The school curriculum takes several hours to study mainland North America. Geographical location, discovery history, climate, flora and fauna are studied in detail. In order to facilitate the preparation of students, we decided to select the material that we will present in this article.
Briefly about the main thing
So, let's begin. What is North America? This is part of the land, which is washed immediately by 3 oceans. Its entire territory is located in the northern hemisphere. It is this geographical location of North America that directly affected the name of the continent.
Oceans washing the mainland
As you know, the influence of reservoirs washing the mainland is quite large. Therefore, it is important to know which oceans are affecting North America. So, on the east coast is the Atlantic. It separates the described continent from Eurasia. On the east coast are two large bays.
From the north, the continent borders on the Arctic Ocean. A description of the latter also takes place in a subject such as geography (grade 7). North America, the geographical location of which we will consider in detail in the article, in the far north has a large number of islands and bays. Greenland refers to this continent. The climate of the island is quite severe. It is located in the northeast of the continent, is influenced by currents and air masses of the Arctic Ocean. There are only two climatic zones on the island : arctic and subarctic. From the western part, North America is washed by the Pacific Ocean. In the northwest, the continent shares the Bering Strait with Eurasia .
Description of the geographical location of North America
The described continent is located in the Northern and Western hemispheres. The continent covers the territory from the equator on the Isthmus of Panama to the Arctic Ocean at Cape Murchison. The latter is the extreme northern point. The distance along which the continent stretched from south to north is more than 7,000 km. The southern extreme point is Cape Maryato.
The geographical position of North America is characterized by a length not only from the equator to the northernmost point, but also from west to east. This distance is more than four thousand kilometers. Extreme points: Cape St. Charles (east) and Prince of Wales (west).
In terms of land area, taking into account the islands, the mainland ranks third. North America is second only to two continents - Eurasia and Africa.
Climate features
Due to the large distance from north to south, almost all climatic zones are present on the mainland. Not only equatorial. The climate of the continent is mild even in the northern part, since North America is washed by the warm oceanic Gulf Stream along the entire east coast. A stream of warm air from the Atlantic spreads throughout the continent. Also, a large flow of warm air masses is formed from the Gulf of Mexico. That is why the geographical location of North America directly affects the local climate.
Winters of the central and southern parts are mild. In the north, temperatures can drop to -36 ° C. Summer is also cold, up to +6 ° C. Most often, such temperatures are observed in Greenland and on the islands of the Canadian archipelago. Winter is warm in the south of the continent. The temperature does not fall below 0 ° C this season. Summer is hot and humid. From east to west, the climate also varies greatly. There are many forests on the east coast, while the west is more deserted. Precipitation in the east is many times greater than in the west.
Flora and fauna
The geographical location of North America and its climate to a greater extent determine the local flora and fauna. It is worth noting that the main part of the continent is located in the temperate zone. In this regard, the flora is represented by a large number of deciduous and conifers. In the north, there is a sharp transition of deciduous forest to the Arctic desert. The territories of Greenland and the Canadian Arctic archipelago are subject to glaciation.
The identity of the continent is determined by its rich fauna. Here you can find such species of animals that live not only in the local territory, but also in Eurasia. There are also representatives living exclusively in North America. The first type indicates that before the territories of Eurasia and North America were single, that is, they were part of a single continent. The second one shows that the separation of the continents occurred a long time ago, and evolution developed in a free direction.
Neighborhood with South America
Closest to North America is the continent of South America. The section runs along the Isthmus of Panama. Before the construction of the canal, ships needed to go around South America around the perimeter in order to get from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific. With the commissioning of the channel, this problem was successfully resolved.
It is worth noting that in a school course they study not only the geographical location of North America (Grade 7), but also South. In short, the equator separates these two continents. Naturally, this arrangement of South America affects the climate, flora and fauna.
History of exploration of the continent
The history of the study of this continent is quite interesting. It can be divided into several stages. The first record dates back to the XX-XI centuries. In 981-983 years. the Normans put together an expedition during which explorations of Greenland, the Labrador Peninsula and the islands of Newfoundland were carried out. However, this information never became known to the Old World.
The following notes on the study of North America appeared after four centuries. In the XV-XVIII centuries. This continent became interested in the French, Spaniards and British. The discovery of the Mississippi Delta occurred in 1528 thanks to a Spanish expedition. A little later, in the 40s, a study was conducted inland into the mainland. Researchers were able to cross the Colorado Plateau, Great Plains, and a small portion of the Rocky Mountains. After some time, another expedition explored the South Appalachians. It was she who discovered the rivers Alabama and Tennessee.
The next stage in the study of North America can be called the era of the XVIII-XIX centuries. In the 30s of the XVIII century, the Russians organized many expeditions in order to explore the mainland from Alaska. The French and English also participated in the study of the area.
In the XIX-XX centuries, the British continued to explore the continent. Their main task was to find the northwest passage. But the expedition, which was studying the Arctic coast, in 1845 went missing. We searched for it for ten years. The remains were found on King William Island. Those expeditions that went out in search of Franklin and his team made a great contribution to the study of such a continent as North America.
The geographical location and history of the study of this continent still attract scientists from all over the world.