Documents for "U.S. Physical Geography":

• Adak see Aleutian Islands.

• Adirondack Mountains mountain mass, NE N.Y., between the St. Lawrence valley in the north and the Mohawk valley in the south; rising to 5,344 ft (1,629 m) at Mt. Marcy, the highest point in the state. Geologically a...

• Admiralty Inlet see Puget Sound.

• Agassiz, Lake glacial lake of the Pleistocene epoch , c.700 mi (1,130 km) long, 250 mi (400 km) wide, formed by the melting of the continental ice sheet some 10,000 years ago; covered much of present-day NW Minnesota, NE North Dakota, S Manitoba, and...

• Alabama river, 315 mi (507 km) long, formed in central Ala. by the confluence of the Coosa and Tallapoosa rivers N of Montgomery, Ala., and flowing SW to Mobile, Ala., where it joins the Tombigbee to form...

• Alaska Highway all-weather road, 1,523 mi (2,451 km) long, extending NW from Dawson Creek, British Columbia, to Fairbanks, Alaska. An extension of an existing Canadian road between Dawson Creek and Edmonton,...

• Alaska North Slope or Arctic North Slope, region, N Alaska, sloping from the Brooks Range N to the Arctic Ocean. In 1968 large petroleum reserves were found in the Prudhoe Bay area. In 1977 the 800-mi (1,287 km) Trans-Alaska pipeline was completed to carry oil S to the port of Valdez, on the Pacific. Proposals for oil and gas exploration in the Arctic National Wildlife...

• Alaska Range S central Alaska, rising to the highest mountain in North America, Mt. McKinley (20,320 ft/6,194 m). The range divides S central Alaska from the great plateau of the interior. Mt. Spurr, an 11,070-ft-high (3,376-m) volcano 80 mi (129 km) W of Anchorage erupted several times in...

• Albemarle Sound large inland body of generally fresh water, c.55 mi (90 km) long, from 3 to 14 mi (4.8-22 km) wide, NE N.C. Shallow and tideless, the sound is separated from the Atlantic Ocean by a long, narrow...

• Aleutian Islands chain of rugged, volcanic islands curving c.1,200 mi (1,900 km) west from the tip of the Alaska Peninsula and approaching Russia's Komandorski Islands. A partially submerged continuation of the...

• Aleutian Range volcanic mountain chain, c.1,600 mi (2,600 km) long, SW Alaska, extending W from Anchorage along the Alaska Peninsula, and continuing, partly submerged as the Aleutian Islands, to Attu island. Mt...

• Alexander Archipelago island group off SE Alaska. The islands are the exposed tops of the submerged coastal mountains that rise steeply from the Pacific Ocean. Deep, fjordlike channels separate the islands and cut them...

• All-American Canal 80 mi (129 km) long, SE Calif.; part of the federal irrigation system of the Hoover Dam. Built between 1934 and 1940 across the Colorado Desert, the canal is entirely within the United States and...

• Allegheny river, 325 mi (523 km) long, rising in N central Pa., and flowing NW into N.Y., then SW through Pa. to the Monongahela River, with which it forms the Ohio River at Pittsburgh; drains 11,580 sq mi...

• Allegheny Plateau dissected plateau, western part of the Appalachian Mts., extending c.500 mi (800 km) SW from N Pa. to SW Va., rising to c.4,860 ft (1,480 m) at Spruce Knob, the highest peak in West Virginia. The E...

• Alta California term used by the Spanish to refer to their possessions along the entire Pacific coast north of the Mexican state of Baja California. California was often represented on maps as an island some...

• Amchitka island, 40 mi (64 km) long, in the Rat group of the Aleutian Islands, W Alaska. It was a site in 1965 and 1971 for the underground detonation of nuclear devices, its small population having been...

• American river, 30 mi (48 km) long, rising in N central Calif. in the Sierra Nevada and flowing SW into the Sacramento River at Sacramento. The discovery of gold at Sutter's Mill (see Sutter, John Augustus ) along the river in 1848 led to the California gold rush of 1849. The American is a magnet for rafters. The proposed Auburn Dam, where construction was stopped after a 1975 earthquake, is highly...

• Andreanof Islands see Aleutian Islands.

• Androscoggin river, c.175 mi (280 km) long, rising in NE N.H., flowing south and east to enter the Atlantic Ocean at Bath, Maine. Hydroelectric plants, using the river's steep gradient, supply power to nearby...

• Ann, Cape NE Mass., N of Massachusetts Bay. It includes Gloucester and Rockport with their old fishing villages, resorts, and artists' colonies.

• Anza-Borrego Desert State Park c.639 sq mi (1,655 sq km), S Calif., occupying most of E San Diego co. and neighboring portions of Riverside and Imperial cos.; est. 1933. Part of the Colorado Desert, the park is the largest...

• Apalachicola river: see Chattahoochee , river.

• Apostle Islands group of more than 20 wooded islands, in Lake Superior, off N Wis. Madeline, 13 mi (21 km) long, is the largest island and has the group's only settlement, La Pointe. Noted for their wave-eroded...

• Appalachia region: see Appalachian Mountains.

• Appalachian Mountains mountain system of E North America, extending in a broad belt c.1,600 mi (2,570 km) SW from the Gaspé Peninsula in Quebec prov., Canada, to the Gulf coastal plain in Alabama. Main sections in the...

• Aquidneck R.I.: see Rhode Island , island.

• Arbuckle Mountains range of low, rolling hills, rising c.700 ft (210 m) above the prairie, S Okla.; remnant of mountains formed in the Precambrian era. Interesting geological formations have resulted from the...

• Arctic North Slope or Arctic Slope, Alaska: see Alaska North Slope.

• Arguello, Point promontory, SW Calif., extending W into the Pacific Ocean. A U.S. navy missile-launching complex is nearby.

• Arkansas river, c.1,450 mi (2,330 km) long, rising in the Rocky Mts., central Colo., and flowing generally SE across the plains to the Mississippi River, SE Ark.; drains 160,500 sq mi (415,700 sq km). The...

• Arlington Memorial Bridge granite and concrete bridge across the Potomac River connecting the Lincoln Monument in Washington, D.C., with Arlington National Cemetery, N Va.; built 1926-32.

• Aroostook river, c.140 mi (225 km) long, rising in N Maine and winding E to the St. John River in New Brunswick, Canada. The Aroostook War , caused by boundary disputes between Maine and New Brunswick, took...

• Ashokan Reservoir 13 sq mi (34 sq km), SE N.Y., completed 1912. It is supplied by the Esopus and Schoharie watersheds and provides part of New York City's water supply. Water is carried to the city via the...

• Atchafalaya navigable river, c.170 mi (270 km) long, S central La. The Atchafalaya meanders south, in a former channel of the Mississippi, to the Gulf of Mexico. A distributary of the Red and Mississippi...

• Attu island: see Aleutian Islands.

• Augustine volcano, Alaska: see Augustine Island.

• Augustine Island ô´gestēn, -tĬn; ôgŭs´tĬn , unihabited volcanic island, S Alaska, in Kamishak Bay at mouth of Cook Inlet. The active Augustine (or St. Augustine) volcano, which forms the entire island, rises to 4,134 ft (1,260 m); ash from...

• Ausable Chasm gorge, 2 mi (3.2 km) long, from 20 to 50 ft (6-15 m) wide, from 100 to 200 ft (30-61 m) deep, NE N.Y. The chasm, with its rapids, waterfalls, and curious rock formations, is a popular tourist...

• Avery Island salt dome, 163 ft (50 m) high and 2 mi (3.2 km) in diameter, S La., in an area of sea marshes and swamps. A corporation controlled by the Avery and McIlhenny families owns the island. Hot peppers...

• Backbone Mountain peak, 3,360 ft (1,024 m) high, NW Md., in the Allegheny Mts.; highest elevation in the state.

• Bear river, 350 mi (563 km) long, rising in the Uinta Mts., NE Utah, and flowing in a U-shaped course NW through Wyoming and Idaho, then S into Utah to enter Great Salt Lake. A perennial stream, the...

• Beaver Island 14 mi (23 km) long, from 3 to 6 mi (4.8-9.6 km) wide, off N Mich., in Lake Michigan. It is the largest island of the Beaver Archipelago and has forests, lakes, beaches, and a harbor at St. James...

• Belle Fourche river, c.290 mi (470 km) long, rising in NE Wyo., flowing NE and then E to the Cheyenne River in W S.Dak. The Belle Fourche project provides flood control and recreation facilities as well as...

• Berkshire Hills bûrk´sher, -shĬr , mountainous region of wooded hills with many small lakes and streams, W Mass. The Berkshires are a southern extension of the Green Mts., but the name is generally applied to all highlands in W...

• Big Bend Ranch State Park Texas: see under Big Bend National Park.

• Big Black Mountain peak, 4,145 ft (1,263 m) high, E Ky., in the Cumberland Mts.; highest point in Kentucky.

• Big Sioux river, 420 mi (676 km) long, rising in NE S.Dak. and flowing S into the Missouri River. It passes through an agricultural region that produces corn, oats, hogs, and beef cattle. The river's...

• Big Stone Lake narrow lake, c.25 mi (40 km) long, on the Minn.-S.Dak. line. Located in the outlet channel of glacial Lake Agassiz , it is the source of the Minnesota River and serves as a storage reservoir for the...

• Bighorn river, 461 mi (741 km) long, formed in W central Wyo. by the confluence of the Wind and Pop Agie rivers and flowing north to join the Yellowstone River in S Mont. The Bighorn basin, part of the...

• Bighorn Mountains range of the Rocky Mts., N central Wyo., extending c.120 mi (190 km) N into S Montana, E of the Bighorn River. Cloud Peak, 13,165 ft (4,013 m), is the highest point. The glaciated mountain range...

• Bitterroot river, c.120 mi (190 km) long, rising in SW Mont. and flowing north to join the Clark Fork River near Missoula. A Roman Catholic mission was established on the river in 1841, and missionaries are...

• Bitterroot Range part of the Rocky Mts., on the Idaho-Mont. line. The main range, running northwest-southeast, includes Trapper Peak (10,175 ft/3,101 m high); Mt. Garfield (10,961 ft/3,341 m), in an east-running...

• Black Belt term applied to several areas of Mississippi and Alabama, the heart of the Old South, which are characterized by black soil and excellent cotton-growing conditions. The Black Belt area was...

• Black Hills rugged mountains, c.6,000 sq mi (15,540 sq km), enclosed by the Belle Fourche and Cheyenne rivers, SW S.Dak. and NE Wyo., and rising c.2,500 ft (760 m) above the surrounding Great Plains; Harney...

• Black Mountains see Appalachian Mountains ; Mitchell, Mount.

• Black River 1 River rising in SE Mo. and flowing c.300 mi (480 km) SE, then SW to the White River near Newport, Ark. It is partly navigable. Clearwater Dam is on the river near Piedmont, Mo. 2 River of N N.Y., c.120 mi (190 km) long, rising in the Adirondack Mts. and flowing mainly N and W to Black River Bay, an inlet of Lake Ontario. Its falls provide power for factories and mills. 3 River, c.160 mi (260 km) long, rising in central Wis. and winding SW to the Mississippi River at La Crosse, Wis. It has been used to transport lumber, coal, and petroleum products. Big Manitou...

• Black Rock Desert arid region of lava beds and alkali flats, NW Nev., in Toiyabe National Forest, stretching c.70 mi (110 km) NE from Gerlach. The Jackson Mts. rise to the east; the Black Rock Range to the west. A...

• Black Warrior navigable river, 178 mi (286 km) long, rising in N central Ala. and flowing generally SW to the Tombigbee River. The Black Warrior drains a coal- and cotton-producing area, but these industries...

• Blackstone river, c.50 mi (80 km) long, rising near Worcester, Mass., and flowing SE to Narragansett Bay at Providence, R.I. The river's clean water was a major factor in the early development of the area's...

• Blennerhassett Island in the Ohio River, near Parkersburg, W.Va. On it Harman Blennerhassett built a mansion and a laboratory for his study. The island was ransacked by the local militia when Aaron Burr 's schemes, with...

• Block Island 7 mi (11.2 km) long and 3.5 mi (5.6 km) wide, off S R.I. at the eastern entrance to Long Island Sound. Visited by the Dutch navigator Adriaen Block in 1614, it was settled in 1661. The murder (1637) there of John Oldham , an English trader, was the direct cause of the Pequot War (see Pequot ). Characterized by numerous small ponds, low hills, and a mild climate, the island has long been a favorite fishing and resort area. Possessing ferry services and two harbors, it accommodates local...

• Blue Mountains uplifted, eroded part of the Columbia Plateau, c.6,500 ft (1,980 m) high, NE Oreg. and SE Wash. Lava flows cover much of the surface. The upper, wooded slopes are used for lumbering. Recreation and...

• Blue Ridge eastern range of the Appalachian Mts., extending south from S Pa. to N Ga.; highest mountains in the E United States. Mt. Mitchell, 6,684 ft (2,037 m) high, is the tallest peak. Beginning with a...

• Boise river, c.160 mi (260 km) long, rising in SW Idaho and flowing west to join the Snake River at the Oregon line. In 1811 the Boise River, originally called Reed's River, was explored by an expedition...

• Boise project in the Boise, Payette, and Snake river valleys, SW Idaho and E Oregon; developed in 1905 by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation for irrigation, hydroelectricity, flood control, and recreation. The...

• Bomoseen, Lake 7.5 mi (12 km) long, 1.5 mi (2.4 km) wide, W Vt., largest lake wholly within Vermont. Surrounded by wooded hills, it is a popular summer resort. Bomoseen State Park is on the west shore.

• Bonneville Dam one of the major dams on the Columbia River where it passes through the Cascade Mts., between Oregon and Wash. The dam, 2,690 ft (820 m) long and 197 ft (60 m) high, was built between 1933 and 1943...

• Bonneville Salt Flats desert area in Tooele co., NW Utah, c.14 mi (22.5 km) long and 7 mi (11.2 km) wide. The smooth salt surface of the Flats is ideal for auto racing, and several world land speed records have been...

• Borah, Mount [for William E. Borah ], peak, 12,662 ft (3,859 m) high, central Idaho, in the Lost River Mts.; highest point in the state.

• Boston Mountains most rugged part of the Ozarks, NW Ark. and E Okla., rising to 2,700 ft (823 m). Isolated because of its geographical makeup, the region developed its own lifestyle; mountain people occupy small...

• Boulder Dam see Hoover Dam.

• Boundary Peak 13,140 ft (4,005 m) high, SW Nev., in the White Mts. near the Calif. line. It is the highest point in Nevada.

• Brasstown Bald peak, 4,784 ft (1,458 m) high, N Ga., in the Blue Ridge of the Appalachian Mts., near the N.C. line. It is the highest point in Georgia.

• Brazos river, 870 mi (1,410 km) long (1,210 mi/1,947 km long with its main tributary), rising in E N.Mex. From its source it flows SE across Texas to enter the Gulf of Mexico at Freeport. The Brazos...

• Bronx river, c.20 mi (30 km) long, issuing from Kensico Reservoir, SE N.Y., and flowing SW through the Bronx into the East River. The Bronx River Parkway, one of the first limited-access highways in the...

• Brooklyn Bridge vehicular suspension bridge, New York City, southernmost of the bridges across the East River, between lower Manhattan and Brooklyn; built 1869-83. The achievement of J. A. Roebling and his son W. A. Roebling, it has a span of 1,595.5 ft (487 m). It was the first steel-wire suspension bridge in the world and was the world's longest suspension bridge at the time of its...

• Brooks Range mountain chain, northernmost part of the Rocky Mts., extending about 600 mi (970 km) from east to west across N Alaska. Mt. Chamberlin, 9,020 ft (2,749 m) high, near the Canadian border, is the...

• Calcasieu river c.200 mi (320 km) long, rising in W central La. and flowing S through Lake Charles and Calcasieu Lake to the Gulf of Mexico. The river, which is partly navigable, connects the port of Lake...

• Calumet industrialized region of NW Ind. and NE Ill., along the south shore of Lake Michigan. Once a great heavy industry and steel manufacturing center, the area has become largely residential. The chief...

• Calumet Harbor artificial harbor on Lake Michigan, at the mouth of the Calumet River, NE Ill., in S Chicago. The harbor, dredged to 27 ft (8 m), is formed behind a breakwater extending c.2 mi (3.2 km) into Lake...

• Canadian river, 906 mi (1,458 km) long, rising in NE New Mexico. and flowing E across N Texas and central Oklahoma into the Arkansas River in E Oklahoma. In the mid-1800s, the Canadian River valley was...

• Canandaigua Lake see Finger Lakes.

• Candlewood Lake 8.4 sq mi (21.8 sq km), W Conn. It is formed behind a power dam S of the Rocky River's junction with the Housatonic River. Along its 65-mi (105-km) shoreline are tourist resorts and recreational...

• Caney Fork river, 144 mi (232 km) long, rising in central Tenn. and flowing NW to the Cumberland River. On Caney Fork, part of the Tennessee Valley Authority, are Great Falls Dam and Center Hill Dam, which...

• Cape Canaveral low, sandy promontory extending E into the Atlantic Ocean from a barrier island, E Fla., separated from Merritt Island by the Banana River, a lagoon; named (1963) Cape Kennedy in memory of...

• Cape Cod narrow peninsula of glacial origin, 399 sq mi (1,033 sq km), SE Mass., extending 65 mi (105 km) E and N into the Atlantic Ocean. It is generally flat, with sand dunes, low hills, and numerous...

• Cape Fear River 202 mi (325 km) long, formed in E central N.C. by the junction of the Deep and Haw rivers, and flowing southeast to enter the Atlantic Ocean S of Wilmington and N of Cape Fear; longest river...

• Cape Kennedy see Cape Canaveral , Fla.

• Capitol seat of the U.S. government at Washington, D.C. It is the city's dominating monument, built on an elevated site that was chosen by George Washington in consultation with Major Pierre L'Enfant. The building as it now stands took many years to build and is the result of the work of several architects. In 1792 a competition was held to select an architect, but William Thornton gained the president's approval with a plan separately submitted and was appointed. In 1793 the president set the cornerstone, with Masonic rites, and the building was begun. Later three additional...

• Carson Sink swampy area, c.100 sq mi (260 sq km), W Nev.; a remnant of ancient Lake Lahontan. Fallon National Wildlife Refuge is located there. The Carson River (c.125 mi/200 km long), fed by melted snow, flows into the sink. The river's course was followed by California-bound travelers in the 1850s and 1860s. Mercury used in the mining of gold and silver...

• Cascade Range mountain chain, c.700 mi (1,130 km) long, extending S from British Columbia to N Calif., where it becomes the Sierra Nevada ; it parallels the Coast Ranges , 100-150 mi (161-241 km) inland from the...

• Catalina Island see Santa Catalina.

• Catawba river, N.C. and S.C.: see Wateree.

• Catskill Aqueduct see Ashokan Reservoir , N.Y.

• Catskill Mountains dissected plateau of the Appalachian Mt. system, SE N.Y., W of the Hudson River. This glaciated region, wooded and rolling, with deep gorges and many waterfalls, is drained by the headstreams of...

• Cayuga Lake 38 mi (61 km) long and 1 to 3.5 mi (1.6-5.6 km) wide, W central N.Y.; longest of the Finger Lakes. It is connected by the Seneca-Cayuga Canal to the New York State Canal System. Cornell Univ. and...

• Cedar Creek small tributary of the North Fork of the Shenandoah River, N of Strasburg, N Va. It was the scene of a Civil War battle (Oct. 19, 1864) in which Union general P. H. Sheridan defeated J. A. Early.

• Central Utah project N central Utah; begun 1959 near Vernal, Utah, by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation in conjunction with the Colorado River storage project. Water, collected from streams in the Uinta Mts., is carried across the Wasatch Range to the densely populated Salt Lake City region by a system of dams, reservoirs, tunnels, aqueducts, and canals...

• Central Valley great trough of central Calif., c.450 mi (720 km) long and c.50 mi (80 km) wide, between the Sierra Nevada and the Coast Ranges. The Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers drain most of the valley...

• Central Valley project central Calif., long-term general scheme for the utilization of the water of the Sacramento River basin in the north for the benefit of the farmlands of the San Joaquin Valley in the south,...

• Champlain, Lake 490 sq mi (1,269 sq km), 125 mi (201 km) long and from 0.5 to 14 mi (0.8-23 km) wide, forming part of the New York-Vermont border and extending into Quebec. Lake Champlain lies in an elongated...

• Charles river, c.60 mi (97 km) long, rising in E Mass. and flowing generally NE to Boston Bay; it separates Boston from Cambridge. Extensive development to the riverfront includes the Esplanade, a series...

• Charles Mound hill, an ancient burial mound 1,241 ft (378 m) high, NW Ill., near the Wis. line; highest point in the state.

• Chateaugay river, c.50 mi (80 km) long, rising in Chateaugay Lake in the Adirondacks, NE N.Y., and flowing through Quebec to empty into the St. Lawrence 10 mi (16 km) below Montreal, opposite the mouth of...

• Chattahoochee river, 436 mi (702 km) long, rising in N Ga., and flowing generally SW to the Ala.-Ga. border and then S along it to join the Flint River in Lake Seminole on the Ga.-Fla. line; the combined waters...

• Chautauqua Lake 18 mi (29 km) long and from 1 to 3 mi (1.6-4.8 km) wide, W N.Y., SW of Buffalo, in a resort, vineyarding, and orcharding area. Jamestown lies at its southeast end, Chautauqua on the northwest.

• Cheaha peak, 2,407 ft (734 m) high, E Ala., in the Talladega Mts.; highest point in Alabama. It is included in Talladega National Forest.

• Chelan, Lake 55 mi (89 km) long and from 1 to 2 mi (1.6-3.2 km) wide, located in a deep narrow gorge in the Cascade Range, NW Wash.; third-deepest freshwater lake in the United States. Fed by streams from the...

• Chemung river, c.45 mi (70 km) long, formed in S central N.Y. by the junction of the Cohocton and Tioga rivers near Corning, N.Y., and flowing SE past Elmira to the Susquehanna River near Sayre, Pa. The...

• Cherokee Outlet see Cherokee Strip.

• Cherokee Strip or Cherokee Outlet, a narrow piece of land in N Oklahoma. Bounded on the north by the Kansas border, it has an area of more than 6 million acres (2.4 million hectares). Measuring some 50 mi (80 km) wide, it extends...

• Chesapeake and Delaware Canal sea-level canal, 19 mi (31 km) long, 250 ft (76 m) wide, and 27 ft (8.2 m) deep, connecting the head of Chesapeake Bay with the Delaware River. Built in 1824-29, the canal was bought by the federal...

• Chesapeake and Ohio Canal former waterway, c.185 mi (300 km) long, from Washington, D.C., to Cumberland, Md., running along the north bank of the Potomac River. A successor to the Potomac Company's (1784-1828) navigation...

• Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel officially the Lucius J. Kellam, Jr. Bridge-Tunnel, 17.6 mi (28.2 km) long, across the mouth of Chesapeake Bay, E Va., connecting Cape Charles with Norfolk, Va. Opened in 1964, the original roadway consisted of a chain of low trestle bridges, two...

• Chesuncook Lake 22 mi (35 km) long and from 1 to 4 mi (1.6-6.4 km) wide, N central Maine. The western branch of the Penobscot River flows through the lake. Baxter State Park is nearby.

• Cheyenne river, 527 mi (848 km) long, rising in E Wyo. and flowing NE to the Missouri River near Pierre, S.Dak. The Cheyenne basin is part of the Missouri River basin project. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation...

• Cheyenne Mountain c.9,565 ft (2,915 m), in the Front Range of the Rocky Mts., El Paso co., central Colo., SW of Colorado Springs. Halfway up the mountain, in North Cheyenne Park, is the Shrine of the Sun Memorial, erected in memory of Will Rogers. It consists of a 100-ft (30-m) tower, the interior of which is decorated with frescoes; there is bust of Rogers by Jo Davidson. The headquarters of the North American Air Defense Command (NORAD)...

• Chicago river, formed in Chicago by the junction of its North Branch (24 mi/39 km long) and South Branch (10 mi/16 km long), and flowing southeast via a canal into the Des Plaines River at Lockport, Ill...

• Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal see Chicago , river.

• Chippewa river, c.200 mi (320 km) long, rising in several forks in the lake region of N Wis. and flowing SW to the Mississippi, which it enters at the foot of Lake Pepin. Eau Claire and Chippewa Falls are...

• Chrysler Building in midtown Manhattan, New York City, at Lexington Ave. between 42d and 43d St. The ultimate art deco -style skyscraper , it was commissioned by Walter P. Chrysler , designed by William Van Alen, and built in 1926-30. For about a year, until the completion (1931) of the Empire State Building , the Chrysler was the world's tallest building. Comprised of 77 stories and 1,048 ft (319 m) tall, this steel-framed office building is a stepped tower with two primary setbacks. It is topped by a...

• Chugach Mountains one of the Pacific coastal ranges, S Alaska, extending from the St. Elias Mts., on the Alaska-Yukon border, NW to the Manuska River. Mt. Marcus Baker, 13,176 ft (4,016 m), is the highest peak...

• Cimarron river, 698 mi (1,123 km) long, rising in NE N.Mex., and flowing generally E to the Arkansas River, W of Tulsa, Okla. It follows the direct route of the Santa Fe Trail for many miles in Kansas...

• Clear Lake 65 sq mi (168 sq km), W Calif., in wooded hills NW of San Francisco. It is the largest freshwater lake entirely within California and is a fishing resort. Mt. Konochti rises nearly 3,000 ft (910 m)...

• Clearwater river, c.190 mi (305 km) long, rising in several branches in the Bitterroot Range, N Idaho, and flowing west to join the Snake River at Lewiston, Idaho. The gold-mining era in Idaho began in 1860,...

• Clinch river, c.300 mi (480 km) long, formed by the junction of two forks in SW Va., and flowing generally SW across E Tenn. to the Tennessee River at Kingston. Its waters and those of its tributary, the...

• Clingmans Dome mountain, Tenn.: see Great Smoky Mountains.

• Coachella Valley arid region, SE Calif., N of the Salton Sea. Water is brought into the region by artesian wells and by the Coachella Canal (123 mi/198 km long), a branch of the All-American Canal built between...

• Coast Ranges series of mountain ranges along the Pacific coast of North America, extending from SE Alaska to Baja California; from 2,000 to 20,000 ft (610-6,100 m) high. The ranges include the St. Elias Mts. in...

• Cockburn Island see Manitoulin Islands.

• Colorado . 1 Great river of the SW United States, 1,450 mi (2,334 km) long, rising in the Rocky Mts. of N Colo., and flowing generally SW through Colo., Utah, Ariz., between Nev. and Ariz., and Ariz. and...

• Colorado Plateau physiographic region of SW North America, c.150,000 sq mi (388,500 sq km), in Arizona, Utah, Colorado, and New Mexico, including the "Four Corners" area. It is characterized by broad plateaus, ancient volcanic mountains at elevations of c.5,000 to 13,000 ft (1,520-3,960 m), and deeply dissected canyons lined with often brightly colored...

• Colorado River storage project a multipurpose plan, undertaken by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation in 1956, to control the flow of the upper Colorado and its tributaries and to aid in the development of the rugged, remote upper...

• Colorado-Big Thompson project constructed by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation to divert water from the headstreams of the Colorado River to irrigate c.720,000 acres (291,400 hectares) of land in NE Colorado and to supply power;...

• Columbia basin project central Wash., a multipurpose development of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation providing irrigation, hydroelectric power, and flood control. Its key unit, the Grand Coulee Dam , provides the project with power and pumps the waters of the Columbia River into an irrigation system comprising a series of lakes, reservoirs, and numerous canals. Irrigation was begun in 1948. In...

• Columbia Plateau physiographic region of North America, c.100,000 sq mi (259,000 sq km), NW United States, between the Rocky Mts. and the Cascade Range in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. Most of the plateau is...

• Colville river, c.375 mi (600 km) long, rising in the De Long Mts. of the Brooks Range, NW Alaska, and flowing across the tundra, east then north, to the Arctic Ocean. All of its major tributaries rise on...

• Concord river, c.15 mi (24 km) long, NE Mass., a short tributary of the Merrimack, which it joins at Lowell. On Apr. 19, 1775, colonial militia fired some of the first shots of the American Revolution at...

• Conemaugh river c.70 mi (110 km) long, rising in the Allegheny Mts. and flowing NW to the Allegheny River, SW Pa. Federal flood-control works on the river and its tributaries include Conemaugh River Dam...

• Connecticut longest river in New England, 407 mi (655 km) long, rising in the Connecticut Lakes, N N.H., near the Quebec border, and flowing S along the Vt.-N.H. line, then across Mass. and Conn. to enter Long...

• Conowingo Dam 4,648 ft (1,417 m) long, 102 ft (31 m) high, on the Susquehanna River, NE Md.; completed 1928. It is one of the largest nonfederal hydroelectric power plants in the United States. Conowingo Lake,...

• Continental Divide the "backbone" of a continent. In North America, from N Alaska to New Mexico, it moves along the crest of the Rocky Mts., which separates westward-flowing streams from eastward-flowing waters. In SW New Mexico...

• Coolidge Dam 249 ft (76 m) high, 920 ft (280 m) long, on the Gila River, SE Ariz.; built 1927-28. It irrigates c.100,000 acres (40,470 hectares), half of which are Native American lands in San Carlos...

• Coosa river, 286 mi (460 km) long, rising in NW Ga. and flowing SW through E Ala., joining the Tallapoosa near Montgomery, Ala., to form the Alabama River. Locks and dams make the river navigable for...

• Copper river, c.300 mi (480 km) long, rising in the Wrangell Mts., SE Alaska, and flowing S through the Chugach Mts. to the Gulf of Alaska. Copper deposits near the upper river, long mined by natives,...

• Cordilleras [Span., originally=little string], general name for the entire chain of mountain systems of W North America, extending from N Alaska to Nicaragua. The Cordilleras include the Rocky Mts., the ranges...

• Corn Belt major agricultural region of the U.S. Midwest where corn acreage once exceeded that of any other crop. It is now commonly called the Feed Grains and Livestock Belt. Located in the north central...

• Cotton Belt former agricultural region of the SE United States where cotton was the main cash crop throughout the 19th and much of the 20th cent. Located on the Atlantic and Gulf coastal plains and on the...

• Crawford Notch water gap in the White Mts., N central N.H., through which the Saco River flows. It is named for Abel Crawford, an early settler. The area is a state park (est. 1911).

• Cross-Florida Waterway see Okeechobee Waterway.

• Croton Aqueduct 38 mi (61 km) long, SE N.Y., carrying water from the Croton River basin to New York City; built 1837-42. It was one of the earliest modern aqueducts in the United States. Water impounded by New...

• Cumberland river, 687 mi (1,106 km) long, rising in E Ky., and winding generally SW through Ky. and Tenn., then NW to the Ohio River near Paducah, Ky.; drains c.18,500 sq mi (47,910 sq km). The development of...

• Cumberland Gap natural passage through the Cumberland Mts., near the point where Virginia, Kentucky, and Tennessee meet. The gap was formed by the erosive action of a stream that once flowed there. It was...

• Cumberland Plateau or Cumberland Mountains, southwestern division of the Appalachian Mt. system, extending northeast to southwest through parts of West Virginia, Virginia, Kentucky, and Tennessee into N Alabama. Black Mt., Ky., is the...

• Cumberland Road see National Road.

• Cumberland Valley 75 mi (121 km) long and from 15 to 20 mi (24-32 km) wide, part of the great Appalachian valley, between the Potomac and Susquehanna rivers, W Md. and S Pa. It is a fertile farming area that is...

• Cuyahoga river, c.80 mi (130 km) long, flowing SW through Cuyahoga Falls, then N to Lake Erie, NE Ohio, forming part of Cleveland harbor. By the late 1960s, the Cuyahoga was one of the most polluted rivers...

• Cuyuna range in Minnesota: see Mesabi.

• Davis Mountains W Tex., SE of El Paso. Old Baldy, 8,382 ft (2,555 m), is the highest peak. Forested slopes, springs, and deep canyons attract tourists. On the summit of Mt. Locke, 6,791 ft (2,070 m) high, is the...

• Davis, Mount peak, 3,213 ft (979 m) high, SW Pa., in the Alleghenies; highest point in Pennsylvania.

• Dead River 45 mi (72 km) long, rising on the Canadian border, NW Maine, and flowing northeast through a hunting and fishing region to the Kennebec River. Long Falls Dam, on the Dead River, generates...

• Deal Island small island, off the western shore of Delmarva peninsula, in Tangier Sound, SE Md. It is an oyster, clam, and crab shipping and processing center.

• Death Valley SE Calif. and SW Nev., a deep, arid basin, 140 mi (225 km) long, bordered on the W by the Panamint Range and on the E by the Amargosa Range. In summer the valley has recorded some of the world's...

• Deerfield river, 70 mi (113 km) long, rising in S Vt. and flowing S into NW Mass., then SE to the Connecticut River at Greenfield, Mass. The river has extensive hydroelectric facilities but is also a...

• Delaware dĕl´ewâr, -wer , river, c.280 mi (450 km) long, rising in the Catskill Mts., SE N.Y., in east and west branches, which meet at Hancock. It flows SE along the New York-Pennsylvania border to Port Jervis, N.Y., then...

• Delaware and Hudson Canal dĕl´ewâr, -wer , former waterway, 108 mi (174 km) long, between Honesdale, Pa., and Eddyville, N.Y. (now in Kingston), linking the Delaware and Hudson rivers; built 1825-28 to move coal from the Pennsylvania...

• Delaware and Raritan Canal abandoned canal, 45 mi (72 km) long, between Bordentown and New Brunswick, N.J., connecting the Delaware and the Raritan rivers; opened in 1834. Once an important inland waterway, it was...

• Delaware Aqueduct dĕl´ewâr, -wer , SE N.Y., 85 mi (137 km) long, carrying water from the Rondout Reservoir, Sullivan co., SE into the New York City water system at the Hillview Reservoir, Westchester co.; built 1937-62. The tunnel...

• Delaware River Basin Compact dĕl´ewâr, -wer , providing for the utilization and development of the water resources of the Delaware River basin. In 1961 the federal government and the states of Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York...

• Delaware Water Gap dĕl´ewâr, -wer , scenic gorge, 2 mi (3.2 km) long, cut by the Delaware River through Kittatinny Mt., on the N.J.-Pa. line; located in a mountain resort area around Stroudsburg, Pa. The gap, parts of wooded...

• Dells of the Wisconsin   The Dells, or The Wisconsin Dells, scenic part of the Wisconsin River, central Wis., NW of Portage. The river has cut a deep gorge through 8 mi (12.9 km) of sandstone, which is carved into caves, pinnacles, and other interesting...

• Delmarva peninsula, c.180 mi (290 km) long, separating Chesapeake Bay on the west from Delaware Bay and the Atlantic Ocean on the east; named for the three states (Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia) located in part on it. The western coast of the peninsula (largely...

• Denison Dam 17,200 ft (5,243 m) long, on the Red River along the Texas-Okla. border, NW of Denison, Tex. The dam, built by the U.S. Corps of Engineers for flood control and hydroelectric power, was completed...

• Des Moines river, 535 mi (861 km) long, rising in SW Minn. and flowing SE across Iowa to the Mississippi River at Keokuk, SE Iowa. Flowing through fertile farmland, the river floods in the spring and is...

• Des Plaines river, 110 mi (177 km) long, rising in SE Wis., and flowing S and SW through NE Ill., joining the Kankakee River S of Joliet, Ill., to form the Illinois River. The lower Des Plaines is part of the...

• Deschutes river, c.240 mi (390 km) long, rising in several lakes in the Cascade Range, W central Oregon, and flowing NE to the Columbia River. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation has developed the stream and its...

• Detroit river, 32 mi (52 km) long, flowing from Lake St. Clair S into Lake Erie between Detroit, Mich., and Windsor, Ont.; it forms part of the U.S.-Canada boundary. It is one of the most heavily...

• Devils Lake 1 200 sq mi (520 sq km), NE central N.Dak., the largest natural body of water in the state. In an area of typically inland drainage, Devils Lake can range from a dry lakebed to more than 400 sq mi...

• Diamond Head peak, 761 ft (232 m) high, along the rim of an extinct volcano, SE Oahu island, Hawaii. A prominent point in the Honolulu skyline, Diamond Head was designated a national natural landmark to protect...

• Disappointment, Cape projecting into the Pacific Ocean, SW Wash., on the northern side of the mouth of the Columbia River. It was named in 1788 by English Capt. John Meares, who rounded it when searching for the fabled...

• Dismal Swamp SE Va. and NE N.C. With dense forests and tangled undergrowth, it is a favorite site for sportsmen and naturalists. It once may have covered nearly 2,200 sq mi (5,700 sq km) but has been reduced by...

• Door Peninsula 80 mi (129 km) long, NE Wis., between Green Bay and Lake Michigan; a canal at Sturgeon Bay bisects the peninsula. Cherry growing and tourism are the chief industries. The peninsula was visited as...

• Driftless Area