Natural Resources in the United States Farming Farmland

Natural Resources in the United States

Farming • Farmland is the most abundant natural resource in the country • Government gave people land if they agreed to farm improve on it in five years – Homestead Act (1862) – Opened up the Great Plains to farming • Exports equal $50 million annually • Nebraska 90% Farmland

Forestry • Began in New England – Used to make barrels, ships, and lumber • Shifted to the South after the American Revolution – Rivers could be used for transportation year round • By 1930, most forests in the East were converted to farmland – Indiana • Most logging takes place in the Pacific Northwest

Forestry contd. • Trees are a renewable resource – Logging companies have strict regulations they must follow – This conserves and allows for replenishing of forests • Forests have also been included in National Parks – This helps preserve the forests as well as the plants and animals that live in them

Mining • Most abundant mineral in the United States is coal – US produces one fifth of world’s supply – Pennsylvania, West Virginia • Oil and Natural gas can also be found here – Texas, Alaska • Other precious metals are found in the US – – – Copper Lead Uranium - Gold - Titanium - Zinc

Movement • New Technologies in transportation helped the US economy grow • Raw materials had to be moved to factories for production • Travel was difficult in early years because of geography

Water • Many paper companies were built on rivers and other bodies of water to allow raw materials to be easily obtained – Georgia Pacific • Manmade waterways were eventually created to expand water transportation across the country – Canals • Steam power created a faster mode of transportation along water ways

Land • As railroads developed, land transportation became more important than water – Goods could be transported wherever track could be laid – Transcontinental Railroad • Automobiles allowed transportation to be done anywhere in the United States despite geography – Tucking – Interstate Highway System

Telecommunications • Communication relied on paper exchange – Wells Fargo - Pony Express • Samuel Morse invented the telegraph – 1837 – Spread over the continent – Grew along side railroad lines • Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone – – – 1876 1915 – Telephone lines stretched from coast to coast Today, fiber optics, satellites, and wireless technology spread information across the world

Free Enterprise • The US is devoted to freedom and independence • Free Enterprise system – Individuals can profit from their own businesses in an open market – Anyone can be successful if they work hard and follow the rules • This idea draws many immigrants to the United States