North America

North America is the third largest continent in the world with an area of 24,227,000 sq.km. It extends from 18⁰N to 82⁰N latitude and longitudes from 20⁰W to 165⁰W. Pacific Ocean lies to the west and Atlantic lies to the east. The Arctic Ocean lies to the north while the South America to its South.

The Panama Isthmus joins North America and South America.

Physical divisions

The physical division of North America is divided into three.

• The Rocky Mountains lie all along the western coast.
• Central Lowlands: They lie between the western mountains and eastern highlands.
• The Eastern Highlands: The eastern part of the continent is made up of highlands like Plateau of Greenland in the north, the Canadian Shield in the middle and the Appalachian Mountains in the south.

Mississippi, Missouri, St. Lawrence, etc. are the major rivers.

Climate and Natural Vegetation

The climate of this continent is affected by the latitude, the western mountains, cold polar winds, etc. Most part of the continent lies in the temperate zone. There is extensive pine forest in the north of the continent and equatorial rainforest in the south.

People

Nearly 460 million people reside in this continent. Europeans were the original inhabitants, but Eskimos and Red Indians are also living here. Most of the people here are Christians. They have a high living standard. English is the major language. However, other languages like French and Spanish are also widely spoken here.