North America Physical Geography Notes

BASIC INFORMATION
  • Canada and the United States make up North America
  • Third largest continent in the world
  • The 49th parallel of latitude is border separates Canada from the US
/ OCEANS
  • Atlantic Ocean on the east and the Pacific Ocean on the west.
  • The Arctic Ocean lies to the north
  • The Gulf of Mexico lies to the south.

Mountains
  • Mountains running along both sides with a large, flat area in the center.
  • East - the Appalachians
West - the Rocky Mountains
  • The Rockies - from Alaska to New Mexico.
  • Alaska - the highest peak – Mount Denali -(Mount McKinley) - 20,320 feet
/ Canadian Shield
  • Large core of very old rock that lies at the base of each continent.
  • Glaciers scraped across the land, taking the soil with them exposing the rock.
  • Left thin layer of soil in eastern and central Canada.
  • The Canadian Shield covers almost half of Canada.

Lowlands and Plains
  • Central area - made up of shield and plains.
  • Plains are flat or gently rolling areas of land
  • About 2,500 miles north and south. Runs from the Arctic Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico.
  • Soil that glaciers scraped - plains of Canada and the United States
  • The Central Lowlands runs from the Great Plains to the Appalachians
/ Lakes
  • The glaciers dug out the Great Lakes.
  • Lakes lie between Canada and the United States – part of the border
  • World’s largest group of freshwater lakes.
  • Only Lake Michigan is entirely in the US
  • St. Lawrence River connects the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean.
  • Many smaller lakes and Hudson Bay.
  • The region extends past the Arctic Circle and ends with a scattering of islands.

Rivers
  • A large system of rivers drains most of the plains - All flow into the muddy Mississippi River.
  • Mississippi empties into the Gulf of Mexico.
  • Has many tributaries -a river or stream flowing into a larger river or lake
/ Rivers
  • St. Lawrence River – East of the Great Lakes
  • Connects the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean
  • Rio Grande – The river that separates the United States from Mexico
/ Other Landforms
  • Hudson Bay – Surrounded by the Canadian Shield in Canada
  • Bering Strait – Separates Russia from North America
  • Baja Peninsula – Part of southern California – Belongs to Mexico
  • Cuba – Largest island off the coast of North America – does not belong to North America