549 résultats pour "geography"
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Washington (state) - geography.
The crest of the Cascade Range divides Washington into two distinct climatic regions. The area west of the Cascades, which is exposed throughout the year to rain-bearing winds from the Pacific Ocean, has a temperate marine type of climate that is characterized by mild wet winters and cool summers. The Cascades prevent themoist air blowing in from the Pacific from reaching eastern Washington. The Rocky Mountains on the eastern border also represent a climatic barrier. As a result, thesevere winte...
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Vermont - geography.
Forests cover 78 percent of Vermont. Most of the trees are deciduous, principally the maple, elm, birch, beech, oak, hickory, ash, cherry, and butternut. The state treeis the sugar maple, which provides Vermont’s famous maple syrup. Conifers are common in some mountain areas and include mainly the white pine, red spruce,hemlock, and cedar. A great variety of ferns have been found within the state. Among the more common wildflowers that grow in Vermont are anemones, arbutuses,violets, lilacs, dai...
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Alberta - Geography.
C Climate Except for the mountain areas, summers throughout the province are quite warm. Winters are long and extremely cold. In July, average daily temperatures range fromabout 16°C (about 60°F) along the northern boundary to about 21°C (about 70°F) in the south. In the extreme southeastern section of the province, temperatures of43°C (110°F) have been recorded. In January, average daily temperatures range from about -14°C (about 6°F) at Grande Prairie to about -9°C (about 16°F) atCalgary. Tem...
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Connecticut - geography.
The state’s shoreline, when all the bays and inlets are taken into account, has a total length of 995 km (618 mi). The coastline is deeply indented by long estuaries androcky inlets, and there are many sandy beaches and stretches of tidal marsh. There are several good harbors along the coast, the most important of which is at NewHaven. A few small islands lie offshore in Long Island Sound. D Climate Connecticut has long, hot summers and cold winters. The climate does not vary greatly from place...
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Delaware - geography.
D Climate Delaware has generally hot and humid summers and mild winters. D1 Temperature In July, average daytime temperatures are usually in the upper 20°s to lower 30°sC (80°sF) or even higher. But because summer nights tend to be cooler than thedays, July averages are about 24°C (about 75°F). In addition, onshore sea breezes can reduce daytime temperatures along the coast by 3 to 6 Celsius degrees (5 to 10Fahrenheit degrees). January averages range from -1°C (31°F) at Newark, in the north, t...
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Arkansas - geography.
temperature rises to the upper 30°s C (lower 100°s F). C2 Precipitation Arkansas receives about 1,000 to 1,300 mm (about 40 to 50 in) of precipitation a year, and some areas receive even more. Most of the rain comes during winter andspring and at times is so heavy as to cause flooding. Snow is rare in the south but amounts to more than 250 mm (10 in) a year in the mountains. C3 Growing Season Arkansas has a long growing season. It averages 211 days for the state as a whole and ranges from 241...
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Colorado - geography.
Although the rivers of Colorado are navigable only by small boats, they are important as a source of irrigation water for use in Colorado and adjoining states. However,the water level of the rivers fluctuates seasonally and from year to year. The level is generally low in winter and high in spring and summer, during the runoff of meltedsnow from the mountains. Colorado has no large lakes of natural origin, but there are numerous small lakes in the mountains. The largest bodies of water in Colora...
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Montana - geography.
(191 sq mi), is Montana’s largest lake, and the largest natural freshwater lake in the contiguous states west of the Mississippi River. C Climate Climatic regions in Montana coincide roughly with the two major physiographic regions. In western Montana, as compared with the eastern plains area, winters tend tobe milder while summers are cooler. Precipitation is more evenly distributed throughout the year in the west, and it is cloudier and somewhat more humid in all seasons.In addition, the grow...
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Idaho - geography.
Idaho-Montana state line in the southern part of the Bitterroot Mountains. Consequently, nearly all the rivers in the state drain toward the Pacific. Most of Idaho lieswithin the drainage basin of the Columbia River system. The Snake River, which is the chief river in southern and central Idaho, follows a crescent-shaped course forabout 790 km (about 490 mi) across southern Idaho. It then swings northward along the Idaho state line and joins the Columbia River in Washington. Major tributariesof...
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Nevada - geography.
The Truckee, Carson, and Walker rivers flow out of the Sierra Nevada, thread their way around several of the desert ranges, and also end in closed basins. The Walkerflows into Walker Lake, the Carson into Lahontan Reservoir. The major part of the Truckee’s flow is now diverted to Lahontan Reservoir, although as required by lawsome of it empties into Pyramid Lake. Because these three streams flow constantly, the lakes into which they empty never dry up. Winnemucca Lake formerly receivedoverflow w...
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Nebraska - geography.
by natural resource districts to limit the rate of pumping for irrigation. C Climate Nebraska has a typical continental climate with wide seasonal variations in temperature. C1 Temperature Winter temperatures below -20°C (0° F) and summer temperatures in the upper 30°s C (lower 100°s F) are common. The average January temperature varies from about -7° C (about 20° F) in the northeast to about -2° C (about 29° F) in the southwest. The average for July, thehottest month, ranges from about 26° C...
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Utah - geography.
Temperatures decrease from the south to the north in the state. In the mountains the average temperature drops about 0.5°C (about 1°F) for every about 300 m(about 1,000 ft) rise in elevation. Average July temperatures range from less than 16°C (60°F) in the mountains to more than 27°C (80°F) in a few locations insouthern Utah. At Salt Lake City average July temperatures range from a low of 18°C (64°F) to a high of 33°C (92°F). There is a great variation between daytime andnighttime temperatures,...
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Iowa - geography.
Okoboji, Lost Island, Silver, and West Swan lakes. In addition, reservoirs have been created by damming several smaller Iowa rivers. There are a number of largereservoirs behind dams on the Mississippi River along the Iowa state line. C Climate Iowa’s climate is characterized by warm, generally moist summers and cold winters. Temperatures vary considerably from season to season and, at times, from day today. However, monthly averages are relatively uniform throughout the state and usually vary...
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Minnesota - geography.
C Climate Minnesota’s climate is classified as humid continental because normally there is a sufficient amount of precipitation to provide at least some surplus for runoff, andbecause Minnesota’s temperature conditions are largely controlled by its location in the interior of the large landmass of North America. The result is extreme seasonaltemperature variations. The average January temperature is about -18°C (about 0°F) in the northwest and about -10°C (about 14°F) in the south, but thetherm...
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Oklahoma - geography.
portion and the Panhandle are classified as a steppe, where precipitation, typically 250 to 500 mm (10 to 20 in), is the controlling characteristic. January is usually the coldest month with an average of about 3°C (38°F) and extremes from -33°C (-27°F), the lowest ever recorded, to 33°C (92°F). Summer arelong and hot with temperatures in the upper 30°s C (lower 100°s F) common from May until September across the state. The growing season varies from less than 180days in the western Panhandle to...
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Kentucky - geography.
The climate of Kentucky is characterized by warm or hot summers and cool winters. Throughout the year, temperatures do not vary greatly from place to place,although they are generally slightly lower in the Appalachian Plateaus region than elsewhere in the state. Average July temperatures are usually from 24° to 27°C (76°to 80°F) in the central and western areas and from 23° to 24°C (74° to 76°F) in the east. January averages range from below 1°C (34°F) in the northern Bluegrassregion to more tha...
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Arizona - geography.
of the Mogollon Rim, the Little Colorado draws very little water from a relatively large watershed, usually containing a mere trickle of water in its riverbed. The ColoradoRiver’s principal tributary is the Gila River, which flows all the way across the southern part of the state from New Mexico to the California border. From the mountainsand plateaus of central Arizona, the Gila River receives the Salt, Agua Fria, and Hassayampa rivers. The Salt River is itself fed by the Verde River. The Gila...
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Michigan - geography.
The interior location of Michigan in the northern part of North America results in a continental climate, characterized by four definite seasons with moist, mild to hotsummers and snowy, cold winters. Winds off of Lakes Michigan and Superior in winter create heavy snow accumulations in nearby areas. The tempering effects of LakeMichigan account for the presence of the state’s famous fruit-growing belt along the lake’s shore. Since the water is colder than the land in spring, the westerly windspa...
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Oregon - geography.
B Rivers and Lakes The Columbia River forms most of the Oregon-Washington boundary, and with its tributaries this great river drains a large portion of Oregon. From the point where theColumbia first touches the state, at Wallula Gap, the river runs in a shallow gorge, deepening as it approaches the Cascades. This part of the river once had manyrapids and falls, but is now navigable by large vessels because of dams and locks that have been built along much of its length. An important tributary o...
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Maryland - geography.
Maryland has no large natural lakes. The largest body of water is a reservoir, Deep Creek Lake, which has a surface area of only 18 sq km (7 sq mi). It lies on theAllegheny Plateau, behind a dam on a tributary of the Youghiogheny River. C Coastline The deeply indented shoreline has a length of 5,134 km (3,190 mi), of which only 50 km (31 miles) fronts on the Atlantic Ocean. The most significant coastal feature isChesapeake Bay. In the bay are many islands and Kent Island is the largest. The sta...
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Mississippi - geography.
The climate of Mississippi is characterized by long, hot, and humid summers and generally mild winters. The higher lands in the northeast are usually cooler than otherareas of the state. D1 Temperature Average January temperatures range from about 6° C (about 42° F) in northeastern Mississippi to about 12° C (about 54° F) along the Gulf Coast. No part of the stateis entirely free from freezing temperatures, but prolonged periods of extreme cold rarely occur. Temperatures more than 15° C (30° F)...
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Ontario - Geography.
governed Ontario’s initial settlement and development. The province’s most important river is the St. Lawrence. Its route was much improved and enlarged by dredgingand canal building in the mid-20th century. This enabled large ocean-going vessels to reach Great Lake ports ( see St. Lawrence Seaway). The Ottawa River was an important early route to the interior for fur traders and timber merchants. The Niagara River, because of its falls, is a great center of hydroelectric power as well as aninte...
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Louisiana - geography.
lakes are on the Red River and its tributaries. In addition, small oxbow lakes are numerous in the Mississippi Alluvial Plain. Oxbow lakes are formed when a river cutsthrough the neck of one of its loops, or meanders, thus establishing a shorter course and leaving the former loop as a lake separate from the river. Louisiana also hassome artificially created reservoirs. C Coastline Louisiana’s long and irregular coastline extends along the Gulf of Mexico from the Pearl River on the east to the S...
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Ohio - geography.
conflict with modified Gulf air and causing frontal or cyclonic storms. Gulf air is dominant in summer. In fall, polar air passing over Lake Erie is modified, delaying thekilling frost along the adjacent shoreline. C1 Temperatures The mean annual temperatures for the state range from 9° C (48° F) in the northeast to 13° C (55° F) in the south. Average January temperatures range from -4° C(24° F) in the west to 2° C (35° F) in the south. July averages are 24° C (76° F) in the south and 23° C (73...
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Indiana - geography.
Michigan in Michigan. There are about 1,000 small natural lakes in Indiana, chiefly in the northern part of the state. The largest is Lake Wawasee, which covers almost 13 sq km (5 sq mi). Inthe central part of the state there are several lakes that were created behind dams on a number of smaller streams. They include Monroe Lake, near Bloomington; Geistand Eagle Creek reservoirs, northeast and northwest of Indianapolis; and Mississinewa and Huntington reservoirs, north of Marion. C Climate Most...
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Massachusetts - geography.
mi). Other large artificial lakes include Wachusett Reservoir, East Brimfield Reservoir, and Cobble Mountain Reservoir. Assawompsett Pond, covering about 10 sq km(about 4 sq mi), is the largest natural lake. North Watuppa Pond and Long Pond are other large natural lakes. Lake Chaubunagungamaug, near Webster, is usuallycalled Webster Lake, because the Algonquian name is difficult to pronounce and spell. The full version of the Native American name is said to be the longest place-namein North Amer...
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Kansas - geography.
at the adjoining cities of Kansas City, Kansas, and Kansas City, Missouri. Its chief headstreams are the Republican and Smoky Hill rivers, which join to form the KansasRiver at Junction City. Each of the headstreams has numerous tributaries. The Kansas River proper is only 270 km (170 mi) long, but the Smoky Hill River has a lengthof 870 km (540 mi), and the Republican River has a length of 720 km (450 mi). The main tributary flowing into the Kansas River is the Big Blue River. The Arkansas Rive...
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Pennsylvania - geography.
B Rivers and Lakes There are three major river basins in Pennsylvania: the Susquehanna, the Ohio, and the Delaware. Together they drain more than 90 percent of Pennsylvania’s landarea. Most of eastern and central Pennsylvania is drained by the Susquehanna and Delaware systems. The western part of the state is drained by the Allegheny andMonongahela rivers, which join at Pittsburgh to form the Ohio. In addition to the three major river basins, short streams flowing into Lake Erie drain the north...
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Illinois - geography.
the state before joining the Mississippi River at Grafton. The Illinois has been deepened and straightened and forms part of the Illinois Waterway. The watershed between rivers that flow into the Mississippi river system and rivers that flow into the Great Lakes is low and in many places is not easily discernible. Inwhat is now the Chicago area, explorers had little difficulty portaging, or carrying, their canoes over the low watershed between the Des Plaines River, which flows intothe Illinois,...
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California - geography.
The Basin and Range province is an arid area of mountain ranges, basins, and deserts. In California it is represented primarily by parts of the Great Basin and SonoranDesert sections. Within the Great Basin lies Death Valley, whose lowest elevation, 86 m (282 ft) below sea level, is the lowest point in the Western Hemisphere. TheSonoran Desert section is characterized by numerous flat plains separated by low but rugged ranges. It includes the extensive Mojave, or Mohave, Desert. Also in thisprov...
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Québec - Geography.
facilities. Tributaries south of the St. Lawrence include the Richelieu, the Saint-François, and the Chaudière rivers, which are only a few hundred kilometers long. TheRimouski and Matane rivers, also south of the St. Lawrence, are popular areas for recreation and salmon fishing. In the Canadian Shield, the longest rivers are theRupert, Eastmain, Grande Baleine, and La Grand-Rivière, which is the site of a huge hydroelectric complex. C Coastlines Québec has two systems of saltwater coastline. O...
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Texas - geography.
D Climate Eastern Texas has a humid subtropical climate, while a semiarid low latitude climate prevails in central areas, and an arid low latitude climate in the extreme west. Alongthe coast the climate is much milder, with fewer extremes in temperatures. Hurricanes sometimes hit the coastal areas of Texas from late July through September, andtornadoes are common in north-central Texas in April and May. D1 Temperature Summers are hot throughout the state, and temperatures exceeding 35°C (95°F)...
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Alaska - geography.
depression surrounded by highlands and have the coldest winter and hottest summer temperatures in Alaska. Once the Kuskokwim River passes through theKuskokwim Mountains, it forms the southern edge of a vast lake-studded alluvial plain bounded on the north by the Yukon River. This water-logged lowland is a majorsummer nesting area for birds. Fairbanks is the major city in this region, while Fort Yukon is the major community in the Yukon Flats and Bethel the largest settlementon the Lower Kuskokwi...
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Memphis (Tennessee) - geography.
Grave of Elvis PresleyThe grave of Elvis Presley, lying next to the graves of his parents and grandmother, is found in a meditation garden on his estate,Graceland, in Memphis. Since Presley’s death in 1977, his lavish collections of cars, clothes, and other items at Graceland have drawnmillions of fans and tourists.Jan Butchofsky-Houser/Corbis The city’s many museums include the National Civil Rights Museum, on the site where Martin Luther King, Jr., was assassinated in 1968; the Memphis Brooks...
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American Samoa - geography.
According to indigenous tradition, the Samoa Islands were the original home of the Polynesian race, from which colonists peopled the other Polynesian islands of the Pacific.Ethnologists, however, now believe that two separate waves of immigrants populated the islands, the first group probably originating in southeastern Asia. The latermigration displaced the original Samoans, who then began to colonize the more easterly islands of Polynesia. The first European to visit the islands was Jacob Rogg...
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Amazon (river) - geography.
5,000 indigenous groups remain today in Peru, but few are untouched by the outside world.Alison Wright/Corbis The Amazon watershed includes the largest and wettest tropical plain in the world. Heavy rains drench much of the densely forested lowland region throughout the year butespecially between January and June. Seasonal variation in rainfall is reflected by the width, rate of flow, and discharge volume of the river. During the months of maximumprecipitation, broad areas traversed by the Amazo...
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Mississippi (river) - geography.
by oceangoing vessels, and Baton Rouge and New Orleans are seaports. About 282 million metric tons of freight are carried on the river each year. The most importantcargoes on the river are bulk items such as coal, petroleum products, sand, gravel, and grain. The Mississippi Valley has rich alluvial soils, formed by thousands of years of erosion and deposition by the meandering river. The floodplain supports agriculture, especiallyfeed grains and soybeans in the north and cotton, groundnuts, and...
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Atlantic Ocean - geography.
Volcanic Island of SurtseyThe Icelandic island of Surtsey, one of Earth's newest tracts of land, was created in November 1963 when a volcano erupted on thefloor of the North Atlantic Ocean south of Iceland. The volcano ejected molten lava for more than two years, forming an island about3 sq km (about 1 sq mi) in area. The Icelandic government named it for the mythological fire god, Surtur, and designated it a naturepreserve.Ragnar Larusson/Photo Researchers, Inc. The largest islands of the Atlan...
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Pacific Ocean - geography.
The Pacific is the oldest of the existing ocean basins, its oldest rocks having been dated at 200 million years. The major features of the basin and rim have been shaped bythe phenomena associated with plate tectonics. The coastal shelf, which extends to depths of 180 m (600 ft), is narrow along North and South America but is relatively widealong Asia and Australia. The East Pacific Rise, a midocean ridge system, extends 8,700 km (5,400 mi) from the Gulf of California to a point 3,600 km (2,240...
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Congo (river) - geography.
Lake BangweuluLake Bangweulu, in northeastern Zambia, drains into the Congo by way of the Luapula and Luvua rivers. Lake Bangweulu and thesurrounding swamps form an important ecosystem for many species of migratory birds.Christine Osborne Pictures The Congo’s remotest headstreams rise in northern Zambia and southern DRC, in elevations ranging from 1,000 to 2,000 m (3,000 to 7,000 ft) above sea level. Theseheadstreams are broken by many rapids and therefore cannot be used for commercial navigatio...
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Jacksonville (Florida) - geography.
Jacksonville is a center for business, manufacturing, finance, insurance, culture, and medicine in northeastern Florida and nearby Georgia. It is also a major deepwater portof entry that has long been the home of important United States Navy facilities, including the Mayport Naval Station and the Jacksonville Naval Air Station. The IntracoastalWaterway passes through the city. Jacksonville is Florida’s most industrialized city. Drawing on the raw materials produced by the region’s farms, forests...
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Columbus (Ohio) - geography.
replica of the flagship of Christopher Columbus, built to commemorate the 500th anniversary of his voyage. The city also supports a symphony orchestra and opera andballet companies. A leading attraction is the Columbus Zoo. Noted for its success in breeding rare animals, the zoo has extensive exhibits with natural-like habitat, including a huge coral reefaquarium. The Franklin Park Conservatory, built in 1895, contains in its large, glass-enclosed space duplicates of many of the world’s ecosyste...
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San Diego - geography.
Also in the city is the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, founded by Jonas Salk, the developer of a vaccine for polio, to conduct basic science research on human health. The cultural heart of San Diego is Balboa Park. Located there are the San Diego Museum of Art, with a permanent collection of works from the Italian Renaissance, and theSan Diego Natural History Museum, emphasizing the American Southwest. The San Diego Museum of Man explores the origins of humans, while the Reuben H. Fleet...
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Québec (city) - geography.
Old Québec SeminaryCannons in front of the old seminary of Québec in Sainte-Foy recall the community’s history as the site of a 1760 French victory overBritish troops. Founded as Le Séminaire de Québec in 1663, the institution was renamed Université Laval (University of Laval) in1852.Bruce Adams; Eye Ubiquitous/Corbis Québec has long been an important educational center. Laval University (Université Laval), chartered in 1852, is an outgrowth of the Grande Séminaire (1663), the firstCanadian inst...
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Dallas (Texas) - geography.
College of Dentistry (1905); Baylor School of Nursing (1909); Dallas Baptist University (1965); Dallas Christian College (1950); Dallas Theological Seminary (1924); andseveral campuses of Dallas County Community College (1965). Located in the surrounding metropolitan area are more than a dozen other universities and colleges,including the University of Texas at Dallas (1969), in Richardson, the University of Dallas (1956), in Irving, and the University of North Texas (1890), in Denton. Dallas is...
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Great Lakes - geography.
Boats on Lake MichiganLake Michigan is the only one of the five Great Lakes that is entirely within the borders of the United States. It is used for commercialshipping as well as recreation. This view of the lake includes the city of Chicago in the background.Illinois Department of Commerce and Community Affairs The Great Lakes, interconnected by rivers, straits, and canals, together form one of the world’s busiest shipping arteries. The lakes are linked with the Atlantic Ocean via theSt. Lawren...
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Miami (Florida) - geography.
Port of MiamiThe Dante B. Fascell Port of Miami-Dade, known simply as the Port of Miami, is one of the world’s leading passenger ports. Tourism isan important part of Miami’s economy, and many tourists board cruise ships at the Port of Miami.F. Stuart Westmorland/Photo Researchers, Inc. Miami’s economy, until recently dominated by tourism, is increasingly diversified. Tourism still plays a significant role, with more than 10 million visitors staying overnightin Miami-Dade County each year. A siz...
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Lima (Peru) - geography.
Market in Lima, PeruShoppers and workers mingle in an outdoor market in Lima, Peru.M. Mcintyre/Hutchison Library On the city’s margins, however, vast squatter settlements have mushroomed, as large numbers of rural Peruvians have migrated to the city seeking a better life. More thanone-third of Lima’s population is estimated to live in such settlements, known as pueblos jovenes (young towns) or barriadas (shantytowns). Often these squatter settlements have developed relatively close to wealth...
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Cleveland (Ohio) - geography.
III POPULATION According to the national census, the population of Cleveland was 505,616 in 1990, a decline of 11.9 percent from the 1980 population of 573,822. The decrease continuedinto the 1990s, falling a further 5.4 percent between 1990 and 2000. The population was 478,403 in 2000. By 2006, Cleveland's population was estimated at 444,313. Thedecrease was attributed to a continuing flight to the suburbs, begun before 1970 and fueled by racial polarization and public school problems. In 2000...
- Lagos (Nigeria) - geography.