North America is usually associated with the United States and Canada, but another 21 states are located on the mainland. This is the third largest continent of our planet. It has a diverse relief, in its own unique fauna and flora. There are high mountains of the Cordillera, a deep Grand Canyon and much more. We will talk more about this in the article.
Geographical Location of North America
The continent is completely located within the Western Hemisphere and almost completely within the Northern. It is washed by the Pacific, Atlantic and Arctic oceans. In the northern and southern parts of its shores are indented by the seas (Greenland, Caribbean, Baffin, etc.) and bays (Hudson, Mexican, California, etc.).
The area of North America covers 20.4 million km 2 . In addition to the continental part, it includes some nearby islands, for example, the Canadian archipelago, Vancouver or the Aleutian islands. The largest of them is Greenland, which is the overseas territory of Denmark. Together with the islands, the area is 24.2 million km 2 .
The mainland is elongated in the meridional direction and is 7,326 km in length. It is quite wide in the northern and central parts and narrows to the south, where its width is barely 70 km. The Isthmus of Panama connects the continent with South America. With Eurasia, it is divided by the Bering Strait.
Relief of north america
Along the western coast of the mainland stretch the Cordillera Mountains, covered with glaciers and perennial snows. Together with the Aleutian Islands, they enter the Pacific Ring of Fire and are a seismically active zone, where earthquakes and eruptions occur from time to time. In total, there are about 17 volcanoes in the mainland, some of which are active.
Cordillera cross all climatic zones of the continent, except for the Arctic and subarctic. Their picturesque sharp ridges grow 6 km in height and are densely dissected by deep valleys. The highest point is Denali Peak or McKinley Peak (6193 meters). On the east coast of the mainland is the older and lower mountain system of the Appalachian Mountains, reaching a maximum of 2,037 meters (Mount Mitchell). Above them is the Lavrentian Upland and the low mountains of the same name.
In the center and east, the relief of North America is represented by the Central and Great Plains. Along the Atlantic coast there are coastal lowlands up to 300 km wide. They are represented by wetlands, terraces and ledges. Near the ocean dotted with lagoons and braids, covered with sandy beaches and swamps.
Climate
The relief and geographical location of North America are very strongly reflected in its climate. The mainland comes closest to the pole and crosses all geographical zones except the equatorial. North America has very low temperatures (from -20 to -40 ° C), snow storms in winter and polar nights that last for several months.
The most extensive territory in the center covers the temperate zone. Thanks to the mountain systems on both sides, the air masses cannot penetrate deep into the mainland, which is why there was formed a dry sharply continental climate. On the coasts it is oceanic, moderated by winds from the sea. In the south of Mexico and in the countries of Central America there is a hot tropical climate with warm summers (up to +35 ° C) and in winter (up to +25 ° C).
Numerous hurricanes, torrential rains and tornadoes on the shores of North America create a large temperature difference between the mainland and the influence of the ocean. Regions near the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea often become epicenters of disasters.
Inland waters
The rivers of North America belong to the basins of the three oceans surrounding it. The main watershed between them is the Cordillera. Irrigation of the mainland occurs unevenly, most of the significant reservoirs are located in its northern part.
The largest rivers of America are the Mississippi, Missouri, Yellowstone, Kansas, Arkansas. The longest on the mainland is the Mississippi. It stretches for 3900 meters from Lake Itasca to the Gulf of Mexico. In the Cordillera, the largest river is the Colorado River. With her strong current, she created the Grand Canyon - one of the deepest canyons in the world.
On the border of Canada and the United States are the famous Great Lakes of North America. They represent a whole system of reservoirs connected to each other by a number of straits and rivers. The lakes cover an area of 244 106 kilometers, and the depth of some of them reaches about 200 meters.
Vegetable world
Many islands in the north of the mainland are not at all occupied by vegetation. They are located in the zone of Arctic deserts and are covered with perennial ice. An extensive tundra zone stretches below, where dwarf trees, grasses, mosses and lichens predominate.
From Alaska and the Hudson's Bay to the Great Lakes, taiga extends. Here, in addition to pines, spruces and larches, plants typical for North America grow - Canadian Tsugs, Douglas Fir and giant sequoias. Deciduous forests begin with alder, oak, birch, beech, maples and tulip trees.
Below natural zones are distributed meridionally. Vast areas in central North America (Great Plains) are covered with prairies that stretch from north to south of the United States. Here you can find low and tall herbs, agaves, cacti and other steppe and desert plants. Evergreen forests and mangroves are common in the south.
Animals
The fauna of North America is closely connected with the climate and natural areas of the mainland. The harsh Arctic desert and tundra are inhabited by polar bears, Arctic foxes, rodents lemmings, reindeers and caribou. In coastal waters there are whales, seals, walruses.
Brown bears, martens, wolverines, red lynxes, ferrets, foxes and wolves live in the forests of the mainland. Southern tropical regions meet exotic alligators for us, as well as turtles, a variety of herons, frogs and snakes. Specific animals of North America are the bison and pronghorn antelopes that live on the prairies, the rams and wolves, ground squirrels, possums, and porcupines living on trees.