North America
North America Geographical Facts
1. North America is the 3rd largest continent, containing
16.5% of the earth’s total land area.
2. North America is the 4th most populous continent with a
population around 515 million.
3. North America’s largest city is Mexico City, Mexico (over
8.8 million people).
4. The highest point in North America is Mount
McKinley/Denali in Alaska (20,320 feet above sea level)
5. The lowest point is Death Valley in California (282 feet
below sea level).
6. The Mississippi /Missouri River System is the largest
river system in North America and the fourth largest river
system in the world.
Mexico City, Mexico
Mount McKinley
Death Valley
Four Great Physical Regions of North
America
Four Great Physical Regions of North
America
1. The four great physical regions of North
America are:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Canadian Shield
Great Plains
Mountainous West
Varied Eastern Region that consists of:
1.
2.
Appalachian Mountains
Coastal Plains
The Canadian Shield
1. The Canadian Shield is the largest area of
exposed rock on the face of the earth.
2. The Canadian Shield covers half of Canada
and extends down into part of the U.S. (1.7
million square miles).
3. The Canadian Shield is an area of poor soil
but is very rich in mineral resources and
other natural resources.
The Canadian Shield
The Great Plains
1. The Great Plains extends from Alberta,
Saskatchewan down into Mexico (1.4 million
square miles).
2. The rainfall of the Great Plains increases as
you go west to east.
3. The western portion of the Great Plains lies
in the rain shadow of the Rocky Mountains.
4. The Great Plains produces 25% of the world’s
grains.
The Great Plains
Mountainous West
1. The various mountain ranges of the
Mountainous West extend from Canada all the
way into Mexico – its also known as the
Cordillera.
2. The major range of the region is the Rocky
Mountains.
3. This area is the continental divide of North
America.
4. This region is also home to the Grand Canyon,
the world’s largest gorge, which is a deep,
narrow canyon (277 miles long, 18 miles wide
and up to 1 mile deep).
Mountainous West
Grand Canyon
Appalachian
Mountains
Coastal Plains
The Early Americans
1. The first Americans migrated from Asia during the Ice
Ages thousands of years ago.
2. They spread across N. America and developed
societies based on the natural environment of the
area they lived in.
3. The first civilizations developed in the Mesoamerica
region because it was the first area to support
agriculture.
4. Over time, North America was colonized by various
European colonies, and the cultures of these early
societies blended in with the various European
cultures that were brought over – this is known as
cultural convergence.
Mesoamerica
The U.S. and Canada
1. The two largest countries of North America
are Canada and the U.S.
2. Both countries share many cultural and
economic similarities.
1. Both have varied economies and are highly
industrialized.
2. Both are world leaders in the standard of living
of their populations.
Canada
1. Canada is known as the
Great White North.
2. Canada is the second
largest country in the
world but has a
relatively small
population (around 34
million).
3. The majority of Canada’s
population lives near
the southern border due
to the harsh climate of
the north.
Canada’s Culture
1. Over half of Canada’s population lives in an
area that stretches from Lake Erie along the St.
Lawrence River that is known as Main Street.
2. The majority of Canada’s population is of
European descent but there is also a large Asian
population along the Pacific Coast.
3. The predominate religion of Canada is
Christianity.
4. Canada has two official languages – English and
French – making the nation bilingual.
The United States
1. The U.S. is a fragmented country – it is broken up
by either another country or an international
body of water.
2. The forty-eight states that are physically
connected are called the contiguous states or the
Lower 48.
3. The U.S. is the fourth most populous country in
the world, with a population of around 315
million.
4. Christianity is the predominant religion of the U.S.
5. The U.S. does not have an “official” language but
the predominant one is English.
Middle America
1. The area of North America that extends from Mexico to
Panama is known as Middle America or Central America.
2. Combined with South America, it is also known as Latin
America.
3. This region is an isthmus, which is a narrow strip of land
that connects two larger land masses (about 40 miles wide
at its most narrow point).
Central America
1. Most of the countries of Central America have
either faced or are still facing poverty and
political instability.
2. Historically they had agrarian economies but
are becoming more diversified today.
3. Christianity is the predominant religion of
Central America, primarily Catholicism.
4. The predominant language of Central America
is Spanish.
The Panama Canal
1. One of the most important features of Central
America is the Panama Canal.
1. Built by the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers between
1905 and 1914, its 40 miles long and has an 85 foot
change in elevation.
2. The U.S. owned the canal until the year 2000, when
they gave it back to Panama.
3. The Panama Canal connects the Atlantic and Pacific
Oceans and is a very important trade route.
The Panama Canal
The Panama Canal
The Islands of the Caribbean
1. The islands of the Caribbean are sometimes
called the West Indies because when
Christopher Columbus discovered them, he
believed he was in the Indies Islands (East
Indies) that are located in the Pacific.
2. These islands can be divided into two groups:
1. The Greater Antilles – the big islands of Cuba,
Hispaniola, Jamaica and Puerto Rico
2. The Lesser Antilles – the Lesser Antilles are an
archipelago, which is a group or chain of islands
The Greater and Lesser Antilles
The Greater Antilles
1. Culturally, all of the islands of the Greater
Antilles have a Spanish heritage except for
Jamaica, which was controlled by Great Britain
(it didn’t gain its independence until 1962).
2. Poverty and political instability have been
problems in the past, especially Haiti, which is
the poorest country of the Western
Hemisphere.
3. All of these islands are independent countries
except for Puerto Rico, which is a territory of
the U.S.
The Lesser Antilles
1. The Lesser Antilles are also known as the
Pirate Islands.
2. The Lesser Antilles are small in size and
population and rely mainly on tourism.
3. Poverty is a problem for the inhabitants of
the Lesser Antilles because much of the
money from tourism doesn’t stay in the
islands.