Map of North America.North America North America, third largest continent (1990 est. pop. 365,000,000), c.9,400,000 sq mi (24,346,000 sq km), the northern of the two continents of the Western Hemisphere. is the world's third-largest continent, with a land area of more than 9 million square miles. Only Asia and Africa are larger. North America's terrain includes: two major mountain systems--the Rockies in the West and the Appalachians in the East; the Great Plains; the five Great Lakes Great Lakes, group of five freshwater lakes, central North America, creating a natural border between the United States and Canada and forming the largest body of freshwater in the world, with a combined surface area of c.95,000 sq mi (246,050 sq km). ; the Mississippi River Mississippi River River, central U.S. It rises at Lake Itasca in Minnesota and flows south, meeting its major tributaries, the Missouri and the Ohio rivers, about halfway along its journey to the Gulf of Mexico. ; Canada's huge Hudson Bay Hudson Bay, inland sea of North America, c.475,000 sq mi (1,230,000 sq km), c.850 mi (1,370 km) long and c.650 mi (1,050 km) wide, E central Canada. Hudson Bay and James Bay (its southern extension) and all their islands border Nunavut Territory, Manitoba, Ontario, ; and deserts, massive plateaus, plains, and tropical rain forests. The continent's lowest point is Death Valley, California (282 ft below sea level); its highest point is Alaska's Mount McKinley (20,320 ft). North America includes the world's largest island, Greenland; the small island countries in the Caribbean Sea Caribbean Sea (kâr'ĭbē`ən, kərĭb`ēən), tropical sea, c.970,000 sq mi (2,512,950 sq km), arm of the Atlantic Ocean, Central America. and the Atlantic Ocean Atlantic Ocean [Lat.,=of Atlas], second largest ocean (c.31,800,000 sq mi/82,362,000 sq km; c.36,000,000 sq mi/93,240,000 sq km with marginal seas). Physical Geography Extent and Seas ; and the seven countries that make up Central America Central America, narrow, southernmost region (c.202,200 sq mi/523,698 sq km) of North America, linked to South America at Colombia. It separates the Caribbean from the Pacific. . The population of the countries of North America is 505 million. 1. Locate and identify these countries and land areas of North America: (A) North America's largest country in land size (it is the world's second-largest): -- (B) The island country at 23[degrees]N, 80[degrees]W, where the people live under Communist rule: -- (C) North America's second-largest country: -- (D) The three Central American countries located along the 85[degrees]W meridian of longitude meridian of longitude: see longitude. : -- (E) The huge island owned by Denmark and located mostly north of the Arctic Circle: -- (F) The isthmus isthmus (ĭs`məs), narrow neck of land connecting two larger land areas. Since it commands the only land route between two large areas and is on two seas, an isthmus has great strategical and commercial importance and is a favorable situation country that links North and South America; a major canal built through this country enables ships to travel between the Pacific and Atlantic oceans: -- (G) Major U.S. trade partners: north of the Great Lakes: -- south of the Rio Grande River: -- 2. Locate and identify these bodies of water: (A) The bays or gulfs at: 23[degrees]N, 95[degrees]W: --; 60[degrees]N, 80[degrees]W: -- (B) The seas or straits at: 15[degrees]N, 80[degrees]W: --; 66[degrees]N, 169[degrees]W: -- (C) The river that serves as an important shipping route between the Atlantic Ocean and the Great Lakes: -- (D) The three oceans bordering North America: on the east: --; the west: --; the north: -- (E) Two major rivers flow into the Gulf of Mexico Noun 1. Gulf of Mexico - an arm of the Atlantic to the south of the United States and to the east of Mexico Golfo de Mexico Atlantic, Atlantic Ocean - the 2nd largest ocean; separates North and South America on the west from Europe and Africa on the east : One river drains the central plains of the U.S. --; the other begins in the Rocky Mountains, and forms part of the U.S.-Mexico boundary: -- 3. Calculate the distance (to the nearest 100 miles) if you flew from: (A) Boston, U.S., to Monterrey, Mexico: -- (B) Vancouver, Canada, to Chicago, U.S.: -- 4. If you traveled the continent along the 120[degrees]W meridian of longitude, which countries and bodies of water would you cross? -- 5. Locate and identify each of these cities and name the country. Underline the city if it is the country's capital: (A) 45[degrees]N, 93[degrees]W: --, -- (B) 45[degrees]N, 76[degrees]W: --, -- (C) 21[degrees]N, 103[degrees]W: --, -- (D) 15[degrees]N, 91[degrees]W: --, -- 6. On the outline map of North America, write the names of as many countries as you can. Use the Atlas map to check your answers. Answers 1. (A) Canada (B) Cuba (C) U.S. (D) Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica (E) Greenland (F) Panama (G) Canada; Mexico 2. (A) Gulf of Mexico; Hudson Bay (B) Caribbean Sea; Bering Strait (C) St. Lawrence River (D) Atlantic Ocean; Pacific Ocean; Arctic Ocean (E) Mississippi River; Rio Grande River 3. (A) 2,100 miles (B) 1,800 miles 4. Arctic Ocean, Beaufort Sea (opt.), Canada, U.S., Pacific Ocean 5. (A) Minneapolis, U.S. (B) Ottawa, Canada (C) Guadalajara, Mexico (D) Guatemala, Guatemala |
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