Missouri is located in the flattest part of the United States. Situated on the banks of the Mississippi River, much of the state is less than 1,000 feet above sea level. If Missouri is the lowest, what does the rest of the country look like?

The world is navigated using invisible lines. Lines or parallels traveling east to west around the globe are called Lines of Latitude. The Equator is the most well known of these lines. It is located at 0 degrees. Lines or meridians that travel north to south are called Lines of Latitude. They all meet at the North and South Poles. The Prime Meridian and the International Date Line are the two most well known lines of latitude. For this project we will only be working with one line of latitude. 39 degrees latitude is an invisible line running length wise across the continental Unites States. In fact, it goes all the way around the world, but we will only be looking at the section located in the US. Below you will see a chart showing the elevation of the US at different lines of longitude where they cross the 39 parallel. For Example, at 105 W the ground raises to over 13,000 feet above sea level. That is because that is where the Rocky Mountains are located.

For the project you will need ten pieces of one inch graph paper. Begin by attaching four pieces of paper together (side by side). Next tape 4 pieces of paper above the four pieces below so that you have a 4 x 2 arragement. The additional pieces of paper are in case you need to extend either axes. Next you will need to set up you X and Y axes The Y axis will be on the left hand side. Staring at the bottom at zero, mark each inch. Label them at 1,000 foot gaps. Thus the first inch will be 1,000 feet. The second will be 2,000 and so on. Measure up to 14,000 feet. Next you will set up the X axis. Start one inch to the right of where the two axes meet. Mark this as 123 W. Mark off each line of latitude as you move to your right. Remember, we are only doing odd lines. Don't worry, you have already done the hard part. Now, simply put a dot where the numbers meet. For example, for 85 W put a dot at 1,000 feet. Once you have all of the elevations marked, connect the dots using a ruler. You have now drawn the elevation of the United States on the 39 parallel. See if you can recognize where the Rocky Mountains, Appalachian Mountains, and the Mississippi River are located. Label them on your graph. Give the graph a title and hand it in.

Resource: Everyday Mathematics, American Tour Almanac