harpoons with great skill. It is from these people that the tall, richly-colored totem poles come. Along the far west coast and the slopes of the Sierra How did people Nevada Mounlive in the far tains, the Indiwest, southwest ans became seed and Great Plains? gatherers, collecting nuts, berries, fruit and edible roots. They hunted, but it was not the main source of their livelihood. In the southwestern part of the United States are found the more permanent shelters. The Navajos and the Pueblos built real dwellings from mud and clay. They designed pottery, wove baskets, learned to work metal and developed a system of agriculture. The Great Plains were populated by wandering hunters - fierce tribes that used their spears and bows with utmost 15

skill. Everything they owned was movable, tents and all, because they had to follow the migrations of the deer and buffalo in order to get enough food. Since the eastern region of the continent was heavily forested, What kind of the tribes that settled society did there became fine the eastern woodsmen. They tribes have? learned to track animals silently through shadowy trails, fish the swift streams and build traps. These eastern Indians were highly organized. In addition to hunting, agriculture was an important development. Tobacco and maize were grown by these people, and they learned to preserve meats. Their society was also highly

organized. The tribes were often parts of a larger confederation, and the laws of conduct were quite strict. It was these eastern Indians that the early European settlers first met. Some were friendly, but many resented the invasion, and it was many years before peaceful relations were established. There is one thing to remember. The first Americans were the people we call Indians. They came here long before anyone knew there was a North American continent, but they were some ten thousand years behind the rest of the world in progress. Only the rapid spread of the Europeans in America prevented the Indians from finally developing a civilization as advanced as those in Europe and Asia.

The Discovery of America It is now quite certain that Columbus was not the first explorer to reach North America. People from northern Europe had traveled across the Atlantic as early as the ninth and tenth centuries, and accounts of their voyages indicate that they visited this continent. The island of Iceland, which lies in the North Atlantic What island was to the east of the steppingstone to North America?

Greenland, is a lonely, stormy place. It was unknown to man until the fourth century A.D., when fishermen 16

from northern Europe finally landed on its shores. The first settlement on Iceland was made in the early part of the ninth century. A group of Irish monks, looking for a remote place in which to set up a hermitage, happened upon this storm-tossed island. They named it Thule ( THoo-lee), a place that the ancients considered the northernmost part of the habitable world, and they settled there to pursue their lonely life. They were not alone for long. A hardy race of pagan Norsemen, the Vikings, came to Iceland in the same century and drove out the monks. A

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permanent settlement was established, and it served as the base for further explorations of North America. Three Vikings were important in this drive westward. What lands were There was Eric discovered by the Red, credited the Vikings? with the discovery of Greenland. Then came the man who was the first to set foot on the mainland of the continent itself - Leif Ericsson, son of Eric the Red. It was in the year 1000, and he named the continent Vinland or "Wineland the Fair." Leif described the abundance of wild grapes that he found along the shores. It was from his description that scien- . tists today are able to guess how far

down the North American coast his expedition may have traveled. It is probable that he reached the area well below southern Maine, perhaps Rhode Island, because the type of grapes he described will not grow any farther north. In the typical pattern of colonization following exploraHow were the tion, Thorfinn KarViking ships selfni followed Leif's constructed? path with three ships that carried all the equipment needed to establish a permanent colony. These Viking ships were very efficient for their time. They resembled a canoe with a high prow. Built of planks and featuring a working keel, they were sixteen feet wide and about eighty feet long. A short

ATLANTIC OCEAN

The map shows the routes taken by the most prominent discoverers of America. ·

Columbus' first voyage: 149293 (solid line). Second voyage: 1493-96 (dotted line). Third voyage: 14.9 8 (dashes). Last: 1502-04 (dots-dashes).

mast with a single, square sail was mounted in the center, but the main power was supplied by thirty-two Viking oarsmen - sixteen to a side. With a fierce-faced figurehead and the shields of the warriors hanging at the sides, these Viking ships were extremely colorful. But they were also durable. A small open boat - propelled by oars - that could cross the blustery North Atlantic had to be well made. The people who would trust themselves to a boat like this . had to be extremely brave. Sometime in the year 1003, Karselfni's expedition reached the North American continent. The men brought ·their families and domestic animals and prepared to settle down. But year after year they were attacked by Indian tribes. In 1006, the remnants of the colony gave up and returned to Greenland. It was not until 1492, when Columbus reached the Did Columbus set islands in the foot on the North warmer and American mainland? friendlier Caribbean Sea,. that America was rediscovered. Perhaps if the Vikings had had the gunpowder and rifles that the later colonists brought with them, their settlement would have been the beginnings of a Norse empire in the New World. Although Christopher Columbus did reach the New World, he never set foot on the North American mainland itself . .He explored several of the islands, claiming them for Spain. Columbus always believed that he had actually sailed around the world and reached the East Indies. That is why he called the natives Indians. The name now in use is Amerind or Amerindian. 18

America was named after an Italian navigator named After whom was America named?

Amerigo Vespucci. He made four voyages to the · Am'ericas from Europe, the first in 1497, and claimed that he had actually landed on the continent in several different places. Due to the vagueness of his reports, however, some modern scholars doubt that the claims are completely true. But the explorer did leave his name behind him in the New World, for America is derived from Amerigo. Once it was known in Europe that a new continent had been discovered, country after country sent expeditions across the Atlantic. Colonies were established rapidly, the Indians were con-

quered in many areas, and soon the riches of the continent began to arrive in Europe. Intense competition between nations led to greater and greater exploration. The Indians, the original inhabitants of America, were gradually displaced by the English, French, Dutch and Spanish. Eventually the great nations of North America developed. With North America now placed on the map, a new era began in the world of the sixteenth century. This era was important in many ways. Not only were new foods, minerals and ways of life developed, but America became a place to which the oppressed peoples of Europe could come, in order to build a civilization based on democracy and religious freedom.

Countries of North America CENTRAL AMERICA

This long winding strip of land was the first part of Where was the first North America European settlement t b • ? o e conquere d an the New World. d l d b an sett e y people from Europe. In fact, the first . real settlement - and later the first real city-in the New World was Santa Maria de la Antigua del Darien, located just south of the Panama border. From there the Spanish conquistadors, led by Pedro Arias de Avila, set out to conquer all of Central America. They accomplished this quite rapidly, ruthlessly crushing all Indian resistance. They were mainly interested in the rich supply of gold that What was the could be found in main interest many areas of Cenof the Spanish tral America. After conquistadors? the Spanish had taken all the gold that the Indians owned, they set them to work mining the hills for more. When additional workers were needed, Negro slaves were brought from Africa to fill the demand. This mixture, Spanish, Indian and Negro is the background of most of the Central Americans today. It is a rich heritage, but perhaps the Spanish influence is the most dominant. All the Cen-. tral American countries use Spanish as their official language, and the Roman Catholic faith is the predominant religion. During the days ·of the Spanish conquistadors, priests traveled with the armies, converting the Indians. 19

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Little engines called "mules" pull cin ocean liner through the chamber of one of the locks of the Panama Canal.

PANAMA CANAL ZONE AREA: 553 square miles (of which 191 square miles are water).

POPULATION: 53,000, about half of whom are United States citizens.

ADMINISTRATIVE CENTER: Balboa Heights. GOVERNMENT: The civil affairs of the Canal Zone are administered by the Canal Zone Government, a United States agency.

Above, an Indian girl from Panama in her native cos· tume. At left, a Panamanian medicine man trying to cure one of his patients.

Although all of Central America was originally conWhat is the trolled by Spain, an organization independence moveof Central ment succeeded in America now? 1823, resulting in the formation of five states. They are Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, El Salvador and Costa Rica. All adopted a republican form of government. Panama joined the Central American group in 1903, when it declared its independence from the South American country of Colombia. British Honduras, which was settled by the English in 1638, is still a British colony, and the Canal Zone in Panama is governed by the United States. The idea of connecting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans began in 1534 when a survey was made on orders of King Charles V of Spain. Actually, the Spanish explorer Balboa had the same idea

in 1517. However, nothing was .done until 1882 when a French company actually began to dig the canal. But the French were forced to give up the project because of major difficulties, and it was left to the United States to complete it in 1914. The United States controls the Canal Zone - a strip· of land fifty miles long and ten miles wide - in accordance with a treaty with Panama. The land was obtained for a payment of ten million dollars and additional annual payments. Today the United States pays Panama $1,930,000 a year for use of the Canal Zone. The Panama Canal is about fifty miles long and includes What is the Ga tun Lake as part Panama Canal's of its waterway. chief value? Huge locks raise or lower passing ships for the fifty-mile, eight-hour trip between the Atlantic 21

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and the Pacific oceans. The trip through this artificial channel saves not only time but provides a great saving in ocean transport. Without the canal, ships would have to travel down the length of South America, cross the stormy Straits of Magellan and steam all the way north to the Pacific coast of North America. The canal actually splits a continent in two parts, connects two oceans and demonstrates man's ability to change the shape of nature. It is one of the great achievements of human technology.

PANAMA AREA: 28,575 square miles. POPULATION: About 1,024,000. CAPITAL: Panama. FORM OF GOVERNMENT: Republic. OFFICIAL LANGUAGE: Spanish. MONETARY UNIT: Balboa. PRINCIPAL CITIES: Panama, Colon~ David. CLIMATE: Tropical -

mostly hot and humid, but cooler in the mountains.

RESOURCES: Primarily agricultural. Bananas are the main crop. There are also large timber resources.

PEOPLE: Mostly mixed Indian, white and · Negro. Pure Indians number almost 50,000 persons, most of whom live in isolated areas of the country.

Orchids (below) and banana and coffee plantations (at right) dominate the countryside of Costa Rica.

Highly decorated ox carts, resembling the ones used in Palermo, Italy, carry coffee and cocoa to the markets.

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BRANCH OF COFFEE PLANT WITH BEANS

To the sounds of a marimba band, girls from Nicaragua take part in the graceful native dances.

NICARAGUA AREA: 57,000 square miles. POPULATION: About 1,500,000. CAPITAL: Managua. FORM OF GOVERNMENT: Republic. OFFICIAL LANGUAGE: Spanish. MONETARY UNIT: Cordoba. PRINCIPAL CITIES: Managua, Leon, Granada, Masaya, Chinandega. CLIMATE: Tropical and rainy on the east coast. The interior (high, central plateau) is mild, cool and dry. The west coast is also tropical, with a · rai.ny season. RESOURCES: Primarily agricultural. Coffee is the chief crop, followed by cotton and cacao. Cattle are raised in the western lowlands. Nicaragua leads Central America in the export of gold and silver and is also rich in its forests. PEOPLE: Largely of Spanish descent, or of mixed Spanish and Indian extraction; also mixed Indian and Negro, as well as pure Indian.

COSTA RICA AREA: 19,695 square miles. POPULATION: About 1, 126,000. CAPITAL: San Jose. FORM OF GOVERNMENT: Republic. OFFICIAL LANGUAGE: Spanish. MONETARY UNIT: Colon. PRINCIPAL CITIES: San Jose, Alajuela, Pun· tarenas, Limon. CLIMATE: Varies from tropical to cool, depending on elevation. Below 1,500 feet, hot; between 1,500 and 5,000 feet 'elevation, temperate; 5,000 feet and above, cold. 'RESOURCES: Mainly agricultural. Bananas are the most valuable export, followed by coffee, cacao, sugar cane, tobacco. PEOPLE: The vast majority of the people are whites of Spanish descent. The rest are mostly mestizos (mixed white and Indian).

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EL SALVADOR AREA: 8,260 square miles. POPULATION: About 2,520,000. CAPITAL: San Salvador. FORM OF GOVERNMENT: Republic. OFFICIAL LANGUAGE: Spanish. MONETARY UNIT: Colon. PRINCIPAL CITIES: San Salvador, Santa Ana, San Miguel, Sonsonate. CLIMATE: Subtropical, with a rainy season from June to October. RESOURCES: Coffee is the country's chief resource, followed by cotton, sugar, balsam, ·gold and cement as export items. PEOPLE-: Most of the population is made up of mestizos (mixed white and Indian). About 20 per cent are pure Indians (descended mainly from the Pipil and Lenca tribes). The rest of the people are white.

Natives collect balsam of Peru in El Salvador for use in medicines.

The Jiboa Valley in El Salvador shows the subtropical vegetation typical of the country.

24

Since all of Central America has a tropical climate with What are the heavy rainfall, main products certain crops grow of the Central American lands?

abundantly. Bananas form one of the largest crops, growing mainly in the lowlands at the foot of the mountains. They arrive on muleback and in native carts and are piled on the docks at various seaports. The huge bunches are green when picked, but ripen on the way to the United States and other countries that import them. Shiploading of bananas is a colorful sight as the huge bunches, some over five feet long, are carried into the holds of the freighters. The cooler and drier slopes of the mountains are used for growing coffee beans. Some of the world's best coffee comes from Central America, for it

Banana plantations are situated throughout Honduras. Bananas make up a third of the country's exports.

HONDURAS AREA: 43,277 square miles. POPULATION: About l,900,000. CAPITAL: Tegucigalpa. FORM OF GOVERNMENT: Republic. OFFICIAL LANGUAGE: Spanish. MONETARY UNIT: Lempira. PRINCIPAL CITIES: Tegucigalpa, San Pedro Sula, La Ceiba. CLIMATE: Tropical along the coast. Temperate in the mountain areas. RESOURCES: Mainly agricultural. Bananas are the chief crop, followed by coconuts and coffee. Forest products are important, especially mahogany, rosewood and walnut. Gold and silver are the chief minerals. Copper, lead, iron and zinc are also found in abundance, but mining is little developed because of transportation difficulties in the mountainous regions. PEOPLE: About 85 per cent are mestizos (mixed white and Indian). The rest are Indians, Negroes and whites.

The Presidential Palace in Tegucigalpa, capital of Honduras, is built in Spanish-Colonial style.

25

GUATEMALA AREA: 42,042 square miles. POPULATION: About 3,546,000. CAPITAL: Guatemala City. FORM OF GOVERNMENT: Republic. OFFICIAL LANGUAGE: Spanish. PRINCIPAL CITIES: Guatemala City," Quezaltenango, Puerto Barrios. MONETARY UNIT: Quetzal. CLIMATE: Varies with the altitude. Hot and humid in the coastal jungles and plains. Cold in the mountainous regions, where the elevation is over 6,000 feet. RESOURCES: Predominantly agricultural. The most important crops are coffee, bananas, cotton, sugar, rice, maize and chicle. Iron, lead, copper, zinc, silver and gold ores are · also found. PEOPLE: Nearly 60 per cent are pure Indians, descended from the Mayans. Most of the remainder are of mixed Spanish and Indian descent. There is also a . small percentage of whites of European origin, most o.f whom are of Spanish ancestry.

BRITISH HONDURAS AREA: 8,867 square miles. POPULATION: About 60,000. CAPITAL: Belize. FORM OF GOVERNMENT: British Crown Colony. A colonial governor is appointed by Great Britain. OFFICIAL LANGUAGE: English. Spanish is also spoken by many people. MONETARY UNIT: British Honduras dollar. PRINCIPAL CITIES: Belize, Stann Creek, Corozal, Cayo. CLIMATE: Hot and humid . RESOURCES: Forest products are the chief industry. Mahogany, cedar and pine are the main timbers. Tropical fruits are also exported. PEOPLE: Mainly Negro and mixed Negro and Indian; also some Carib Indian, Asian and European (Spanish).

26

The ruins of Zaculeu in · the highlands of Guatemala show the early Mayan architecture.

This fountain stands or:i the continental divide in Chimaltenango in centra 1 Guatemala. Its waters flow from one side to the Atlantic Ocean, and from the other side to the Pacific.

grows in a bed of volcanic ash that makes a fine, rich soil. The beans are picked carefully, roasted and packed for export. Another interesting fact about coffee is that it is graded according to the height at which it grows. The higher the plantation, the better the coffee. The third important product of the Central American region is lumber. The same mountain slopes also grow fine trees, and the beautifully grained mahogany used for furniture comes from the tall mahogany trees of Central America. The light, soft balsa wood that can be purchased in hobby shops also comes from the same area. On the Pacific coast, pearl diving is

Native hut of a Guatemalan Indian.

View of the volcano Atitlan, 11,565 feet high, from shore of beautiful Lake Atitlan, one of Guatemala's resort areas. Pottery corner of a mar· ket in Guatemala City.

an important occupation, but inland, men dig intensely for gold and silver. Nicaragua is especially rich in minerals of many kinds. The most interesting part of Central America is the people. In the big How do people cities, people live live today in Central America? very much the way they do in other countries, but in many villages there have been no changes for hundreds of years. The Indians still dress in the same ancient, colorful styles and even retain some of the old Mayan customs. A Central American market place is vivid with the colors of clothing,

bright yellow baskets and piles of exotic foods. Through the hubbub one can hear the exciting Latin American music. Many Central Americans still play the same kind of musical instruments used for centuries, and the mixture of Spanish and Indian rhythms provides charming entertainment. Of all the places on the continent, Central America is perhaps · the only area where the ancient world exists at the same time as our modem age. At the docks are the modem ships that carry away the produce to the great cities in the north. But the people who grow and deliver that .produce return to their villages in the mountains and a way of .life unchanged for centuries. 27

MEXICO AREA: 760,373 square miles. POPULATION: Over 34,000,000. CAPITAL: Mexico City. FORM OF GOVERNMENT: Republic. OFFICIAL LANGUAGE: Spanish. STATES: Mexico is officially called Estados Unidos Mexicanos (United Mexican States). The largest state, with an area of over 94,000 square miles, is Chihuahua. The state with the greatest population - over 2,000,000 - is Veracruz. Altogether, Mexico is composed of 29 states. PRINCIPAL CITIES: Mexico City, Guadalajara, Monterrey, Puebla, Merida. MONETARY UNIT: Peso. CLIMATE: The low regions are tropical and hot. From 3,000 to 6,000 feet above sea level, the climate is mild. Above 6,000 feet, it is cold. In all three regions, there is usually a rainy season from June to.October. RESOURCES: Mexico is rich in minerals and timber, and it ranks high among the countries of the world in the production of silver, gold, copper, lead and mercury. The rich soil produces coffee, corn, sugar, rice, tobacco, cotton, sisal and bananas. Iron, steel arid petroleum production is increasing. PEOPLE: 60 per cent are mestizos (mixed white and Indian), 30 per cent are Indian and 10 per cent are white.

Dugout canoes and butterfly nets are the traditional equipment of Tarscan fishermen of Lake Patzcuaro.

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The market place in a Mexican village. Women carry heavy loads on their heads. The church is in typical Spanish style.

A pyramid on the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico is evidence of the architectural skill of the Mayan Indians.

MEXICO

In 1519, Hernando Cortes led his army of Spanish conquistadors into Mexico. Equipped with horses, shining armor and the most advanced weapons ·of the sixteenth century, they fought their way from the flat coastal area into the mountainous highlands. Cortes was looking for gold. It had been found in Central America, and he was sure that Indian groups in Mexico had mined large amounts of the precious metal. Cortes found it when he met the Aztecs - and took it.

The university library in Mexico City, the nation's capital, is a symbol of modern Mexican architecture.

The Aztec Indians, who founded the Mexican Empire, Who were were the.most powthe Aztecs? erful and the most advanced culture in Mexico. They had a highly organized society with wellplanned cities, and like the ancient Egyptians, constructed huge pyramids 29

of stone blocks. Although the Aztecs had a high degree of civilization they shared Mexico with the Yaqui Indians, a primitive group: It took Cortes several years to completely defeat the Aztecs, and by 1521, his army occupied their capital and controlled the country. Incidentally, this city was on the same site as Mexico City, the present capital. Mexico was named New Spain at the time of the conquest and became part of the Spanish Empire in the New World. As in Central America, the Catµolic priests who traveled with the army began to convert the Indians, and today, the predominant religion in Mexico is Catholicism. After thre'e centuries of Spanish rule, Mexico freed itself and eventually became a republic. The country faced many stormy years with one revolution following another - and a wa·r with the United States. But Mexico soon became the. stable democracy it remains today. Like the Central Americans, most Mexicans have a mixed How is modern heritage. They are Mexico blended descended from the with the past? Aztecs, Toltecs, Mayans, Y aquis and the Spanish. Their music,· too, is a blend of the ancient Indian and the exotic Spanish rhythms. They are a gay, colorful people with extremely modem cities, but in the villages off the beaten track, one may still find a more primitive way of life. Adobe houses, mule carts, corn meal ground in a stone mortar - these can be found only a few miles from the steel and concrete buildings of modem Mexico City. 30

As a country Mexico has much to offer. It is a rich place with varWhat is ied mineral resources, but Mexico's even more varied is the cliclimate? mate. Since most of Mexico is mountainous, scientists divide the climatic zones by altitude. The lowest area, especially in Yucatan, is fully tropical with intense heat and high humidity. The Mexicans call it tierra caliente (hot earth). From 3,000 to 5,000 feet high is the tierra templada (temperate earth), a subtropical zone. Then, from an altitude of 5,000 to 9,000 feet is the tierra fria (cold earth), a truly temperate climate with some frost at night. A Mexican can choose his climate merely by climbing or descending a few thousand feet! The entire country is very dry with only a few lakes and even fewer rivers. That is why the government has concentrated on developing a large railroad network, for water transport is impossible. Roads are being expanded every year to reach areas that are deep in the mountains. Mexico is the most industrialized nation in all of Latin What are Mexico's America. Autoleading industries?

mobiles, television sets and refrigerators are only a few of the many modem machines and appliances made in its factories. Mining is really the principle industry. The volcanic mountains are rich in minerals. The silver mines in Guanajuato yield more silver than does any other country in the world. Gold is still being found, as well as important deposits of coal and oil to run the industries.

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Another large industry is handicraft. All over .,Mexico - in the larger cities and smaller villages- individual workers are busy making baskets, weaving blankets, tooling leather and shaping exquisite silver jewelry. This, too, reflects the ·many contrasts in Mexico. Just as simple village life exists at the same time as more modem city life, so too, does the individual artisan contrast with the busy assembly-line worker in a modern factory. Down in the lowlands, agriculture is pursued vigorously. What are some A large part of of the crops grown in Mexico? the world's supply of sisal hemp - used in making rope - comes from Yucatan, and there is a high production of maize, cotton, beans, sugar and chicle (for chewing gum). As the mountains taper away to the north we come to the ranches. There the Mexican cowboys in their broad-brimmed sombreros · herd beef cattle. An interesting geographic feature is the long peninsula known a_s Baja (Lower) California. This strip of land extends southward from the border of California in the United States. It has a bony ridge of mountains down the center and sandy, desert-like shores. The dry soil makes farming the land difficult, but there i's an abundance of fish in the surrounding waters. The people of Baja California have developed an

unusual culture, completely cut off from the mainstream of life in Mexico itself. Recently many sections of Mexico, especially in the What is happening coastal regions, in modern Mexico? have become vacation resorts. Acapulco ,and Veracruz are two of the most famous vacation centers. All through the year people visit Mexico to relax, to see the exciting festivals and to sample a way of life far removed from the rapid pace in the United States. But Mexico is also moving forward in other areas, especially in its industrial development program. Many people feel !hat it will one day become a wealthy nation, self-sufficient and able to supply other parts of the world with its goods. Mexico's expanding educational system, its. technical advances and increasing standard of living are ail signs of its growing prosperity.

Harvesting sisal, a Mexican plant whose tough fiber is used for twine and matting in Mexico and abroad.

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THE UNITED ST ATES

THE UNITED STATES AREA: 3,615,209 square miles . POPULATION: About 180,000,000. CAPITAL: Washington, D. C. CLIMATE: Varies in different parts of the country, from the warm weather all year round in Florida, Gulf State areas and southern California to the long, cold winters and short, cool summers in the north. It is dry in the west. The United States is in the north temperate zone, and most of the country has moderate weather.

CHIEF RESOURCES: Coal, iron, oil, silver, wheat, corn, cotton, tobacco, livestock raising, fisheries and forest products. Among the countries of the world, the United States ranks first as a manufacturing nation.

PEOPLE: The United States may be called a "Melting Pot" because most Americans are either immigrants or descended from immigrants. The national ancestry of the country is primarily European.

POPULATION CENTER OF THE U.S.: Northwest of Centralia, Illinois.

LARGEST CITIES (and population): New York City Chico go Los Angeles Philadelphia Detroit Baltimore Houston Cleveland

7,781,984 3,550,404

2,479,015 2,002,512 1,670,144 939,024 938,219 876,050

Woshington, D.C. St. Louis San Francisco Milwaukee Boston Dallas New Orleans Pittsburgh

763,956 750,026 742 ,855

741,324 697,197 679,684 627,525

604,332

FIFTY STATES (and population): Alabomo Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Konsas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri

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3,266,740 226,167 1,302,161 1,786,272 15,717,204 1,753,947

2,535,234 446,292

4,951 ,560 3,943,116 632,772 667,191 10,081,158 4,662,498 2,757,537 2,178 ,611 3,038, 156 3,257,022 969,265

3,100,689 5,148,~78

7,823,194 3,413,864 2,178 ,141 4,319,813

674,767 Montana 1,411,330 Nebraska Nevada 285,278 New Hampshire 606,921 6,066,782 New Jersey 951,023 New Mexico 16,782,304 New York North Corolina 4,556,155 North Dokoto 632,446 9,706,397 Ohio 2,328,284 Oklahoma Oregon 1,768,687 Penn sylvania 11,319,366 Rhode Island 859,488 2,382 594 South Corolina South Dakota 680,514 Tennessee 3,567,089 Texas 9,579,677 Utah 890,627 Vermont 389,881 Virginia 3,966,949 Washington 2,853,214 West Virginia 1,860,421 Wist onsin 3,951 ,777 Wyoming 330,066

The United States is a remarkable country. It is fourth Why d id so many in size among all people come to the countries in the Un ited States? the world and has the fourth largest population. The Soviet Union, China and Canada are larger in area, and China, India and the Soviet Union have larger populations. The land itself offers resources of every kind - including minerals, fertile soil, a temperate climate - but the real ~ealth of the country is to be found in the people. No other country has a population quite like that of the United States. Just about every national ancestry, race and religion is represented. The key to the vigor and spirit of this population perhaps lies in the reasons why various groups came here. Other areas in the New World were colonized largely for economic reasons. This is true to some extent for the United States. But, from the landing of the Pilgrims in 1620 to the migration of the displaced persons of World War II, this country was a haven for people looking for a new way of life. All through the history of the United States, groups of people arrived because of political tyranny, religious oppression) caste systems or lack of opportunity in their own countries. In the United States a new start could be made under a democratic system, and a man's future was largely his own making. This freedom of opportunity led to the tremen dous .wave of exploration that

New York Harbor and the Manhattan skyline. The Statue of Liberty stands in foreground.

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finally opened the three thousand miles of land to settlement. America was soon populated from "sea to shining sea." ,

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The northeastern section of the United States was the What develop'!'lents first area to be took place in fishing developed. and shipbuilding in the northeastern U.S.? This was na:tural, since it was the traditional gateway to the country for people arriving from Europe and, as such, it was here that the original colonies were established. The North-

Inside a steel plant in Pittsburgh, one of the industrial centers of the United States.

A Maine lighthouse, a typical landmark of the New England coast.

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east offered many opportunities in spite of its cold weather and rocky soil. Along the coast of New England, fishing became the most important pursuit, and fishing also means shipbuilding. The waters of the North Atlantic are rich in marine life, and it was not too long before large fleets of small boats braved the icy waters in search of cod, mackerel and sea bass. Along the shore in the quiet bays, the lobster industry estabNEVADA . lished itself. Most of the towns and cities along this northern coast became shipping centers. Today, the greatest shipyards of the country are still located along the coastline with its fine protected harbors. The town of New Bedford and ARIZONA Nantucket Island became the jump-off points for American whaling fleets that Phoenix toured the world. During the nineteenth century most of the world's supply of whale oil and whale bone came from these two small areas of Massachusetts. After the huge forests were cleared, the inland areas of New England became farms. The supply of lumber helped build the cities, and now the rolling open fields are covered with vegetable farms, fruit orchards, large herds of dairy cattle and poultry. Just as ·the lumber contributed to the building · Pennsylvania provided fuel to fire the of the cities, later the land helped feed furnaces of almost every industry. The the people. northeastern states became the manufacturing center of the entire country. The cities became industrial centers From safety pins to aircraft carriers, quite rapfrom delicate clothing to steel plates How did transportation idly. There it is hard to find a product that is not and mineral wealth in are many manufactured here. With the great array the Northeast help to power of natural harbors all along the coast develop the industries? sources in and the network of railroads and highthe Northeast, and the coal mines of ways, there is a constant flow of raw

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34

KANSAS

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materials into the factories. Finished goods go out through the country and to the world markets. Immigrants from many countries settled throughout the Northeast - in great port cities such as Boston, New York and Philadelphia. Some retained their colorful Old World customs, languages and methods of agriculture or manufacture. It is this blend of varied customs, habits, ideas and rituals

throughout the nation that has enriched the spirit of the United States. The immigrants made important contributions not only in Where are the agriculture, induscultural centers try and commerce, of the nation? hut in the social and cultural life of the community, too. They brought art forms - music, painting, sculpture, ballet. These arts existed 35

here, but in the early pioneering days the colonists worked very hard earning a living from the rocky soil. They didn't have much free time for cultural pursuits. But as transportation spread and machinery was invented there was time for relaxation. The later immigrants brought with them a tradition of culture that had existed for centuries. This love of the arts was rapidly accepted and the eastern section of the United States is still the artistic center of the country. New York, Boston and Philadelphia are the major cultural centers. Here, symphony orchestras, opera and ballet companies, the theater, book publishing houses, and more recently the broadcasting industry, have become a vital part of the American scene. With population building up on the eastern coast, there was soon pressure for more land. As expeditions returned from beyond the Appalachian Mountains with news of broad, open country, this pressure became a movement. At

first, the mountains were a barrier, but four natural gateways were discovered and the trek westward began. A new wave of pioneers followed the Mohawk River valley or the Potomac River into Ohio. Others followed a valley through the Appalachians in Virginia or rounded the southern end of the range. These gateways led to the Midwest. The Midwest has been called the "breadbasket of the nation." Why is the It is the finest agriculMidwest so tural region in the important to world and grows more the nation? food than any similar area. Agriculture is one of the important bases of the American economy, and the twelve states that make up the Midwest feed most of the nation. This land is a vast area of rolling plains and great rivers-rivers that flow hundreds of miles from the mountain ranges. From the western slopes of the Appalachians and the eastern slopes of

Farmland in America's Midwest, the nation's breadbasket, is one of the world's best agricultural regions.

Cattle branding on a Western ranch requires teamwork from the cowboy and his mount.

the Rockies, these mighty watercourses drain almost one half of the total land area of the country. All this water ends in the Mississippi River, one of the longest rivers in the world. The Mississippi River splits the country in two and is a natIn what way is ural water-borne the Mississippi highway. From pioof importance? neering days to the present time it has offered transportation, shipped supplies and delivered food to a multitude of people. It empties into the Gulf of Mexico at New Orleans, which provides the Midwest with its own, though distant, seaport. Due to the immense amount of water that this river carries, draining over one million square miles and moving several thousand

Oilfields are a part of America's great mineral wealth .

a

gallons minute, it quite often floods. Controlling the water has become a tremendous engineering feat with levees and channels being worked on all year. The major crops of the Midwest are wheat and corn. What are some During the long hot of the products summers the farmof the Midwest? ers work their spacious farms with powerful tractors, 37

A stern-wheeler on the Mississippi River.

reapers and other mechanical farm tools. The development of such machinery has made farming the long stretches of the Great Plains faster and more economical. States like Wisconsin and Minnesota specialize in dairy farming, and these farms make most of the cheese and butter in the country. Here the climate is cooler and the plains become rolling hills. When winter locks these lands in snow, the men go hunting while the golden cheese slowly ripens in the sheds.

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Chicago, because of its central location, became the inWhy have Chicago dustrial and and nearby areas commercial become famous? center for the Midwest. All the railroads of the area arrive at Chicago, bringing food, cattle and raw materials - and leave with finished products and packaged foods. Because Chicago is located on Lake Michigan, the water transport makes delivery to the East much cheaper. Now with the St. Lawrence Seaway open, ocean-going ships can travel all the way to Lake Superior. Chicago is surrounded by a heavy industrial area. The steel mills of Indiana receive iron ore from Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin, and tum out the steel needed for the industry of the nation. In nearby Detroit much of this steel is used by the automobile manufacturers. They not only make cars but also much of the heavy farm equipment. The automobile industry is one of the largest in the nation. It is a logical industry for . a country that measures its distances in hundreds and thousands of miles. 38

At the same time that colonists were spreading into the How did the Midwest, the South southern states develop at first? was also being populated. In the beginning the southern states were mainly agricultural, and huge plantations were established there. Negro slaves were brought from Africa to work in the cotton fields, and a way of life began that was totally different from the rest of the country. With the end of the Civil War, slavery was destroyed and the South began to expand. In addition to cotton, the South grows tobacco, com, soyWhat are some beans, peanuts and of the products many other crops and industries that depend on the of the South? moist, tropical climate. More recently the southern states have developed centers of industry. Great textile mills are scattered through-

Mechanical cotton pickers are replacing hand labor.

Everglades and the bayou section of Louisiana. Brightly colored birds flash through the · reeds and thick swamp trees, while in the waters, alligators and snakes pursue the tropical fish. Louisiana was part of the territory acquired by the w.hi~h state was United States by or191nally bought from the French?

- out the South, and no longer does the cotton have to be shipped north to be made into clothing. Another aid to the industrialization of the South came with the discovery of mineral deposits. Alu-· minum ore was found in large amounts in Arkansas, and Alabama proved to be rich in iron ore. These minerals, plus reservoirs of oil and natural gas, are helping to make the South an almost self-sufficient area. An interesting method of drilling for oil is taking place in Are there the Gulf of Mexico. oil deposits in the ocean? There, sometimes many miles off shore, great floating docks form the platforms for oil wells. Now the ocean floor is helping to supply the hungry furnaces of the country. Many exotic forms of animal life live in two of the largest swamp areas of the continent. They are the Florida

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direct purchase from France. Named after King Louis XIV of that country, it was largely settled by the Frerich, and even today a dialect of French is still spoken. The Mardi Gras celebration in New Orleans is a colorful sight and serves to remind people of their European origin. The conquering of the West is still one of the most exciting How was the sagas in American West settled? history. Expeditions like that of Lewis and Clark paved the way to further settlement, and soon huge wagon trains moved across the endless plains, the dusty deserts and the snow-capped mountains. Fighting Indians most of the way, these pioneers completed the settlement of the country. They passed through areas of great scenic beauty. The western part of the United States is very dramatic, with painted deserts, petrified forests, tall, craggy mountains and a beautiful coastline on the Pacific Ocean. Much of the Southwest and California originally belonged to Spain and was occupied by the Spanish and Mexicans. · But through purchase and · the Mexican War, the United States gradu39

Arizona's inspiring Grand Canyon is so deep that it takes half a day on horseback to reach the bottom.

ally acquired the land it has today. These areas were territories - frequently wild and lawless - before they became states, but the increasing number of settlers brought calm. One by one the territories were admitted to the Union as states, until the entire country was neatly divided into individual units, all part of the National Government. The climate in the West varies. The Southwest is hot What kind of and dry, the Pacific climate does the West have? Coast is temperate and moist, the North has icy winters. But the most imelse in the country. Some of the valleys are even higher than parts of the Appalachian Range.

An "eagle dance" during an Indian ceremony.

portant contrast .to the East is the altitude. Beginning in Colorado, a slowly rising plateau continues until the Rocky Mountains rear up suddenly against the sky. The city of Denver stands a mile high and the mountains tower over it. From there to the Pacific Ocean the land is generally higher than anywhere 40

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Cattle and sheep ranching form the most important occuWhat are some of pation of the the industries and Western Plains. products of the Here the animals western states? are fattened and driven north to huge stockyards for shipment to many cities. The exciting stories of the American cowboy arose in this wide-open cattle country. In the mountains, however, mining takes place. Large deposits of lead, copper, gold, silver, zinc and uranium are to be found deep in the craggy heights. These minerals are important to the growing technology of the country. They illustrate the great riches of North America, the tremendous amount of wealth beneath the surface of the land. Idaho has developed a product

uniquely its own. Although other states, notably Maine, are famous for potatoes, the Idaho potatoes are famous the world over. They grow in seemingly endless rows - mile after mile of food.

managed to make a living from the desert sands. By careful irrigation and use of the streams coming down from the Wasatch Mountains, this part of Utah has become a beautiful area.

The state of Utah has an interesting geological feature. Where is the It is the Great Salt saltiest lake in the nation? Lake, the remains of an ancient inland ocean. During the centurie~ the water has slowly evaporated, leaving the lake so rich in salt that a person can float on it with his body barely in the water. Next to the lake stretch miles of endless salt flats, blinding in the glaring sun. They are so hard-packed that automobile companies use them for road-testing cars. It was to Utah that the Mormons came, seeking a place to practice their religious beliefs. They built Salt Lake City with its famous Tabernacle and

The West Coast is rapidly giving serious competition to What are some of the industrial the chief products East. Califorand industries on nia, which at the West Coast? one time was a land of farms, now echoes to the sounds . of great factories, aircraft and rocket plants and the making of movies. All of this is in strange contrast to the old Spanish missions that are still to be found throughout the state. California shows a combination of cultures - the quiet, peaceful farm life inherited from the Spanish occupation and the quick . pace of modern industry.

CALIFORNIA MISSION

ORANGE BLOSSOMS

Dog teams are still usefu l in remote areas during A laska's long , hard w i nters.

The inland valleys of California contain some of the finest farmlands in the world. Fruits and vegetables grow abundantly and are packaged for shipment to the rest of the country. The San Joaquin Valley, for instance, is so fertile and enjoys so temperate a climate that it can produce three crops a year. Farther north on the West Coast, fishing and lumbering are important industries. The seaport of San Francisco, with one of the finest harbors in the world, is the western gateway to the country. Here ships from the Far East arrive with their goods and raw materials. Alaska -

the forty-ninth state and the largest in area - has What state much to contribute to ;was bought from Russia? the rest of the country. It was purchased from Russia in 1869 and thought useless at the time. But there are immense tracts of forests to supply lumber, a fine fishing 42

industry and rich deposits of minerals in the lofty mountains. Alaska is also fast becoming a vacationland due to the speed of air transport. For those who love hunting, fishing and winter sports, these may be found in Alaska. With the admission of Hawaii to the Union, the United Is Hawaii in. ? Statesnow has fifty North A mer1ca. states. Although geographically not a part of the North American continent, the islands of · Hawaii are nevertheless closely linked to the continent in every other respect. With its smoking volcanoes and pineapple groves, Hawaii adds a touch of the exotic to the nation. Connected to the mainland by well-traveled shipping lanes and jet air-service, these islands serve to broaden the human quality of the United States. Hawaii is a place where people of many backgrounds live in harmony with each other.

CANADA Canada is the largest country in North America and the second largest in the entire world, yet it has only a modest population for its size. A great deal of the country is still undeveloped, and the Arctic Circle cuts right through the Northwest Territories, making most of Canada fairly uninhabitable. But it does have the last frontier area in North America, and pioneering is still going on in the remote provinces. Canada began to be explored in the mid1500' s by Jacques What is the Cartier. He was folearly history of Canada?

lowed by others Samuel de Champlain, Louis Joliet and Father Marquette. It can be seen from the names that Canada was originally a French settlement. But the French were unable to hold Canada. In the course of a long war they gradually lost it to England, and it became a British possession in 1763. Today Canada is a member of the British Commonwealth of Nations. The French, however, have left their mark, too. Almost one-quarter of the present population speaks French and many cities retain their old French names. As a matter of fact, Montreal is the world's second-largest, French-speaking city. French and English are the official languages of the country. There are still several hundred thousand Indians living in Canada as well as many Eskimo tribes, and there are many areas where no white man has ever been. Many of these people still live in the

same fashion as their ancestors did centuries ago. The country is rugged and, as in the United States, there What is the are great plains begeography tween the mountains, of Canada? but the land is much lower. Central Canada is a great basin with all the rivers draining into Hudson Bay. The land shows the scars of the glaciers that cut deep lakes, gorges and

CANADA AREA: 3,845,774 square miles. POPULATION: About 18,000,000. CAPITAL: Ottawa . . FORM OF GOVERNMENT: Constitutional Monarchy. Canada is a member of the British Commonwealth of Nations. Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain, who is represented by a Canadian governor-general, is the Head of State. The Canadian Prime Minister is the Head of Government. PROVINCES: Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec and Saskatchewan. PRINCIPAL CITIES: Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver, Winnipeg, Hamilton, Ottawa, Quebec, Edmonton, Calgary, Windsor, Halifax. OFFICIAL LANGUAGES: English and French. MONETARY UNIT: Canadian dollar. CLIMATE: Varies in different parts of the country. Generally, cold winters throughout country. Cool summers in the north. Warm summers in the south. Mild on the west coast. CHIEF RESOURCES: Wheat, fruit, lumber, fish, fur, gold, silver, nickel, asbestos. Canada is especially rich in mineral and natural resources. PEOPLE: Most Canadians are of European descent, but principally British and French. There are also 160,000 Indians and 10,000 Eskimos in the country.

43

rushing rivers. Canada has the advan.tage of fronting on three oceans - the Atlantic, the Pacific and the Arctic. In addition, Hudson Bay, a great expanse of water, is navigable all the way out to the North Atlantic, except for six or seven months when it is frozen over by the winter .ice. The Arctic cold sweeps down over the country every winter, locking it in a mantle of snow and restricting travel. But it leaves enough water behind'in the spring to thoroughly irrigate the wheat fields of the central plains. Great herds of caribou and flocks of birds migrate from beyond the Arctic Circle to spend the winter in the relatively warmer central area. The first industry in Canada was the fur trade. During What are some the winter the trapof Canada's pers spent long chief products? months in the northern territories gathering the pelts. These included fox, muskrat, beaver, ermine and squirrel. In the spring, the trappers returned to the trading posts on sleds loaded with furs to be shipped to Europe. This industry is still flourishing in Canada. But airplanes now deliver the trapper and his catch, and food supplies are dropped to him during the long winter months. _, Off the coasts of Newfoundland to the east and Bdtish Columbia to the west, fishing goes on as it did in the early days. It is one of the major industries. The cold waters along the Atlantic and Pacific coasts abound with fish. In the central plains much the same type of farming is pursued as in the

44

YUKON TERRITORY

BRITISH COLUMBIA

Midwest of the United States. The growing season is only a little shorter in c;anada, and their winters are harder. As soon as the wheat is ready for reaping, it must be taken in, processed and shipped before the blizzards sweep down from Alaska. Canada . is naturally endowed with

NORTHWEST TERRITORIES

MANITOBA

extensive tracts of forests, and all through the year, even in winter, lumberjacks are busy felling trees, stripping the branches and sending the lumber to the mills. The forests are among the largest in the world and many of them have barely been touched. Scattered throughout Canada, but

mainly in flat regions, great mineral deposits have been found. These include nickel, copper, gold, iron ore, titanium and asbestos - and recently, large oil fields have been discovered. With onethird of the world's water supply to furnish hydroelectric power, Canada is rapidly becoming one of the world lead45

ers in heavy industry and in the processing of mineral ores. But even the mining must halt for the weather. In winter, mining slows down almost completely, not only because of the cold, but also because the roads are blocked by heavy snows. Some parts of Canada become so snowbound that -vehiHow does snow des are put in affect Canada's storage and the transportation? Eskimo-type dogsled is used for transportation. Through the quiet villages and even near the big cities, one can see the teams of blackand-white Malemutes and tan-colored Huskies delivering the mail or bringing groceries to homes almost completely covered with snow. Today the St. Lawrence Seaway can take ships into the heart of the Great Lakes from April to November. The Alaska Highway, kept free of snow by snow-removal equipment, allows access to the more remote territories. The most northern section, the land and the islands of the Arctic region, still remain closed, however. Canada must wait until the Polar icecap melts before new colonization can take place at the northern rim of the continent. Canada's relations with its southern neighbor, the United States, are completely friendly. The border between the two countries is three thousand miles long without any defenses along the entire length. It could be an example to the rest of the world.

GREENLAND AREA: 840,000 square miles. Of this, over 700,000 square miles of land are covered by snow and ice. POPULATION: Over 28,000. CAPITAL: Godthaab. FQRM OF GOVERNMENT: Greenland is a county of Denmark, which appoints a governor who sits as head of the National Council. OFFICIAL LANGUAGE: Greenlandic (an Eskimo language). However, most people can also speak Danish. MONETARY UNIT: Danish Krone. PRINCIPAL CITIES: Godthaab, Julianehaab, Holsteinbo. CLIMATE: Arctic temperatures. Winter temperatures range generally from 30 degrees below zero - and sometimes much lower - in the northern sections to about 20 degrees above zero in the southern parts. Summer temperatures average about 40 degrees above zero. RESOURCES: World's chief source of cryolite, a mineral. Whale and seal oil and animal skins are exported. PEOPLE: Mostly a mixture of Danish and Eskimo stock; the rest, full-blooded Eskimos or Danes.

THE WEST INDIES The West Indies are composed of three main groups of islands: the Bahamas, the Greater Antilles and the Lesser Antilles. Haiti and the Dominican Republic (both occupying the island of Hispaniola) and Cuba are independent nations. Puerto Rico is a Commonwealth associated with the United States. Several islands make up the West Indies Federation, which is closely allied with Great Britain. The rest of the islands are either owned or governed by France, the Netherlands, Great Britain or the United States (the U.S. Virgin Islands). In land area alone, the West Indies total more than 91,000 square miles. The population is about 16,000,000. Spanish, English, French and Dutch are the main languages. The people include Negroes, Indians, whites of European descent, persons from India and elsewhere in Asia, as well as mixtures of these groups.

The New Face of the Continent North Americans have done wonders with their continent. The early settlers, if they could return, would hardly recognize the land. The great eastern forests are almost gone, replaced by the green fields of many farms. The wild grass of the Great Plains has been replaced with straight rows of grain. Former deserts are green with plants, irrigated by man-made systems.

roads all the way to the Mexican border. Then there is a connection '; with the Pan-American Highway, running through Mexico and Central America into South America. Each country along the way is responsible for maintenance of the thoroughfare. All in all, transportation has done much to bring the peoples of the continents into closer contact with each other.

The continent has been crisscrossed with highways, Is it possible to r a i 1r 0 a d s , drive a car from bridges and tunone continent to another continent? nels. Modern superhighways and gleaming railroad tracks join the big cities and the farming areas. In fact, it is now possible to drive a car from Alaska all the way to . the tip of South America. Starting with the Alaska Highway down through Canada, connections are made with United States

One of the most important projects in North America has What are some been water control. maior proiects Huge dams and that have been flood-control sysdeveloped in North America? .terns are to be found in many places. Hoover Dam and the Tennessee Valley Authority in the United States not only provide electric power, but also store water against dry spells. Mexico now also saves its precious water behind such dams, and similar projects are under

Fontana Dam on the Little Tennessee River in North Carolina is one of the TV A's highest (480 feet)-the highest dam east of the Rockies .

way in Central America. Along the seacoasts, harbors have been dredged and fitted with modern docks. The St. Lawrence Seaway is one of the greatest technical achievements in human history. Ships from all over the world can now travel along the historic river, through the canals and locks, and arrive at almost the middle of the continent.

THE TEN TALLEST MOUNTAINS IN NORTH AMERICA MOUNTAIN

ALTITUDE (feet)

McKinley Logan Orizaba St. Elias Popocatepetl lxtaccihuatl Foraker Luciania King Steele

20,320 19,850 18,696 18,008 17,883 17,338 17,280 17, l 50 17, l 30 16,439

LOCATION

Alaska Yukon, Canada Mexico Alaska and Canada Mexico Mexico Alaska Canada Canada Canada

THE TEN LARGEST LAKES IN NORTH AMERICA LAKE

Superior Huron Michigan Great Bear Great Slave Erie Winnipeg Ontario .Nicaragua Athabaska

AREA (square miles)

31,820 23,010 22,400 12,000 11,170 9,940 9,398 7,540 3,089 3,058

LOCATION

U.S.A., Canada U.S.A., Canada U.S.A. Canada Canada U.S.A., Canada Canada Canada Nicaragua Canada RIVER

LENGTH (miles)

OUTFLOW

2,514

Finlay River, British Columbia

Beaufort Sea, Arctic Ocean

Missouri

2,466

Jefferson and Madison Rivers, Montana

Mississippi River

Mississippi

2,348

Lake Itasca, Minnesota

Gulf of Mexico

1,900

St. Louis River, Minnesota

Gulf of St. Lawrence

Rio Grande

1,800

San Juan Mountains, Colorado

Gulf of Mexico

Yukon

1,800

Lewes and Pelly Rivers, Yukon Territory

Bering Sea

Arkansas

1,450

Central Colorado

Mississippi River

Colorado

l,450

Grand County, Colorado

Gulf of California

Potter County, Pennsylvania

Mississippi River

Columbia Lake, British Columbia

Pacific Ocean

J

Ohio-Allegheny 1,306 Columbia

48

SOURCE

Mackenzie

St. Lawrence

THE TEN LONGEST RIVERS IN NORTH AMERICA

In the years to come, the energetic North AmeriWhat is the future cans will do of North America? even more to make their continent more livable. The population is growing rapidly. The land will have to grow more food. Transportation will have to be even faster and more direct. But if the past is an indication of the future, then North America and its energetic people will continue to prosper in the free and independent societies which they have chosen to keep and defend. This is the heritage of the North American continent.

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HOW AND WHY WONDER BOOKS Produced and approved by noted authorities, these books answer the questions most often asked about science, nature and history. They are presented in a clear, readable style, and contain many colorful and instructive illustrations. Readers will want to explore each of these fascinating subjects and collect these volumes as an authentic, ready-reference, basic library. 5001 DINOSAURS

5017 THE CIVIL WAR

5002 WEATHER

5018 MATHEMATICS

5003 ELECTRICITY

5019 FLIGHT

5004 ROCKS AND MINERALS

5020 BALLET

5005 ROCKETS AND MISSILES

5021 CHEMISTRY

5006 STARS

5022 HORSES

5007 INSECTS

5023 EXPLORATIONS AND

5008 REPTILES AND AMPHIBIANS

DISCOVERIES

5009 BIRDS

5024 PRIMITIVE MAN

5010 OUR EARTH

5025 NORTH AMERICA

5011 BEGINNING SCIENCE

5026 PLANETS AND

5012 MACHINES

INTERPLANETARY TRAVEL

5013 THE HUMAN BODY

5027 WILD ANIMALS

5014 SEA SHELLS

5028 SOUND

5015 ATOMIC ENERGY

5029 LOST CITIES

5016 THE MICROSCOPE

5030 ANTS AND BEES

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