Earth Science 7-North America3

Earth Science 7-Global Regions Index

This region is called North America. The countries in it are the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Greenland.

Latitude and Longitude

The Latitude Range is 14°N to 83°N

The Longitude Range is 174°W to 22°W

Highest and Lowest Points

The highest point is 6,194 meters above sea level at Mt. McKinley in Alaska.

The lowest point is 86 meters below sea level at Death Valley in California.

Geography

Bodies of Water

The Mackenzie River is over 4000 kilometres long and is Canada's largest river.

Great Bear Lake is the world's ninth largest lake, and it is in Canada.

Mackenzie River basin,the Gulf of Mexico Basin,and the Mississippi River Basin are some of the largest basins in North America.

The North Pacific Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean,Gulf of Mexico,Hudson Bay,Gulf of Alaska,Baffin Bay, and Labrador Sea all surround North America.

The Gulf of Mexico is the largest body of water in Mexico.

Lake Superior is 31,700 square miles, and is the largest lake in the US.The largest river in the US is the Mississippi, which has a flow volume of 593,000 cubic feet per second at its mouth.

Main Landmarks

The Appalachian Mountains, Candian Rockies, and Rocky Mountains are some main mountain ranges in North America.

Climate Zones

Greenland

Greenland is in the polar frost zone; it is also in the polar tundra zone.

Canada

Canada is in the snow/fully humid/cool summer zone. It is also in the warm temperate/fully humid/hot summer zone. One region of Canada is in the fully humid/warm summer zone. Canada is also in the arid/dry winter zone, the warm temperate/warm and dry summer zone, the snow/warm and dry summer zone, the polar frost zone, and the polar tundra zone.

United States

The US is in the warm temperate/fully humid/warm summer zone, the warm temperate/fully humid/hot summer zone, the snow/fully humid/hot summer zone, the snow/fully humid/warm summer zone, the cold arid/steppe zone, the cold arid/desert zone, the hot arid/desert zone, the polar tundra zone, the snow/warm and dry summer zone, the warm temperate/warm and dry summer zone, the warm temperate/hot and dry summer zone, the hot arid/steppe zone, the equatorial/dry winter zone, the equatorial/monsoonal zone, and the equatorial/fully humid zone.

Mexico

Mexico is in the hot arid/desert zone, the cold arid/steppe zone, the hot arid/steppe zone, the warm temperate/warm and dry summer zone, the warm temperate/hot and dry summer zone, the equatorial/dry winter zone, the equatorial/dry summer zone, and the equatorial/monsoonal zone.

Climate Discussion

The climates zones in North America vary , because it is so vast and wide. Also because it includes Canada,the United States,Mexico, and Greenland.It includes nearly all of the climates listed on the koeppen-geiger climate classification map which makes it very unique.It ranges from the polar tundra zone all the way to the hot arid/desert zone. The median of the two climates is most likely to be found somewhere in the mid point of the United States, considering that Mexico is closer to the equator, and Greenland is near the North Pole.