4.12

= = =4.12 Identify and describe unique features of the United States (e.g., the Everglades, the Grand Canyon, Mount Rushmore, the Redwood Forest, Yellowstone National Park, and Yosemite National Park).=
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See World History I.12 for information on Cahokia, a city of 15,000 inhabitants created by Native Americans in present Illinois between 1000 and the late 13th century.
**World Heritage Sites in the United States**

Click here for the PBS site "The National Parks: America's Best Idea"

**Gila Cliff Dwellings**


Uninhabited since the 13th Century, the Gila Cliff Dwellings were created by Native Americans living in present-day New Mexico.

The Everglades
The Everglades are the largest sub-tropical area on the mainland US. It contains rivers, forests, marshes, ponds, swamps, and more. It also houses a wide variety of trees and other plants, as well as a large number of animal species, many of which are endangered.

Click here for more information. Click here for more on the animals and plants in the Everglades.

Click here for resources from the National Park Services on the Everglades.

The Grand Canyon


Formed by the Colorado River over3-6 million years. 227 miles long and up to 18 miles wide at some points. About 350 species live in the canyon.

For more information, click here.

Click here for a virtual tour of the Grand Canyon.

//National Geographic// offers a lesson plan on the Grand Canyon to help students understand geographical landforms, like canyons, mountains, and plains. It includes many photographs of the Grand Canyon.

Mount Rushmore


Created in the 1920s to increase tourism to the Black Hills. Presidents selected for their contributions to America and democracy. 400 workers helped sculpt the faces. 450,000 tons of rock were removed during its creation.

For more information, click here.

Click here and here for photos of the carving of Mount Rushmore.

The construction of Mount Rushmore was offensive to the Native Americans of the area. Click here to read more about the background of the controversy. There has been discussion of returning the Black Hills to the Native Americans as recent as 2012.

Redwood Forest
Located in Northern California, redwoods are some of the oldest and biggest trees in the world.

National Geographic has a Redwood Forest page that includes photographs, videos, maps, and an interactive time line linking some of the trees' ages with historic events.

Yellowstone National Park


Established in 1872 and became the world's first National Park. Contains hot springs, geysers, mountains, rivers, and forests. It actually has the most geysers and hot springs in the world.

For more information, click here.

Click here to watch Old Faithful's eruption Click here for an "e-trip" to Yellowstone National Park. Click here for the PBS companion site for the film "Yellowstone: America's Sacred Wilderness"

Yosemite National Park
Established in 1890. It is about the same size as the state of Rhode Island. It is most famous for Yosemite Falls and its valley. The valley is about one mile wide and seven miles long.

For more information, click here.

View Webcams from different locations throughout the Parkincluding 2,425-foot Yosemite Falls.

For material on national parks as Native American homelands, see United States History II.4