Helps to clear the doubts regarding physiography of anglo america

1. Submitted To:- Geography Department
Submitted By:-- Kritika Arora
Class:- B.A 3rd
Roll No.:- 3503

2. In general the term “ANGLO AMERICA” often refers to the two largest
countries, namely the ‘THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA’ (4th largest
country) and ‘CANADA’ (2nd largest country) of ‘NORTH AMERICA’.
Anglo America is located in the western and northern hemisphere. Its
extention is 25 N
to about 87 20’ N latitudes. Its east-west extension is from about 52 W
to 168 W longitude.
Anglo America is bounded by Arctic Ocean on the north and Gulf of
Mexico and the country of Mexico on the south. Pacific Ocean lies to its
west and on the east is the Atlantic Ocean.
Anglo America has a rough quadrilateral shape. The total surface
area is about 19,816.18 thousand square km.

5. It is also called the ‘Laurentian Shield’. The region was subject to several
periods or earth – building movements. It is made up of extremely
ancient and hard igneous and metamorphic rocks. It slopes unevenly to
the ‘Hudson Bay Lowlands’. The region was heavily glaciated during the
recent geological times and has thin or no soil cover. Its average height
reduced to 300 meters due to continuous denudation. It is saucer
shaped plateau. The shield is rich in various minerals.

6. The region includes the ‘Appalachian mountains and the highlands of
labrador and New Foundland (canada). The general height is less than
2100 meters. The St. Lawrence Valley and Hudson Mohawk gap break the
continuity of this highlands. These are folded & faulted by igneous rocks
in paleozoic times. Due to denudation and upliftment region
experienced deep valleys , river gaps, broad valleys, escarpments ,
plateaus and mountain ridges.
The sub – divisions are:-
• Cumberland –Alleghany plateau
• Appalachian Valley
• Mountain Ridges( Blue Ridge)
• Piedmont Plateau
• Atlantic Coastal Plain

8. The central lowlands form a broad corridor from ‘Gulf Of Mexico’ to
the Arctic. The region is also called the North American Plains. The
plains are formed of very gently folded sedimentary rocks of younger
formation. Its height of central lowlands rise gradually to about
1500 meters. These can be divided into 3 sub- parts:-

10. It is the northern part of Central Lowlands and it occupies the north
section of Canadian Shield on the east and the Western Cordilleras on
the west. The plain slopes northward and river Mackenzie, the master
stream, flows northwards into the Arctic Ocean by forming a delta.
The region has nearly horizontally bedded rocks which are largely
concealed under a Pleistocene overlay of sand, gravel and clay.

11. These form the southern section of Canadian Lowlands which spread
over the provinces of Manitoba, Sasketchewan and Alberta. The sub-
region is region is formed of horizontally bedded rocks . On the whole this
is a region of plain and plateau .

12. It lies between the Appalachians in the east and the western
Cordilleras on the west. It is the southern section which spreads over
U.S.A. it slopes southwards and is drained by river Mississippi and its
tributaries. On the whole it is a flat lowland with some topographic
changes occuring in the eastern and western parts.

13. The highlands take up nearly a third of the total continental area and
measures about 1,600 km across in east- west direction. They form a
highly complex system of young fold mountains which were formed by
recent Alpine Orogeny. Mountain Ranges include western and
eastern ranges.