Exploring the West

Exploring the West — page 3 — THE TROPICAL STATE the other states by Canada is Alaska On the east side are Nevada Idaho Montana Utah Wyoming and Colorado The islands Hawaii is warm all year long The ocean keeps the climate at a steady temperature From May to October temperatures average approximately 85 degrees Fahrenheit 29°C From November to April the weather is cooler with temperatures around 78 degrees Fahrenheit 26°C A lot of rain falls in the mountains Mount Waialeale is one of the wettest places in the world It is on the island of Kauai It receives 450 inches 1 143 cm of rain each year of Hawaii lie thousands of miles off the coast in the Pacific Ocean Seven of the top ten biggest US states are in the West Alaska is the largest But it has the third smallest population of any state Approximately 740 000 people live in Alaska California has the largest population More than 39 million people live there The state is home to the second largest city in the country Los Angeles It has nearly 4 million people

Exploring the West — page 4 — Nevada has a dry desert climate THE CLIMATE OF THE WEST The West has various climate zones Winters along the Pacific Coast are usually cool and foggy Some areas are very wet Seattle Washington is one of the wettest cities in the United States The climates of California Nevada and Montana are much hotter and drier Las Vegas Nevada is one of the driest cities in the country Only approximately 4 inches 10 cm of rain fall there each year Alaska has long winter days The town of Barrow Alaska is above the Arctic Circle It does not see the sun all winter long This is because Earth's axis is tilted

Exploring the West — page 5 — THE WESTERN REGION This map highlights the western United States After reading about the western region what did you think it would look like How does seeing the map help you better understand the size of this region WASHINGTON Olympia Helena Salem MONTANA OREGON IDAHO Boise WYOMING Cheyenne Sacramento Carson City Salt Lake City NEVADA UTAH PACIFIC OCEAN Denver COLORADO CALIFORNIA ALASKA Juneau Honolulu HAWAII E N W S

Exploring the West — page 6 — During the winter part of Earth tilts away from the sun Some parts of Alaska are so cold that the ground remains frozen throughout much of the year The West's varied climates and landscapes draw thousands of people PERSPECTIVES THE MODOC The Modoc are a Native American tribe They once lived along the border of California and Oregon In the winter groups of Modoc people lived near lakes They hunted water birds such as ducks Each spring they moved near rivers to fish for salmon They also gathered roots berries and fruits Modoc author Cheewa James writes Modocs did not see the land as something to be owned any more than they saw owning the clouds In the 1800s European settlers forced the Modoc from their lands Today the Modoc live on reservations in Oregon and Oklahoma to the region each year With so much to do and see it is no wonder that the West is one of the most popular regions of the United States

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