Geography of North America - HowStuffWorks com

8/14/2019 Geography of North America - HowStuffWorks com

1/7

Geography of North America

(Excerpted from www.HowStuffWorks.com)

Introduction to Geography of North America

North America, the northern of the two continents of the Western Hemisphere, joined toSouth America at the tip of Panama. The Arctic, Atlantic, and Pacific oceans virtually surroundthe continent. The total area of 9,360,000 square miles (24,240,000 km2) is exceeded only bythat of Asia and of Africa. This total includes Greenland, Central America, and most of theWest Indian island.

North America is part of the New World, so called because it was unknown to Europeansuntil comparatively recent times. From all parts of the world have come its people, bringing aheritage of ideas and skills that stimulated its rapid development. North America is rich inmineral, water, and forest resources, and is a world center of agriculture and industry.

Physical Geography

Land

North America has a wide diversity of landforms, represented by six distinct regions andmany subregions. There are three lowland regions (the Coastal Plain, the Canadian Shield, and

the Interior Plains) and three highland regions (the Appalachian Highlands, the NorthAmerican Cordillera, and the Antillean System).

The Coastal Plain extends along the eastern coast from Mexico to Cape Cod. It continuesoffshore as the continental shelf, emerging southeast of Florida to form the Bahama Islands.

The mainland portion of the Coastal Plain is narrow in the northeast but reaches a width ofmore than 400 miles (640 km) in the lower Mississippi River Valley. The low, generally flatplain rises slightly as it extends inland, where it is bordered by higher land for most of itslength.

The Appalachian Highlands lie west of the Coastal Plain, reaching from Alabamanortheastward to the island of Newfoundland. The region is a series of long, parallel mountainridges lying between narrow plateaus on the east and west. These low, worn-down mountains

reach their greatest height, 6,684 feet (2,037 m) above sea level, at Mount Mitchell, in NorthCarolina. Elevation decreases in the southern and northern mountains.

The Canadian Shield (or Laurentian Plateau) covers Greenland and much of central andnorthern Canada and extends into the United States in the Superior Uplands and theAdirondack Mountains. It is composed of hard crystalline rock scoured by glaciers that lefthundreds of lakes. The plateau averages about 1,000 feet (300 m) above sea level,decreasing slightly westward and southward.

The Interior Plains region is a vast, comparatively level expanse occupying a large part ofthe continent's interior. It lies between the Appalachian Highlands, the Canadian Shield, andthe Rocky Mountains, and merges with the Coastal Plain to the south. There are two major

subregions, distinguished chiefly by their elevation. To the east are the Central Lowlands,which average about 600 feet (180 m) above sea level. The second subregion is the GreatPlains, in the west. This relatively flat grassland ascends gradually to a maximum of 6,000feet (1,800 m) at its western edge, the Rocky Mountains.

Two small highland areas are often included within the Interior Plainsthe Black Hills ofSouth Dakota and the Central Uplands (Ozark and Ouachita plateaus).

The North American Cordillera covers much of the western third of the continent. It is acomplex highland region stretching from Alaska to southern Mexico and containing highmountains and broad plateaus. Its most prominent features are two great mountain systemsthe Rocky Mountains and the ranges near the Pacific coast. The Rockies reach their highestelevationsmore than 14,400 feet (4,390 m)in Colorado, and gradually descend to the

north and south. The Pacific mountains, which in some places are more rugged than theRockies, have the continent's highest peaks. Mount McKinley, in Alaska, stands 20,320 feet(6,194 m) above sea levelthe highest point in North America.

Between these two extensive systems are plateaus, basins, and scattered mountainranges. This pattern continues southward, where Mexico's Central Plateau is rimmed by the

1


2/7

Sierra Madres on the east and west. A belt of volcanic mountains south of Mexico Citycontains Mexico's highest peaks.

The Antillean System adjoins the North American Cordillera on the south, trending eastand southeast from southern Mexico through Central America and the islands of the Antilles.

The western peaks of Central America are generally the highest in the region, and includeactive volcanoes. The maximum elevation is 12,533 feet (3,820 m) in Costa Rica's Chirrip.Narrow coastal plains, formed mainly by deposits of mountain streams, fringe the mountainsin many areas.

Water

The large size of the continent makes possible long rivers, and two of the longest in theworldthe Mississippi and Mackenzie systemsflow across the continent. Two of theMississippi's tributariesthe Ohio and the Missouriare themselves major rivers. Shorterrivers, especially near the east and west coasts of the United States, are frequently used fornavigation and for generating electric power. In Central America, rivers are little used becausethey are short and have swift currents.

Most of the continent's lakes are in the glaciated areas in the north. Though most of thelakes are small, eight of the world's largest are in this area. These eight are the Great Lakesand three Canadian lakesGreat Bear, Great Slave, and Winnipeg. There are few lakes in the

dry southwest, and those that exist there (such as Great Salt Lake) are slowly decreasing insize because of evaporation. The only large lakes in Central America are Lakes Nicaragua andManagua.

Climate

North America's climates range from polar to tropical, from dry to extremely rainy. Thereare many reasons for this wide range, but the more important ones are latitude, elevation,effects of large bodies of water and ocean currents, and prevailing winds. Latitude is largelyresponsible for the consistently cold climate of Greenland and the Arctic islands, and for thewarm climates of much of the West Indies and Central America.

In North America's interior, far from the moderating influence of the sea, the land heats

rapidly in summer and cools just as rapidly in winter, causing great seasonal extremes oftemperature. In some interior areas winters are more extreme than in polar lands, andsummers hotter than in the tropics. In general, precipitation increases south and east, withthe maximum amounts along the Gulf Coast.

In coastal areas, especially the Pacific coast of Canada and the United States, seasonalvariations are less pronounced because of the moderating effect of the sea. Winds movingover the relatively warm ocean waters bring mild temperatures and moderate to heavy rain.Inland in the south-western United States and northern Mexico, rain decreases andtemperatures increase, creating desert and near-desert conditions.

Elevation and exposure to moisture-laden winds are important factors in determining theclimates in tropical Mexico, Central America, and the West Indies. Temperatures are high all

year, and rainfall is generally greatest on the east coast, reaching maximums in Panama andBelize.

Wildlife of North America

Life in the Water

Animals and plants are abundantly represented in the waters of North America. Fish,amphibians, insects, and other aquatic animals appear in water ranging from near-freezing,rapid streams to warm, sluggish swamps. Some fish, such as eels and salmon, live in freshwater and salt water at different times in their lives. Other water inhabitants are animals thatalso live on land. These include turtles, water snakes, ducks, loons, and otters.

Life in Tropical ForestsThe frost-free tropical forests of Central America contain the continent's widest variety of

plant and animal life. Vegetation includes palms, bamboos, orchids, and tree ferns. Reptiles,amphibians, and insects abound. Birds and mammals not found elsewhere in North Americainclude jacanas, parrots, monkeys, sloths, and agoutis.

2


3/7

Life in Eastern Forests

Adaptation to periods of freezing weather and scarcity of food is necessary for the survivalof plants and animals living in the forests of eastern North America. In the Coastal Plain southof Virginia these forests contain primarily pines; from Virginia northward, most of the treeslose their leaves in winter. Here are found oaks, elms, maples, and hickories.

The ability to hibernate allows frogs, toads, snakes, and turtles to survive the winter. Mostkinds of birds, including warblers, thrushes, and hawks, migrate southward for the winter.

Jays, woodpeckers, and chickadees are among those that do not migrate. Mammals keepwarm in various waysby hibernating, becoming dormant, or growing heavy coats, forexample. Mammals include bats, opossums, foxes, deer, and many kinds of rodents.

Life in the Grassland

The area of grassland extends roughly from the southern areas of the Prairie Provinces ofCanada almost to the Rio Grande in the west-central portion of the continent. The area ischaracterized by a small amount of rainfall, which results in a lack of trees and thepredominance of grass for vegetation: long grass in the prairie area, and short grass in thedrier steppe area.

Insects, amphibians, and reptiles, having adapted to living in the grass, are often green or

light brown in color. Most of the grassland birds, such as prairie chickens, larks, and burrowingowls, nest on the ground or in burrows. Grassland mammals include prairie dogs, pronghorns,and coyotes.

Life in the Desert

Plants and animals of the desert areas of the Great Basin and northern Mexico mustendure water scarcity, temperature extremes, and drying winds. Some plants, such asmesquite, have deep roots that extend far underground for moisture; some, such assucculents, store water for future use. The seeds of annuals may lie dormant for many yearsand then germinate quickly after a rain. Many kinds of insects are present. Scorpions, lizards,snakes, fly-catchers, roadrunners, kangaroo mice, kit foxes, and peccaries are found here.Most desert animals eat insects and are adapted to conserve the water available to them.

Life in the Northern Coniferous Forests

The forest trees growing in the severe northern climates of central Canada and at highaltitudes in the Appalachian and Rocky mountains are primarily spruce and fir. Along thenorthern Pacific coast are coniferous rain forests containing chiefly Sitka spruce, coastredwood, western hemlock, and Douglas fir. Flies and mosquitoes are particularly abundantinsects. Because of the cold winters, few reptiles and amphibians live here. Although mostbirds migrate, somesuch as ravens, jays, and grouseremain for the winter. Fur-bearing andthick-coated mammals of these forests include moose, wolves, weasels, lynx, and bears.

Life in the Tundra

The frozen ground and extreme cold of the arctic tundra, located in the northernmostreaches of North America, prevent the survival of most plants other than certain mosses,herbs, grasses, and shrubs. Lichens are common. The same kinds of organisms are found highin the Rockies and northern Appalachians.

Insects and waterfowl breed in the tundra during the summer. Living here through thewinter are the cold-adapted snowy owls, willow ptarmigans, lemmings, hares, caribou, muskoxen, and polar bears. Some of the animals have differently colored summer and winter coats,providing them with protective coloration.

Economic Activities

The nations of North America are at varying levels of economic development. The UnitedStates and Canada are the most industrially and technologically advanced nations, with thehighest percentages of workers in nonagricultural pursuitswell over 90 per cent. Mexico hasa fairly diversified economy and a growing industrial sector. The development ofmanufacturing, however, has not been widespread and unemployment is a major problem inMexico.

3


4/7

The nations of Central America and the Caribbean, in general, are the least developedareas. In these areas usually more than a quarter of the work force relies on agriculture for alivelihood.

For most of the countries of North America the service industries are the source of thegreatest share of jobs. Wholesale and retail trade and the tourist industry also provide asignificant number of jobs.

Agriculture

About 13 per cent of the land in North America is used for growing crops, with a slightlyhigher percentage used as permanent pasture. About 70 per cent of the farmland is in theUnited States; about 15 per cent is in Canada; 10 per cent in Mexico; and nearly all of theremainder in Central America.

The United States and Canada are by far the chief producers of agricultural products. Ingeneral, farms in the United States and Canada are privately owned, highly mechanized, andlarge in area. Farms of more than 1,000 acres (405 hectares) are common. In general, farmsin the United States and Canada use large quantities of chemical fertilizers, pesticides, andother chemicals.

Large, modern farms and plantations in parts of Mexico, Central America, and the

Caribbean produce a number of commercial crops, mainly for export. However, subsistencefarming on small plots predominates. In many cases the land is worked by either tenantfarmers or sharecroppers.

The largest share of the cropland in North America is devoted to the growing of cereals,particularly wheat and corn, which account for about a third of the cropland. Nearly a fifth ofthe world's wheat and almost half of the corn are grown in North America.

The continent's richest farmland is found on the eastern Great Plains, stretching southwardfrom south-central Canada into the United States, and in the so-called Corn Belt of themidwestern United States. Wheat is the main crop of the Great Plains. The Corn Belt produceslarge amounts of hay, soybeans, and various cereals, in addition to corn. Central Mexico isalso a major corn-growing area.

Virtually every kind of fruit and vegetable is grown somewhere in North America. In theUnited States and Canada, much of the fresh produce supplied to large cities comes fromnearby farms that specialize in growing fruits and vegetables. The subtropical and tropicalareas of North America are noted for the commercial production of citrus fruits, wintervegetables, cotton, sugarcane, coffee, and bananas. Chief foods grown in these areas for localuse are corn, beans, sweet potatoes, various other vegetables, and fruits.

About one-tenth of the cropland is under irrigation. Nearly 70 per cent the irrigated land isin the United States, mainly in California, Texas, and the mountain states from Montana toArizona and New Mexico; much of the rest is in Mexico. Sugar beets, cotton, and fruits andvegetables are among the crops grown on irrigated land.

A large share of the cereals grown in North America goes to feed livestock. The Corn Belt,for example, is also the chief hog-raising areamuch of the corn grown here is used for feed.The raising of beef cattle is a major activity in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Most ofthe cattle are raised on grazing land, and before marketing are fattened on a rich grain diet.North America is known for the high-quality beef produced in this way. Poultry raising, for bothmeat and eggs, and dairying are widespread activities. Large-scale, highly mechanizedfacilities produce the major share of the milk, eggs, and poultry in the United States andCanada. In much of the rest of North America, animals are raised on a small scale bytraditional methods.

Manufacturing

North America is more highly industrialized than any other continent except Europe and

has some of the largest and most diversified manufacturing industries in the world. It is aleader in the production of nearly all kinds of manufactured goods, including motor vehicles,aircraft, aluminum, paper, processed foods, iron and steel, machinery, electrical andelectronic equipment, petroleum products, chemicals, textiles, and fabricated metal goods.

4


5/7

The United States and Canada account for most of North America's industrial production.Mexico has also become a significant industrial nation since World War II, though its output issmall compared to that of the leaders. Elsewhere on the continent manufacturing remainspoorly developed and consists largely of the simple processing of agricultural, mineral, andforest products and the making of basic consumer goods and handicrafts.

Manufacturing facilities are most heavily concentrated in the northeastern United States,including the Great Lakes region, and the adjoining sections of Ontario and Quebec in Canada.

This is one of the greatest industrial areas in the world. There are also major concentrations of

industry along the Gulf and Pacific coasts of the United States, especially in California, and inand around most of the continent's large cities.

Minerals

North America is extremely rich in minerals. The continent yields large quantities of mostof the minerals important to modern industry, the major exceptions being tin, manganese,chromium, and diamonds.

Fuels are the most valuable mineral resources. The continent accounts for nearly a third ofthe world's total output of natural gas and about a fifth of the world's total output of coal andpetroleum. Much of the natural gas comes from the south-central United States, especially

Texas, Louisiana, and Oklahoma. Major oil fields are located along the Gulf of Mexico in both

Mexico and the United States, and in the south-central United States, California, Alaska, andthe Prairie Provinces of Canada, notably Alberta. Enormous amounts of coal are produced,chiefly in the eastern half of the United States. Reserves of coal are large enough to last forcenturies.

A wide variety of metals are mined in North America, including two-thirds of the world'smolybdenum, almost half of the world's uranium, and more than a quarter of the world'ssilver, copper, nickel, zinc, and lead. North America's production of iron ore, gold, and bauxiteis also significant. Except for bauxite, most of the output comes from the United States andCanada. However, Mexico is also a significant producer of most of these metals and is aleading silver-producing nation. Jamaica is a leading source of bauxite.

Among the wide variety of nonmetallic minerals produced on the continent are asbestos,sulfur, salt, potash, phosphate, stone, clay, and sand and gravel. Canada leads the world inasbestos production, the United States in salt production. Both the United States and Mexicoare principal sources of sulfur.

Forests

Great forests cover about a third of North America and constitute a leading world source oflumber and wood products. Most of the forestland is concentrated in the United States andCanada.

A vast coniferous forest of spruce, pine, fir, and hemlock stretches from Newfoundland toAlaska. Similar forests in the western mountains yield much commercial timber. Alsoimportant are mixed forests of conifers and deciduous trees in southeastern Canada and pine

forests in the southeastern United States. Most of the wood cut is used for lumber orprocessed into pulp for the paper industry.

Tropical forests in Mexico and Central America are little used commercially. Loggingoperations are hampered by inadequate transportation facilities and the scattered occurrenceof valuable trees, which include mahogany, rosewood, and balsa.

Fishing

North America's coastal waters produce a great variety and abundance of fish. Ofoutstanding significance are the Grand Banks, off eastern Canada; the lobster fishery offNewfoundland, Nova Scotia, and New England; the shrimp fishery in the Gulf of Mexico; andthe salmon and tuna fisheries of the Pacific. In addition large quantities of menhaden are

caught off the middle Atlantic coast of the United States. Chesapeake Bay is noted for itsshellfish.

The North American fishing fleet consists of both coastal and oceangoing vessels. Large,mechanized vessels account for a large percentage of the catch, especially in the UnitedStates.

5


6/7

Transportation

The quality and extent of transportation facilities vary according to the level of economicdevelopment of each country. The United States and Canada have modern and extensivehighway, railway, and air transportation systems. Automobiles play a primary role intransporting people in these countries. Highly efficient freight and bulk cargo transportation isprovided by a variety of means, including trucks, railways, ships, barges, and pipelines. Goodsurface transportation is lacking in northern Canada and Alaska; however, most populationcenters in these areas have airports.

In Mexico the road and highway system is fairly well developed, especially between largecities. Primary highways link the major cities throughout most of Central America. Thesecondary road system is not well developed, and transportation in rural areas is poor.Commercial airlines serve most major cities in Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean.

Trade

The countries of North America usually account for about 20 per cent of the world'simports and a slightly smaller percentage of the world's exports by value. The United Statesand Canada are the principal trading nations. As industrial nations they import bothmanufactured items and raw materials and export mainly manufactured goods. Canada, withits wealth of natural resources and relatively small domestic needs, also exports large

amounts of raw materials or semi-processed commodities. Mexico's foreign trade grewsubstantially during the 1970's; exports include manufactured goods and petroleum.Elsewhere on the continent trade consists largely of the export of a few basic raw materialsand agricultural products in exchange for finished goods.

Most trade takes place among the North American nations themselves. Western Europeand Japan are the chief trading areas outside the continent.

The People

Population

In 2000 about 462,000,000 people lived in North America. This number was about 8 per

cent of the total world population. The average density was 46 persons per square mile (18per km 2). There is uneven distribution of population throughout most of North America.Certain areas, such as the northeastern United States and most of the West Indies, aredensely populated. Other regions, particularly Alaska and northern Canada, are as thinlyinhabited as any part of the earth.

Racial Groups

North America is inhabited by three major racial groups. The largest by far consists ofdescendants of European colonists and immigrants. They form a majority of the population inthe United States, Canada, and some Central American and West Indian areas. Descendantsof African slaves are found in greatest numbers in the United States, but form a dominantpopulation group only in Belize and some West Indian areas, particularly Haiti.

The descendants of North America's original inhabitants, the Indians and Eskimos, are verysmall minorities in Canada and the United States. Indians are numerically important in partsof Mexico and Central America. Little trace remains of the aboriginal inhabitants of the WestIndies. In Mexico, Central America, and the West Indies there are large population groups ofmixed ancestry, principally European-Indian and European-African.

Languages

Spanish is spoken in Mexico, Central America, much of the Caribbean area, and parts ofthe United States. English is spoken in the United States and most of Canada and on someCaribbean islands. French is the language used in part of Canada and in several Caribbeanislands. Danish is spoken to some extent in Green-land and in the Virgin Islands of the United

States. The language of the Netherlands Antilles is Dutch.Most European and many Asiatic languages are spoken by North America's immigrants,

who frequently live among others of the same national origin and continue to use their nativetongue. Indian dialects survive wherever tribes have lived in relative isolationsuch as themountainous areas of Mexico and Central America, the Indian reservations of the United

6


7/7

States, and Canada's Northwest Territories. Eskimo, the language of the Eskimos, is widelyspoken in Alaska, northern Canada, and Greenland.

Religion

The large majority of North Americans are Christians. Generally the Spanish- and French-speaking are members of the Roman Catholic Church. The majority of the English-speakingChristians are Protestant, but certain national groups such as those of Irish, Polish, and Italiandescent are predominantly Roman Catholic, and those from the Balkan countries are largely

Eastern Orthodox. The Jewish population of North America is slightly more than 2 per cent ofthe total population, and is concentrated in the large cities.

Some Americans of Asian ancestry adhere to traditional religions. Buddhists are the mostnumerous, and Confucians next. There are also many Muslims and Hindus. Almost everyreligion found in Europe and Asia is represented in North America.

Although many North American Indians are Christians, many others retain their traditionaltribal religions, generally forms of nature worship. Shamanism is prevalent among the Inuit(Eskimos). Voodoo is practiced in Haiti and by some Gulf Coast blacks. Santeria, a mixture ofAfrican religious beliefs and Roman Catholicism, is practiced in parts of Cuba and by someCubans living in the United States.

Education and CultureEducation is free and compulsory throughout most of North America. The literacy rate,

however, varies widely, depending upon the quality of the individual countries' educationalsystems. The literacy rate ranges from approximately 50 per cent in Haiti, for example, toabout 90 per cent in Mexico and 99 per cent in the United States.

In the United States and Canada, there are extensive systems of publicly operatedinstitutions of higher learning that are open to all qualified students. The percentage of adultswho have received secondary and higher education is greater in the United States than in anyother nation of the world; Canada's is also one of the highest.

In the early days of European settlement in North America the culture of the home countrywas transported to each of its colonies. After independence had been gained in the late 18thand early 19th centuries, North American nations slowly developed literatures, music, and artof their own. In Mexico and Central America the native culture is a blend of European (eitherSpanish or French) and Indian. In the West Indies, art and music developed from Africanpatterns.

In the United States, diversity of background and the common pioneer experienceproduced a literature with a unique flavor, and an equally distinctive folk art. Later the flood ofimmigration from Europe enriched the literature and drama with elements of many culturesand the experience of becoming Americanized. In the 19th and 20th centuries, an Africaninfluence introduced by black musicians created new musical formsragtime, jazz, and blues.

Canadian culture, although influenced by American and European traditions, began to

develop its own distinctive style after World War II. An appreciation of primitive culturesbrought a revival of Indian and Inuit arts and crafts. The federal government encourages andhelps support the arts through such organizations as the Canada Council. Support also comesfrom provincial and municipal governments.

http://geography.howstuffworks.com/north-america/geography-of-north-america.htm/printable

7

Geography of North America - HowStuffWorks com

Documents

Transcript of Geography of North America - HowStuffWorks com