NORTH AMERICA IN SPATIAL TERMS

Which area will likely provide the best farmland?

Great Plains

Which mountain ranges are part of the Appalachian Mountains?

Green Mountains White Mountains Great Smoky Mountains

Which country is identified as A on the map?

Greenland

Greenland

Greenland is the world's largest island that is not classified as a continent. Physically, it is located east of Canada, but is politically tied to Denmark. Most of Greenland's population is comprised of native Inuit people.

Which mountain ranges are part of the Cordilleras?

Rocky Mountains Sierra Madre Occidental Sierra Madre Del Sur

Select all the names of the Great Lakes.

Superior Ontario Erie Michigan Huron

a land mass surrounded by water on three sides

peninsula

Match the water system with the letter that represents it on the map.

A. Atlantic Ocean B. Pacific Ocean C. Arctic Ocean D. Bering Strait E. Mississippi River F. Great Lakes G. Hudson Bay H. Yukon River

What landform was crossed by American colonists when they headed west?

Appalachian Mountains

Which mountain range is identified as G on the map?

Appalachian Mountains

Which of the following landforms are peninsulas?

Baja Yucatan Florida

Baja California

Baja California is the name of the Mexican peninsula that extends south of the state of California. It is a long, narrow, mountainous finger of land between the Gulf of California (Sea of Cortes) and the Pacific Ocean.

Plains

Between the eastern and western mountain ranges spreads a huge fertile plain. The western part of the plain tends to be dry, with several deserts in the southwest region. Its eastern half provides great agricultural areas, the Appalachian Mountains, and many good seaports on the Atlantic Coast. These plains are divided into three parts. The northern part is the Canadian Shield, which is also called the Laurentian Plateau. The Canadian Shield is a great depression that marks the advance of the glacier that dug out the Great Lakes and changed the continent. This plateau of rock runs across northern Canada, around Hudson Bay, and as far south as the Great Lakes. It has many rivers that can be used for hydroelectric power. Its soil is thin and not good for crops; its rocks, however, are rich in mineral resources. The southern part of the plains is the Central Lowlands. The western side, near the Cordillera, is called the Great Plains. The Great Plains run from central Canada to Texas. It is grassland of rich soil that gets drier the further west it goes. The Coastal Plains at the eastern edge of North America run along the Atlantic coast in the United States and around the Gulf of Mexico. These plains provide good farmland and rivers for transportation. For this reason, the area was quickly settled by the Europeans who came to the New World. Here, the thirteen original colonies formed a new nation, which we know as the United States of America.

Baffin Island

Canada's largest island, and the fifth largest island in the world, is Baffin Island. It takes its name from an English explorer, William Baffin, who visited the island in 1616. Not many people live here, because of its arctic climate.

Which plain is completely located in Canada?

Canadian Shield

These five islands are the principle islands of North America.

Newfoundland Baffin Island Greenland Hawaii Aleutian Islands

North America

North America is the world's third largest continent. It's comprised of the United States, Canada, Greenland, and Mexico. Canada borders the U.S. on the north. Mexico borders the U.S. on the south. Greenland, the world's largest island, lies northeast of Canada.

Newfoundland

Off the coast of Canada, located near the mouth of the St. Lawrence River, is the island of Newfoundland. The Vikings attempted to settle here but eventually abandoned the island. Later, Europeans re-discovered this "new found land," claiming it the first colony for Great Britain.

The Hawaiian Islands are surrounded by which ocean?

Pacific

Mississippi River

The Mississippi River is the deepest river in the U.S. It is two hundred feet at its deepest point.

Missouri River

The Missouri River is the longest river in the U.S. It is 2,540 miles long.

Yucatan Peninsula

The Yucatan Peninsula is on the southeast side of Mexico on the Gulf of Mexico. It divides the Gulf of Mexico from the Caribbean Sea. It was the home of an ancient Indian civilization called the Maya. Today, the ruins of their cities are a tourist attraction for the peninsula.

Florida

The entire state of Florida is a peninsula. The Gulf of Mexico is to its west and the Atlantic Ocean is to its east.

Aleutian Islands

a long archipelago stretching from Alaska toward Asia. This chain of islands is the physical barrier that separates the Bering Sea from the Pacific Ocean. The Aleutian Islands gets its name from the Aleuts, the group of Native Americans who live there.Most of the Aleutian Islands have volcanic origins and are home to an abundance of wildlife.

a group of islands clustered together in a large body of water

archipelago

all the land drained by a river and the streams that flow into that river

drainage basin

The map below is a physical map of North America. Use this map to learn about the important landforms on the continent.

https://cdn.lti.glynlyon.com/media/1716089e-e24d-4641-89c8-5a34a5814749/img/na_map_landforms.gif Notice that the continent of North America has two major mountain ranges, one in the east and the other in the west, and a large plain in the center. The Cordillera Mountains run along the western portion of North America. They begin in Alaska and run southward into South America. This mountain range has several different ranges that lie within it. The Rocky Mountains are probably the best-known range within the American Cordillera. These mountains arise from the Great Plains as you travel westward across America. The Rocky Mountains also contain the great Continental Divide. Mt. McKinley, at the northern end of the Cordillera Range, is North America's highest mountain. It is located in Alaska and is 20,320 feet high (or 6,193 meters). Mexico, the Cordillera Range forms three ranges called the Sierra Madras: the Sierra Madre Occidental on the west coast, the Sierra Madre Oriental on the east coast, and the Sierra Madre Del Sur in the south. The Mexican Plateau, situated between these mountain ranges, is where most of the Mexican people live. Along the eastern edge of North America are the Appalachian and the Laurentians Mountains. The Appalachians run south of the St. Lawrence River, while the Laurentians run north of this river. The Appalachians are made up of the White, Green, Blue Ridge, and Great Smoky Mountains. They stretch from Maine to Alabama. These mountain ranges kept most European colonists close to the Atlantic coast until after the Revolutionary War, because of their difficult terrain. Geologically, these mountains are much older, and therefore more eroded, than the Rocky Mountains. That is one reason why they are not as jagged in appearance as the Rockies. The Laurentian Mountains are part of the Canadian part of the eastern highlands. They run near the Atlantic Coast, on the north side of the St. Lawrence River. This area, with its great forests, many lakes, and rivers, is economically important for lumber, paper-milling, mining, hydroelectric power, and tourism.

Study the map below and learn the waters that surround the continent.

https://cdn.lti.glynlyon.com/media/1716089e-e24d-4641-89c8-5a34a5814749/img/na_water_systems.gif On the north is the Arctic Ocean. On the east are Baffin Bay, the Labrador Sea, and the Atlantic Ocean. To the south is the Gulf of Mexico. The Pacific Ocean, which contains the Hawaiian Islands, forms the western shore. On the northwest is the Bering Strait, which separates North America from Asia. Locate these places on the map now. Find Hudson Bay on the map. This bay is in the Canadian Shield. Next, find Greenland, which is located northeast of Canada. Notice that the Arctic and the Atlantic Oceans completely surround this island nation. South of the Canadian Shield on the border between Canada and the U.S. is one of the most important lake systems in the U.S. These lakes are known as the Great Lakes and include Lake Superior, Lake Michigan, Lake Huron, Lake Erie, and Lake Ontario. A well-known river of the North is the Yukon. It has been famous since gold-rush days in Alaska. The Yukon flows north and west. It freezes in the winter and floods when it thaws. Some crops, such as potatoes, can be grown in this region. Find the Mississippi, Missouri, and Yukon Rivers on the map.

Hawaii

located in the Pacific Ocean approximately 2000 miles from the U.S. mainland. The Hawaiian Islands are comprised of 8 main islands and 100 smaller islands. Initially, these islands were strategic refueling stations for U.S. trading ships traveling to China and Japan. Eventually, Hawaii was annexed as the 50th State in the United States of America. This annexation caused discord among some Hawaiians that did not want to be a part of the U.S., and this cultural issue is still present among some islanders today.

the principal land mass of a continent or country (excludes islands and peninsulas)

mainland

The Continental Divide separates the two main drainage systems of the United States. From here, rivers will either flow east or west. The area of the Continental Divide is extremely varied in its plant and animal life and is one of the few true wildernesses left in America. For this reason, the U.S. Congress developed a 3,100-mile trail along the length of the Continental Divide and designated it as the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail. It stretches through five western states from Canada to Mexico, where hikers can see mountainside meadows, granite peaks, and high-desert plateaus.

separates the two main drainage systems of the United States. From here, rivers will either flow east or west. The area of the Continental Divide is extremely varied in its plant and animal life and is one of the few true wildernesses left in America. For this reason, the U.S. Congress developed a 3,100-mile trail along the length of the Continental Divide and designated it as the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail. It stretches through five western states from Canada to Mexico, where hikers can see mountainside meadows, granite peaks, and high-desert plateaus.

North America is the _____ continent in the world.

third largest