North America
North America includes 23 independent countries, as well as dozens of small island possessions and territories mostly in the Caribbean Sea. Canada, USA, and Mexico are the largest countries. Central America is made up of 7 countries that connect North America to South America.
Canada, the USA, and Mexico are the three largest countries in North America...
Snow cover
Though broadleaf temperate forests are found along the Gulf Coast, a substantial amount of southern pine forest are found in Southeastern United States as well.
Population map Which part of the United States is the most heavily populated?
Night Lights Based upon satellite measurements of city lights, this image is a map of the urban population density of North America.   Most major cities are in level areas along an ocean, bay, large lake, or navigable river . 
Highest Elevation: Mt McKinley 20,320 ft.
Lowest Elevation: Death Valley -282 ft.
Arkansas River
Churchill River
Colorado River
Columbia River
Frazer River
Mackenzie River
Mississippi River
Mississippi River Drainage Basin
Mississippi River The Mississippi drains most of the area between the Rocky Mountains and the Appalachian Mountains. It runs through two states — Minnesota and Louisiana — and was used to define the borders of eight states (the river has since shifted) — Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Kentucky, Arkansas, Tennessee, and Mississippi — before emptying into the Gulf of Mexico about 100 miles (160 km) downstream from New Orleans.
Rivers North America has a very large river system in the Mississippi-Missouri-Ohio The Missouri and Ohio rivers flow into the Mississippi, thus making them tributaries of the Mississippi
Missouri River
Ohio River
Red River
Rio Grande
Saint Lawrence River
St. Lawrence Seaway
Canal and dam locks At right, a Great Lakes steamer passes through a series of locks to go from one Great Lakes to another.
The Saint Lawrence Seaway is the system of canals that permits ocean-going vessels to travel from the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes as far as Lake Superior. The Welland Canal  (above)  connects Lakes Erie and Ontario, bypassing the Niagara Falls on the Niagara River.
 
All of the boat traffic that flows into or out of Lake Superior must move through the locks of the St. Mary's River, at Sault Ste. Marie.
Yukon River
Appalachians A vast system of North American mountains, partly in Canada, but mostly in the United States, extending as a zone, from 100 to 300 miles wide, running from Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, 1500 miles south-westward to central Alabama in the United States.
Folded Appalachian Mts.  1993  N Blue Mts.  Tuscarora Mts.  Jacks Mts. Tussey Mts. Bald Eagle Mts.  Lewistown South Mts. Juniata R.
Rocky Mountains Commonly defined to stretch from the Liard River in British Columbia, down to the Rio Grande in New Mexico. The mountains can also be considered to run to Alaska or Mexico, but usually those mountains are considered to be part of the entire American cordillera, rather than part of the Rockies.
The Rockies are young scamps that haven’t faced the extra 320 million years of erosion that the Appalachians have suffered and so are much taller.
Rocky Mountain September
The range runs parallel to the Pacific coasts of California, Washington, and Oregon for 4,500 miles in the United States and extend north into Canada for about 1,000 miles and south into Mexico for about 800 miles.
They are the series of mountain ranges that stretch along west coast of North America from Alaska to Mexico.  They are also known as the  Pacific Cordillera . Pacific Coast Ranges Canadian Cordilleras
Canadian Shield The Canadian Shield, also known as the Precambrian Shield or Laurentian Plateau, covers about half of Canada as well as most of Greenland and part of the northern United States; an area of 1.7 million square miles.
Precambrian rocks exposed on Earth's surface are often highly weathered. This portion of the Canadian Shield is about 2.5 billion years old.
The Eastern Lowlands Flat level land by the eastern and Gulf coastal areas. The brown area along the coast is lowlands.
Great Plains The broad expanse of prairie which lies east of the Rocky Mountains in the United States of America and Canada.
Great Plains In the Prairies ecozone, rivers and streams are slow moving, usually with muddy bottoms. There are few lakes, but many marshes and small shallow ponds.
The Great Plains cover the center of the continent.
 
prairie The prairie biome is a plant community dominated by grasses and non-grassy herbs with some woody shrubs and occasional trees.
Temperate grasslands are characterized by hot summers and cold winters. Evaporation rate is high, so little rain makes it into the rich soil.  Mid-grass prairie near Manhattan, Kansas Great Plains grasslands
Great Lakes The Great Lakes
Great Lakes 1991 L. Michigan L. Superior L. Huron L. Erie L. Ontario N Milwaukee Chicago Detroit Convection Lake Effect
 
Everglades Florida Everglades
Everglades National Park
Florida Everglades A  subtropical   marshland  located in the southern portion of the  U.S. state  of  Florida . Much modified by agricultural development in central and southern Florida, the Everglades is the southern half of a large watershed arising in the vicinity of  Orlando  known as the  Kissimmee River  system.
Alaska’s Denali The Alaskan  denali  is a treeless tundra with only mosses and lichen vegetation in the summer, and covered with snow the rest of the year.
Denali glaciers At the left-center of the picture is North America's highest peak, the 20,320 foot summit of Mt. McKinley. It's also known as Denali (the Great One). To the west is Mt. Forager (17,400 ft), and in the foreground are several of the dozens of large glaciers emanating from the Alaska Range.  This unusually clear wintertime aerial photo shows a portion of the Alaska Range in south central Alaska.
Alaska wildlife The Brown Bear  (right)  lives throughout the North American continent, particularly in the colder climes. Arctic birds converge along the islands
The southern part of the Denali tundra gives way to the hardy trees of the taiga
Taiga (or Boreal Forests) represent the largest terrestrial biome. Occurring between 50 °  and 60 °  north latitudes, boreal forests can be found in the broad belt of Eurasia and North America. At left is the hardy jack pine species common in the poor, sandy soils, mostly in Canada. Taiga
Moose moose
Central America and the Caribbean Islands are also part of North America
Rain forest Tropical rain forests are mainly  the product of climatic interactions,  particularly temperature and rainfall.  They occur where  monthly temperature  of 20 - 28 ° C combines  with an annual  rainfall of 1.5 -10m,  evenly distributed  throughout  the year.
Central American rain forest The tropical rain forest is a forest of tall trees in a region of year-round warmth with an annual average of 50- 260” of rain. These forests belong to the tropical wet climate group .
drawing

North america map study

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  • 2.
    North America includes23 independent countries, as well as dozens of small island possessions and territories mostly in the Caribbean Sea. Canada, USA, and Mexico are the largest countries. Central America is made up of 7 countries that connect North America to South America.
  • 3.
    Canada, the USA,and Mexico are the three largest countries in North America...
  • 4.
  • 5.
    Though broadleaf temperateforests are found along the Gulf Coast, a substantial amount of southern pine forest are found in Southeastern United States as well.
  • 6.
    Population map Whichpart of the United States is the most heavily populated?
  • 7.
    Night Lights Basedupon satellite measurements of city lights, this image is a map of the urban population density of North America. Most major cities are in level areas along an ocean, bay, large lake, or navigable river . 
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    Highest Elevation: MtMcKinley 20,320 ft.
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    Lowest Elevation: DeathValley -282 ft.
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    Mississippi River TheMississippi drains most of the area between the Rocky Mountains and the Appalachian Mountains. It runs through two states — Minnesota and Louisiana — and was used to define the borders of eight states (the river has since shifted) — Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Kentucky, Arkansas, Tennessee, and Mississippi — before emptying into the Gulf of Mexico about 100 miles (160 km) downstream from New Orleans.
  • 19.
    Rivers North Americahas a very large river system in the Mississippi-Missouri-Ohio The Missouri and Ohio rivers flow into the Mississippi, thus making them tributaries of the Mississippi
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    Canal and damlocks At right, a Great Lakes steamer passes through a series of locks to go from one Great Lakes to another.
  • 27.
    The Saint LawrenceSeaway is the system of canals that permits ocean-going vessels to travel from the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes as far as Lake Superior. The Welland Canal (above) connects Lakes Erie and Ontario, bypassing the Niagara Falls on the Niagara River.
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    All of theboat traffic that flows into or out of Lake Superior must move through the locks of the St. Mary's River, at Sault Ste. Marie.
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    Appalachians A vastsystem of North American mountains, partly in Canada, but mostly in the United States, extending as a zone, from 100 to 300 miles wide, running from Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, 1500 miles south-westward to central Alabama in the United States.
  • 32.
    Folded Appalachian Mts. 1993 N Blue Mts. Tuscarora Mts. Jacks Mts. Tussey Mts. Bald Eagle Mts. Lewistown South Mts. Juniata R.
  • 33.
    Rocky Mountains Commonlydefined to stretch from the Liard River in British Columbia, down to the Rio Grande in New Mexico. The mountains can also be considered to run to Alaska or Mexico, but usually those mountains are considered to be part of the entire American cordillera, rather than part of the Rockies.
  • 34.
    The Rockies areyoung scamps that haven’t faced the extra 320 million years of erosion that the Appalachians have suffered and so are much taller.
  • 35.
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    The range runsparallel to the Pacific coasts of California, Washington, and Oregon for 4,500 miles in the United States and extend north into Canada for about 1,000 miles and south into Mexico for about 800 miles.
  • 37.
    They are theseries of mountain ranges that stretch along west coast of North America from Alaska to Mexico. They are also known as the Pacific Cordillera . Pacific Coast Ranges Canadian Cordilleras
  • 38.
    Canadian Shield TheCanadian Shield, also known as the Precambrian Shield or Laurentian Plateau, covers about half of Canada as well as most of Greenland and part of the northern United States; an area of 1.7 million square miles.
  • 39.
    Precambrian rocks exposedon Earth's surface are often highly weathered. This portion of the Canadian Shield is about 2.5 billion years old.
  • 40.
    The Eastern LowlandsFlat level land by the eastern and Gulf coastal areas. The brown area along the coast is lowlands.
  • 41.
    Great Plains Thebroad expanse of prairie which lies east of the Rocky Mountains in the United States of America and Canada.
  • 42.
    Great Plains Inthe Prairies ecozone, rivers and streams are slow moving, usually with muddy bottoms. There are few lakes, but many marshes and small shallow ponds.
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    The Great Plainscover the center of the continent.
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    prairie The prairiebiome is a plant community dominated by grasses and non-grassy herbs with some woody shrubs and occasional trees.
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    Temperate grasslands arecharacterized by hot summers and cold winters. Evaporation rate is high, so little rain makes it into the rich soil. Mid-grass prairie near Manhattan, Kansas Great Plains grasslands
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    Great Lakes TheGreat Lakes
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    Great Lakes 1991L. Michigan L. Superior L. Huron L. Erie L. Ontario N Milwaukee Chicago Detroit Convection Lake Effect
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    Florida Everglades A subtropical marshland located in the southern portion of the U.S. state of Florida . Much modified by agricultural development in central and southern Florida, the Everglades is the southern half of a large watershed arising in the vicinity of Orlando known as the Kissimmee River system.
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    Alaska’s Denali TheAlaskan denali is a treeless tundra with only mosses and lichen vegetation in the summer, and covered with snow the rest of the year.
  • 54.
    Denali glaciers Atthe left-center of the picture is North America's highest peak, the 20,320 foot summit of Mt. McKinley. It's also known as Denali (the Great One). To the west is Mt. Forager (17,400 ft), and in the foreground are several of the dozens of large glaciers emanating from the Alaska Range. This unusually clear wintertime aerial photo shows a portion of the Alaska Range in south central Alaska.
  • 55.
    Alaska wildlife TheBrown Bear (right) lives throughout the North American continent, particularly in the colder climes. Arctic birds converge along the islands
  • 56.
    The southern partof the Denali tundra gives way to the hardy trees of the taiga
  • 57.
    Taiga (or BorealForests) represent the largest terrestrial biome. Occurring between 50 ° and 60 ° north latitudes, boreal forests can be found in the broad belt of Eurasia and North America. At left is the hardy jack pine species common in the poor, sandy soils, mostly in Canada. Taiga
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    Central America andthe Caribbean Islands are also part of North America
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    Rain forest Tropicalrain forests are mainly the product of climatic interactions, particularly temperature and rainfall. They occur where monthly temperature of 20 - 28 ° C combines with an annual rainfall of 1.5 -10m, evenly distributed throughout the year.
  • 61.
    Central American rainforest The tropical rain forest is a forest of tall trees in a region of year-round warmth with an annual average of 50- 260” of rain. These forests belong to the tropical wet climate group .
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Editor's Notes

  • #38 The character of the ranges varies considerably, from the record-setting tidewater glaciers in the ranges of Alaska, to the low but rugged and scrub-covered hills of southern California.
  • #46 Although tall-grass prairie once broadly covered the middle of the United States, this biome is now estimated to be at least 99% destroyed from pre-settlement by pioneers, who converted it for agricultural uses.
  • #54 Glaciers and a sub-arctic ecosystem are found in Denali National Park and Preserve.