North America I

North America Learning Objectives :- Explain the geographical location of the North America continent Understand the quality of life of residents of North America Discuss the physical characteristics of the North America continent

North America Geographically, North America includes USA, Canada and Mexico. Commonly referred to in geography as Anglo-America (Canada and the US). Two countries very similar in many areas e.g. ethnic origins, wealthy, mobile, highly educated societies, leisure time and consumer goods

North America Most urbanized societies in the world Exceeds any other region except Western Europe Incomes highest in the world Largest concentration of middle-class people Life of luxury compared to more than three-fourths of the world’s people

North America Standard of living that is only a dream for the world’s hungry, illiterate, ill-housed, ill- fed and underemployed majority Pockets of poverty and a low standard of living, particularly in African-American and Latino communities General wealth allows citizens of the two countries a degree of financial independence and free time to travel

Physical Characteristics 1)Landforms Conducive to human use Some major landforms include the Canadian Shield, the Atlantic Coastal and the Central lowlands etc.

Canadian Shield Diverse and abundant mineral resources Rolling landscape, connected by thousands of rivers and streams, Center of continental glaciation in North America that leveled the land and created numerous lakes, marshes and ponds.

Atlantic Coastal Plain Broad, easily accessible plain a) North of Cape Fear, North Carolina b) South of this point to the Mexican border

The Central Lowlands Agricultural heart of the American continent Formed by the Ohio-Mississippi-Missouri drainage In Canada, lie along the Great Lakes of Erie and Ontario, and the St. Lawrence River Fertile, well-drained suitable for mechanized equipment

The River Systems Physical character of North America is its natural transportation arteries Provides major transportation Important river system is the St. Lawrence-Great Lakes, which can be navigated halfway across the continent

The River Systems Second major river system :- Mississippi and its tributaries such as the Arkansas, Ohio and Missouri

Climate Characteristics Some factors contributing to the continent’s climatic patterns are : Warm, moist air from the Gulf of Mexico Prevailing westerly winds Mountain ranges Land and water relationships in and around the continent

Climate Characteristics Some of the 10 major climatic types :- Tundra essentially uninhabited Subarctic occupies much of Alaska and Canada (limited economic development), sparsely inhabited, except for localized settlements for mining trapping

Climate Characteristics Western mountainous region of the United States has desert and steppe climates e.g. driest areas of the world are interior deserts of California, Nevada, Arizona and New Mexico Eastern regions of the United States and Canada have humid continental climates. Warm and cool summer types associated with some of the fertile agricultural lands in the world

Summary You would have understood the landforms of the North America continent The various landforms and the river systems that make up of the North America continent. The various climate characteristics that occur uniquely in the North America continent.