FALLS OF NTAGARA
UNITED STATES
Arca, 3,002,990 square miles ; population, 50.442.066 ; persons to square mile, 14; greatest extent from north to south, 1,600
miles; and from east to west, 2,700 miles: about. the same size as British North America.
The United States of America are bounded on the
north—with the exception of the Territory of Alaska,
which lies to the north-west of British Columbia-—by the
Dominion of Canada; on the west by the Pacifie Ocean;
on the south by Mexico and the Gulf of Mexico: and on
*he east by the Atlantie Ocean.
They comprise thirty-eight States, one federal district,
and ten territories, united under One central government.
Two great mountain Chains, the Rocky Mountains on
the west, and the Alleghany Mountains or Appalachian
Chain on the ©ast, divide the country into three regions:
the Atlantic slope from the Alleghanies to the Atlantic
Ocean ; the Great Central Plain, or valley of the Missis-
Sippi; and the vast plain or platean between the Rocky
Mountains and the Pacific coast.
The Rocky Mountains form the prineipal chain, ex-
lending from near the Arctic Circle to the Cordilleras of
Mexico. They cover an aren 40 to 200 miles in breadth,
Their highest summits in the United States are Uhneom-
Paghre Peak (14,510 feet), Blunco Peak (14,464 feet), and
Longs Peak (14,271 foet), all.in Colorado. Along the
Pacific coast are several chains of mountains, some
Peaks of which rise even higher than any of the Rocky
Mountains. These are : the Coast Range and the paral-
16l range of the Sierra Nevada, enclosing Sacramento
Valley, {he gold region of California; and the OCusende
Runge, in Washington Territory and Oregon, extendinez
Yhrongh British Columbia into Alaska. "The highest
summits in the Sierra Nevada arc Mount Shastı (14,440
Feet), and Mount Whitney (14,898 feet), both in Call-
fornia; and the highest in the Cascade Range are Mount
Jefferson (15,500 feet), in Oregon Territory, and Mount
St. Tlelews (15,750 feet), in Washington Territory, the
'ast named being the loftiest summit in the United States,
The Alleghany Mountains extend from the peninsula
of Gaspc, in Canada, to the north of Alabama, and are
known by different names in the various States which
‘hey traverse (p. 35), The highest peaks are in the WArte
Vountains ; but they seldom exceed 5,000 feet, and are
zenerally not more than 3,000 feet in height.
The United States are particularly noted for their
1umerous and important rivers ; and no country in the
world possesscs such an extent of water communication.
The estimated length of the navizable rivers is more
han 47,000 miles,
The Mississippi rises in Lake Ttasca, in Minnesota,
‘\ıear Lake Superior, and receives as afluents the Wisron-
Un, Illinois, and. Ohto (with its afluents the Cumberland
nd Zennessee Rivers), on the east bank ; the Missouri
with its aflluent the Zluttr), the Arkansıs and Red
Yvers, on the west bank; and it flows into the Gulf of
Texico by a nınmber of mouths, after a course of 3,160
niles. The course of the Missouri is even longer than
‚hat of the Mississippi, being about 3,000 miles before
olning the latter, or about 4,300 miles in all, thus form-
