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| [[File:Orthographic projection centred over Churchill, Manitoba, Canada.png|thumb|right|Global view centered on North America]]
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| [[North America]] is the third largest [[continent]], and is also a portion of the third largest [[supercontinent]] if North and [[South America]] are combined into the [[Americas]] and [[Africa]], [[Europe]], and [[Asia]] are considered to be part of one supercontinent called [[Afro-Eurasia]]. With an estimated population of 580 million and an area of 24,709,000 km<sup>2</sup> (9,540,000 mi<sup>2</sup>), the northernmost of the two continents of the [[Western Hemisphere]]<ref name="def">{{cite web|url=http://www.geographicguide.com/north-america.htm|title=Geographic Guide - Images of North America|access-date=2006-10-11}}</ref> is bounded by the [[Pacific Ocean]] on the west; the [[Atlantic Ocean]] on the east; the [[Caribbean Sea]] on the south; and the [[Arctic Ocean]] on the north.
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| The northern half of [[North America]] is sparsely populated and covered mostly by [[Canada]], except for the northeastern portion, which is occupied by [[Greenland]], and the northwestern portion, which is occupied by [[Alaska]], the largest [[U.S. state|state]] of the [[United States]]. The central and southern portions of the continent are occupied by the [[contiguous United States]], [[Mexico]], and numerous smaller states in [[Central America]] and in the [[Caribbean]].
| | [[Category:North America]] |
| | | [[Category:Geography of the Americas| ]] |
| The continent is delimited on the southeast by most geographers at the [[Darién Gap|Darién watershed]] along the [[Colombia]]-[[Panama]] border, placing all of Panama within North America.<ref>[http://unstats.un.org/unsd/methods/m49/m49regin.htm#americas "Americas"] ''Standard Country and Area Codes Classifications (M49)'', United Nations Statistics Division</ref><ref>[http://atlas.nrcan.gc.ca/site/english/maps/reference/international/north_america/referencemap_image_view "North America"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061021010223/http://atlas.nrcan.gc.ca/site/english/maps/reference/international/north_america/referencemap_image_view |date=October 21, 2006 }} ''Atlas of Canada''</ref><ref name="North America Atlas">[https://web.archive.org/web/20031024172731/http://www.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions/atlas/index.html?Parent=nameri&Rootmap=&Mode=d&SubMode=w North America Atlas] National Geographic</ref> Alternatively, a less common view would end North America at the man-made [[Panama Canal]]. Islands generally associated with North America include [[Greenland]], the world's largest island, and [[archipelago]]s and islands in the Caribbean. The [[Americas (terminology)|terminology of the Americas]] is complex, but "[[Anglo-America]]" can describe Canada and the U.S., while "[[Latin America]]" comprises Mexico and the countries of [[Central America]] and the [[Caribbean]], as well as the entire continent of South America.
| | [[Category:Geography by continent|North America]] |
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| Natural features of North America include the northern portion of the [[American Cordillera]], represented by the [[geology|geologically]] new [[Rocky Mountains]] in the west; and the considerably older [[Appalachian Mountains]] to the east. The north hosts an abundance of [[glacial lake]]s formed during the [[last glacial period]], including the [[Great Lakes]]. North America's major [[continental divide]] is the [[Continental Divide of the Americas|Great Divide]], which runs north and south down through Rocky Mountains. The major [[drainage basin|watershed]]s draining to the include the [[Mississippi River|Mississippi]]/[[Missouri River|Missouri]] and [[Rio Grande]] draining into the [[Gulf of Mexico]] (part of the Atlantic Ocean), and the [[Saint Lawrence River|St. Lawrence]] draining into the [[Atlantic Ocean|Atlantic]]. The [[Colorado River|Colorado]], [[Columbia River|Colombia]], and [[Yukon River|Yukon]] Rivers drain west to the [[Pacific Ocean]].
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| [[Climate]] is determined to a large extent by the [[latitude]], ranging from [[Arctic]] cold in the north to tropical heat in the south. There are [[steppe]]s (known as "[[prairies]]") in the central and western portions, and [[desert]]s in the [[Southwestern United States]] of [[Arizona]], [[Colorado]], [[California]], [[Nevada]], [[New Mexico]], [[Utah]], and [[Texas]]; along with the Mexican states of [[Baja California]], [[Baja California Sur]], [[Sonora]], [[Chihuahua (state)|Chihuahua]], [[Coahuila]], [[Nuevo Leon]] and [[Tamaulipas]].
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| [[File:N. Am. frm space.PNG|thumb|right|280px|The Blue Marble, NASA; east more rain than west.]]
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| ==Paleogeography==
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| [[File:North america basement rocks.png|thumb|upright=1.35|The paleogeological origins of the [[Basement (geology) |basement rocks]] underlying North America.]]
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| [[File:North america terrain 2003 map.jpg|thumb|upright=1.5|Age of the [[bedrock]] underlying North America, from red (oldest) to blue, green, yellow (newest).]]
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| Seventy percent of North America is underlain by the [[Laurentia]] craton,<ref name=Smithsonian>[http://www.mnh.si.edu/earth/text/4_1_3_1.html "United Plates of America"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050306191515/http://www.mnh.si.edu/earth/text/4_1_3_1.html |date=March 6, 2005 }}. Smithsonian Museum of Natural History. Retrieved on 2009-01-31.</ref> which is exposed as the [[Canadian Shield]] in much of central and eastern Canada around the [[Hudson Bay]], and as far south as the U.S. states of [[Michigan]], [[Wisconsin]], and [[Minnesota]]. The [[continental crust]] started to form 4 billion years ago ([[Gigaannum|Ga]]), and six of the [[microcontinent]]s collided to form the craton about 2 Ga. This core has been enlarged by [[plate tectonics]], most notably between 1.8 and 1.65 Ga when a piece currently stretching from [[Arizona]] to [[Missouri]] fused with the south and west portion of the craton. The craton started to [[rift]] about 1.1 Ga, and the fissure (now the [[Midcontinent Rift System]]) ran between [[Kansas]] and [[Lake Superior]] before stopping, perhaps due to the [[Grenville orogeny|Grenville collision]] in the east. Otherwise the craton has remained relatively stable, with some rocks dating from 2.5 to 4 Ga, including what may be the world's [[oldest rock|oldest known rock]]: Specimens from the [[Nuvvuagittuq greenstone belt]] on the coast of the Hudson Bay have been dated to 4.38 Ga,<ref>Thompson, Andrea (2008-09-25). [https://web.archive.org/web/20150607012150/http://www.nbcnews.com/id/26890176 "Oldest rocks on Earth found"]. NBC News. Retrieved 2009-02-01.</ref><ref>O'Neil, Jonathan; Carlson, Richard W.; Francis, Don; Stevenson, Ross K. (2008-09-26). "Neodymium-142 Evidence for Hadean Mafic Crust". ''Science'' '''321''' (5897): 1828–1831. {{doi|10.1126/science.1161925}}.</ref> though the dating methods are disputed.<ref>Brahic, Catherine (2008-09-26). [https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn14818 "Discovery of world's oldest rocks challenged"]. ''New Scientist''. Retrieved 2009-02-01.</ref> Periodic flooding by [[Inland sea (geology)|inland sea]]s, most recently the [[Western Interior Seaway]] during the [[Cretaceous]], caused the layer of [[sedimentary rock]] over the remainder of the craton. The Laurentia craton is the center of the [[Proterozoic]] supercontinent [[Rodinia]] in most models,<ref name=Rodinia>[http://www.palaeos.com/Earth/Geography/Rodinia.htm "Rodinia"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090218101232/http://palaeos.com/Earth/Geography/Rodinia.htm |date=2009-02-18 }} (2005). Palæos. Retrieved on 2009-02-01.</ref> and was also part of the later [[Laurussia]], [[Pangea]], and [[Laurasia]] supercontinents.
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| Roughly 3 million years ago ([[Megaannum|Ma]]), the [[volcano|volcanic]] [[Isthmus of Panama]] formed between the North and [[South American]] continents creating a bridge over what was the [[Central American Seaway]] and allowing the migration of flora and fauna between the two landmasses in the [[Great American Interchange]]. Starting 2.58 Ma, the [[Quaternary glaciation]] covered much of the continent with ice, centered west of Hudson Bay, the floor of which is slowly rebounding after being depressed by the great weight of the ice. Glaciers descended the slopes of the Rocky Mountains and those of the [[Pacific Coast Ranges#Geology|Pacific Margin]]. Extensive glacial lakes, such as [[Glacial Lake Missoula]], [[Bonneville Salt Flats|Bonneville]], [[Lake Lahontan|Lahontan]], [[Lake Agassiz|Agassiz]], and [[Glacial Lake Algonquin|Algonquin]], formed by glacial melt water. "Remnants of them are still visible in the [[Great Basin]] and along the edge of the Canadian Shield in the form of the [[Great Salt Lake]], the [[Great Lakes]], and the large lakes of west central Canada."<ref name="ghi"/> The [[last glacial period]] of the current ice age caused a lowering of the sea level, exposing the [[Beringia|Bering Land Bridge]] between Alaska and [[Siberia]], which resulted in [[models of migration to the New World|human migration from Asia to the Americas]] between 40,000 and 15,000 years ago.<ref name=Bering>[http://www.nps.gov/archive/bela/html/history.htm "Historical & Cultural Significance"] (1995). Bering Land Bridge Natural Preserve.</ref>
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| {{quote box
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| |title=
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| |quote=North America can also be divided into four great regions:{{Citation needed|reason=WHO SUBDIVIDES THE CONTINENT IN THIS MANNER?|date=April 2009}}
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| *[[Great Plains]]: stretching from the Gulf of Mexico to the [[Canadian Arctic]];
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| *the geologically young, mountainous west: including the Rocky Mountains, the [[Great Basin]], California and Alaska;
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| *the raised but relatively flat plateau of the Canadian Shield in the northeast;
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| *the varied eastern region: including the Appalachian Mountains, the coastal plain of the [[Atlantic Seaboard]], and the Florida peninsula.<ref name="abc">{{cite web|url=http://artzia.com/Society/Geography/North_America/|title=Encyclozine - North America|access-date=2006-10-11}}</ref>
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| Mexico and its long plateaus and cordilleras fall largely in the western region, although the eastern coastal [[plain]] does extend south along the Gulf.
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| |width=25em
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| |bgcolor=#B0C4DE
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| }}
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| [[File:Plates tect2 en.svg|thumb|upright=1.2|{{legend|#caa595|North American Plate (center top)}}{{legend|#fcb99e|Caribbean Plate (center)}}]]
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| ==Physiography==
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| North America may be divided into at least five major [[physiographic regions of the world|physiographic regions]]:{{Citation needed|reason=WHO SUBDIVIDES THE CONTINENT IN THIS MANNER? ALSO, A MAP IS NEEDED FOR THIS TAXONOMY.|date=April 2009}}
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| ;[[Canadian Shield]]: This is a geologically stable area of rock dating between 2.5 and 4 [[Gya]] that occupies most of the northeastern quadrant, including [[Greenland]].
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| ;[[Appalachian Mountains]]: The Appalachians are an old and eroded system that formed about 1.3 [[Gya]]<ref name="Thomas 2021">{{Cite journal |last1=Thomas |first1=William A. |last2=Hatcher, Jr. |first2=Robert D. |date=2021 |title=Southern-Central Appalachians-Ouachitas Orogen |journal=Encyclopedia of Geology |volume=4 |quote=The foundations of the Appalachian-Ouachita orogen were laid when the assembly of supercontinent Rodinia was completed. The collisional events were accompanied by high-grade metamorphism and magmatism during the Grenville orogeny in the time span of 1300–950 Ma. |via=Elsevier Science Direct}}</ref> and extends from the [[Newfoundland (island)|Island of Newfoundland]] to [[Alabama]].
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| ;[[Atlantic Coastal Plain]]: The plain is a belt of lowlands widening to the south that extends from south [[New England]] to Mexico.
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| ;Interior Lowlands: The lowlands extend down the middle of the continent from the [[Mackenzie Valley]] to the Atlantic Coastal Plain, and include the [[Great Plains]] on the west and the agriculturally productive [[Interior Plains]] on the east.
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| ;North [[American Cordillera]]: The cordillera is a complex belt of mountains and associated [[plateau]]s and [[Depression (geology)|basins]] some of which were formed as recently as 100–65 Ma, during the Cretaceous. The cordillera extend from Alaska into Mexico and includes two [[orogeny|orogenic belts]] — the Pacific Margin on the west and the Rocky Mountains on the east — separated by a system of intermontane plateaus and basins.<ref name="ghi">{{cite web |url=http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/world/A0860021.html |title=North America's Geology and Geography |access-date=2006-08-19 |last=Jones |first=Steve |publisher=[[USA Today]]}}</ref>
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| The Coastal Plain and the main belts of the North American Cordillera continue in the south in Mexico (where the [[Mexican Plateau]], bordered by the [[Sierra Madre Oriental]] and the [[Sierra Madre Occidental]], is considered a continuation of the intermontane system) to connect the [[Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt|Transverse Volcanic Range]], a zone of high and active volcanic peaks south of Mexico City.
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| The vast majority of North America is located on the [[North American Plate]], centered on the [[Laurentia]] craton. Parts of California and western Mexico form the partial edge of the [[Pacific Plate]]; the two plates meet along the [[San Andreas Fault]]. The southern portion of the Caribbean and parts of Central America compose the much smaller [[Caribbean Plate]].
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| The western mountains have split in the middle, into the main range of the Rockies and the Coast Ranges in California, [[Oregon]], [[Washington (U.S. state)|Washington]], and [[British Columbia]] with the [[Great Basin]] (a lower area containing smaller ranges and low-lying deserts) in between. The highest peak is [[Mount McKinley|Mount McKinley/Denali]] in Alaska.
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| Three countries (Canada, the United States, and Mexico) make up most of North America's land mass; they share the continent with 34 other island countries in the Caribbean and [[Central America|south of Mexico]].
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| ===Geographic center of North America===
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| The geographic center of North America is near [[Center, North Dakota]],<ref name="nytimes.com">{{cite web |last1=Yin |first1=Steph |title=North America's Geographical Center May Be in a North Dakota Town Called Center |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/25/science/north-america-geographical-center-north-dakota.html |website=The New York Times |access-date=30 December 2018 |date=25 January 2017}}</ref> according to Peter Rogerson, geography professor at the [[University at Buffalo]], who published a new method of calculating geographical centers.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Rogerson |first1=Peter A. |title=A New Method for Finding Geographic Centers, with Application to U.S. States |journal=The Professional Geographer |date=14 August 2015 |volume=67 |issue=4 |pages=686–694 |doi=10.1080/00330124.2015.1062707}}</ref>
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| Earlier placements in 1931 involved geographers balancing a cardboard cutout of a region on a needlelike point to find its center to establish a spot "6 miles west of [[Balta, North Dakota|Balta, Pierce County, North Dakota]]",<ref name="nytimes.com"/> at 48⁰ 10′north, 100⁰ 10′west.<ref name=USGS>{{cite web|url=http://egsc.usgs.gov/isb/pubs/booklets/elvadist/elvadist.html |title=Elevations and Distances in the United States |format=Online Edition |year=1995 |access-date=2009-02-05 |quote=No marked or monumented point has been established by any government agency as the geographic center of the 50 States, the [[contiguous United States|conterminous United States]], or the North American continent. |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120722022527/http://egsc.usgs.gov/isb/pubs/booklets/elvadist/elvadist.html |archive-date=July 22, 2012 }}</ref> In 1932, a field stone cairn recognizing this was erected in nearby [[Rugby, North Dakota]] at the intersections of [[U.S. Route 2 in North Dakota|U.S. Route 2]] and [[North Dakota Highway 3|ND State Highway 3]].<ref>{{cite news|last1=Daley |first1=Jason |title=New Calculations Reposition the Geographical Center of North America |url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/new-calculations-reposition-geographical-center-north-america-1-180961932/ |work=[[Smithsonian (magazine)|Smithsonian]] |access-date=9 August 2021 |date=30 January 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Bhagat |first1=David |title=The debate over the Geographical Center of North America |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/the-geographical-center-of-north-america/ |access-date=9 August 2021 |agency=[[CBS News]] |date=30 May 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=About Us |url=http://www.rugbynorthdakota.com/pages/AboutUs |publisher=Rugby Chamber of Commerce |access-date=9 August 2021}}</ref>
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| ==Surface and climate==
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| [[File:Physical Features of North America map by Tom Patterson v. 1.01, meters.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|[[Landform]]s and [[land cover]] of North America]]
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| [[File:Map of Great Plains.svg|thumb|The Great Plains]]
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| The [[Great Plains]] is the broad expanse of [[prairie]] and [[steppe]] which lies east of the [[Rocky Mountains]] in the [[United States]] and [[Canada]]. The narrow plains in the [[Mexico|Mexican]] coast and the [[savannas]] of the Mississippi are analogous to, respectively, the [[Patagonian Desert|Patagonian Steppes]] and the pampas of the Piranha, Paraguay, and Rio de la Plata. Thus the Appalachians and the mountain chains of Brazil are regarded as creating similar interruptions to the plains community.<ref name="jkl">{{cite web|url=http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/world/A0860022.html|title=North America climate|access-date=2006-08-19}}</ref>
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| North America extends to within 10° of [[latitude]] of both the [[equator]] and the [[North Pole]]. It embraces every climatic zone, from tropical rain forest and savanna on the lowlands of Central America to areas of permanent ice cap in central Greenland.<ref name="jkl"/> [[Subarctic]] and [[tundra]] climates prevail in north Canada and north Alaska, and desert and semiarid conditions are found in interior regions cut off by high mountains from rain-bearing westerly winds.<ref name="abc"/> However, most of the continent has temperate climates very favorable to settlement and agriculture. Prairies, or vast grasslands cover a huge amount in mountain ranges.<ref name="abc"/>
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| === North America's greatest snowfalls ===
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| {| class="wikitable"
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| |+ Greatest Snowfalls <!-- if required -->
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| !
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| ! Places
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| ! Date
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| ! Inches
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| ! Centimeters
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| |-
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| ! 24 hours
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| ! Silver Lake, [[Colorado]]
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| ! April 14–15, 1921
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| ! 76
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| ! 195.6
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| |-
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| ! 1 month
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| ! [[Tamarack, California]]
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| ! January 1911
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| ! 390
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| ! 991
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| |-
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| ! One storm
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| ! Mt. Shasta Ski Bowl, Calif.
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| ! February 13–19, 1959
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| ! 189
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| ! 480
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| |-
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| ! One season
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| ! Mount Baker, WA
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| ! 1998–1999
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| ! 1, 140
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| ! 2, 895.6
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| |}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0001381.html |title=Private Tutor |publisher=Infoplease.com |date=2004-04-11 |access-date=2010-06-30}}</ref>
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| ===Hydrography and deserts===
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| {{See also|hydrography|evapotranspiration|surface runoff|percolation}}
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| The average [[rainfall]] in North America is 76 cm/year, which produces some 18 [[Peta-|peta]]liters of water.<ref>[http://global.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/418612/North-America/41513/Water-resources North America water resources.]</ref>
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| ====River systems====
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| [[File:NorthAmerica-WaterDivides.png|thumb|right|350px|North American Watersheds ([[Atlantic Ocean|Atlantic]], [[Arctic Ocean|Arctic]], [[Great Basin]], & [[Pacific Ocean|Pacific]])]]
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| [[File:DSCN4262 rmosesspstlawrence e.jpg|thumb|Saint Lawrence River on the New York–Ontario border]]
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| [[File:Rio Grande Creede.jpg|thumb|The Upper Rio Grande by [[Creede, Colorado]]]]
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| [[File:Columbia River route on satellite image.jpg|thumb|The Columbia River from Canada to the Pacific]]
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| Listed below by watershed are some of the more notable rivers in North America. Rivers flow entirely within the United States, unless otherwise noted.<ref>Lengths are from individual articles and the [[USGS]] GNIS database.</ref>
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| *[[Atlantic Ocean]] watershed
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| **[[Churchill River (Atlantic)]] {{cvt|856|mi}} (in Canada)
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| **[[Churchill River (Hudson Bay)]] {{cvt|1000|mi}}, flows to Hudson Bay and then connects to Labrador Sea and Atlantic Ocean (in Canada)
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| **[[Connecticut River]] {{cvt|410|mi}}
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| **[[Delaware River|Delaware]] {{cvt|301|mi}}
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| **[[Hudson River]] {{cvt|315|mi}}
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| **[[James River (Virginia)]] {{cvt|348|mi}}
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| **[[Potomac River]] {{cvt|405|mi}}
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| **[[Savannah River]] {{cvt|301|mi}}
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| **[[Susquehanna River]] {{cvt|444|mi}}
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| **[[St. Johns River]] {{cvt|310|mi}}
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| **[[St. Lawrence River]] {{cvt|310|mi}}
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| *Atlantic Ocean through the [[Caribbean Sea]]
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| **[[Artibonite River]] {{cvt|199|mi}} (in Haiti and Dominican Republic)
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| **[[Cauto River]] {{cvt|230|mi}} (in Cuba)
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| *Atlantic Ocean through the [[Gulf of Mexico]] watershed
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| **[[Allegheny River]] {{cvt|325|mi}}
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| **[[Arkansas River]] {{cvt|1469|mi}}
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| **[[Brazos River]] {{cvt|1352|mi}}
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| **[[Grijalva River]] {{cvt|300|mi}} (in Mexico)
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| **[[Mississippi River|Mississippi]] {{cvt|2320|mi}}
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| **[[Missouri River]] {{cvt|2321|mi}}
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| **[[Ohio River]] {{cvt|981|mi}}
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| **[[Pecos River]] {{cvt|926|mi}}
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| **[[Red River of the South]] {{cvt|1360|mi}}
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| **[[Tennessee River]] {{cvt|652|mi}}
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| **[[Rio Grande]] {{cvt|1896|mi}} (in Mexico and U.S.)
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| **[[Usumacinta River]] {{cvt|620|mi}} (in Guatemala and Mexico)
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| *[[Arctic Ocean]] watershed
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| **[[Albany River]] (in Canada) {{cvt|610|mi}}
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| **[[Mackenzie River]] {{cvt|2635|mi}} longest river in Canada, (flows through the [[Beaufort Sea]] in Canada)
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| **[[Nelson River]] {{cvt|1600|mi}} (in Canada)
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| **[[Severn River (northern Ontario)]] {{cvt|982|mi}} (in Canada)
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| **[[Saint John River (New Brunswick)]] (in Canada)
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| *[[Pacific Ocean]] watershed
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| **[[Balsas River]] (in Mexico)
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| **[[Columbia River]]
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| **[[Fraser River]] (in Canada)
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| **[[Lerma River]] (in Mexico)
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| **[[Sacramento River]]
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| **[[San Joaquin River]]
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| **[[Snake River]] {{cvt|1078|mi}}
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| **[[Suchiate River]] (in Guatemala and Mexico)
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| **[[Yukon River]] (in Canada and U.S.)
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| *Pacific Ocean through the [[Bering Sea]]
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| **[[Kuskokwim River]] {{cvt|702|mi}}
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| *Pacific Ocean through the [[Gulf of California]]
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| **[[Colorado River]] {{cvt|862|mi}} (Mexico and U.S.)
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| **[[Fuerte River]] (in Mexico)
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| *[[Great Basin]] watershed (does not reach oceans)
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| **[[Bear River (Great Salt Lake)|Bear River]] {{cvt|350|mi}}
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| **[[Humboldt River]] {{cvt|290|mi}}
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| **[[Sevier River]] {{cvt|385|mi}}
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| {{North America topic|List of rivers of}}[[File:North America map of Köppen climate classification.svg|thumb|upright=1.75|North America map of Köppen climate classification.]]
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| == Climate and vegetation ==
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| There are various plant life distributions in North America. Plant life in the Arctic includes grasses, mosses, and Arctic willows. Coniferous trees, including [[spruce]]s, [[pine]]s, [[Tsuga|hemlock]]s, and [[fir]]s, are indigenous to the [[Canada|Canadian]] and Western U.S. mountain ranges as far south as [[San Francisco]]. Among these are giant [[Sequoiadendron giganteum|sequoias]], [[Cupressaceae|redwood]]s, great [[fir]]s, and [[sugar pine]]s. Sugar pines are generally confined to the [[Pacific Northwest|northwestern]] area of the [[United States]].
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| The central region of the country has [[hardwoods]]. Southern [[U.S. state|states]] grow extensive yellow pines. In addition, mahogany, logwood, and lignumvitae - all tropical in nature - are grown. The southwest has desert plants, including [[yucca]] and [[cacti]]. The cultivated native plants of North America are [[tobacco]], [[maize]], [[vanilla]], [[melon]]s, [[Cocoa bean|cacao]], [[gourd]]s, [[indigo plant]], and [[bean]]s.
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| === Deserts ===
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| The Sierra Nevada and Cascade mountain ranges run along the entire [[Pacific Coast]], acting as a barrier to the humid winds that sweep in from the ocean. The rising topography forces this air upwards, causing moisture to condense and fall in the form of [[rain]] on the western slopes of the [[mountain]]s, with some areas receiving more than {{convert|70|in|m}} of rainfall per year. As a result, the [[air]] has lost much of its moisture and becomes hot and dry when it reaches the areas east of the coastal mountain ranges.<ref name="abc" /> These arid conditions are, in some instances, exacerbated in regions of extremely low altitude (some near or below sea level) by higher air pressure, resulting in drier conditions and [[Adiabatic process|adiabatic]] heating effects, some of these pocket deserts exist in valleys well north of the Canada–US border in interior British Columbia. What precipitation does fall generally does not last long, lost primarily to evaporation, as well as rapid runoff and efficient water uptake and storage by native vegetation.
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| {| class="wikitable"
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| |-
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| ! Major habitat types of the United States and Canada !! Ecoregions map of Canada, United States and Mexico
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| | [[File:Major habitat type CAN USA.svg|thumb|upright=1.75|]] || [[File:Terrestrial ecoregions USA CAN MEX.svg|thumb|upright=1.75|]]
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| |}
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| ==Zoology==
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| North America is home to many native mammal species. Several species of [[deer]], including elk, caribou, moose, mule deer, and the abundant white-tailed deer are found throughout various regions, along with the [[bison]] in the central plains and the [[musk ox]] in the Arctic [[tundra]]. Three species of bear, several subspecies of [[wolf]], and various other carnivores such as raccoons, skunks, and [[cat]]s including cougars and lynxes are widely distributed. The family [[Mustelidae]] is well represented, including badgers, otters, ferrets, and wolverines. Numerous species of squirrels and other [[rodents]], such as beavers and muskrats, can be found in virtually every region of the continent. Central America has adapted [[sloth]]s, [[anteater]]s, and [[armadillo]]s. Other animals includes the [[California condor]], mostly found in California, the [[parrots]] and the [[monkeys]] of Tropical forests, the [[humming bird]], [[rattlesnake]], [[alligator]], and Cayman of the banks of the streams, and swarms of mosquitoes on the wide plains.
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| ==Mining and petroleum==
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| [[File:Rig wind river.jpg|thumb|right|upright|[[Natural gas]] drilling rig in Wyoming]]
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| The [[mining]] and [[petroleum]] industries are important in [[Canada]], the [[United States]] and [[Mexico]]. These [[natural resource]]s make the region one of the richest on the earth.<ref name="def"/><ref name="pqr">{{cite web|url=http://www.factmonster.com/ce6/world/A0860024.html|title=Fact Monster - North America: Resources and Economy |access-date=2006-10-11}}</ref>
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| ===Rocky Mountains===
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| The Rocky Mountain region is known for vast resources and rich mineral deposits including [[copper]], [[lead]], [[gold]], [[silver]], [[tungsten]] or [[Tungsten|Wolfram]], [[uranium]], [[zinc]] and [[Coal]], [[petroleum]] and [[natural gas]] are mineral fuels found.<ref name="def"/><ref name="pqr"/> Old mine tailings are present in the Rocky Mountain landscape.
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| ==Agriculture and forestry==
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| Agriculture and forestry are two major industries. Agriculture includes arid land and irrigated farming and livestock grazing.<ref name="def"/> Livestock are often moved between high-elevation summer pastures and low-elevation and winter pastures.
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| ==See also==
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| {{Portal|Geography|North America<!-- |Antigua and Barbuda -->|Caribbean|Belize<!-- |Bonaire -->|Canada<!-- |Cayman Islands -->|Costa Rica|Cuba<!-- |Dominica -->|El Salvador|Guatemala|Jamaica<!-- |Martinique -->|Mexico<!-- |Montserrat -->|Nicaragua|Panama|Puerto Rico<!-- |Saba|Saint Barthélemy|Saint Martin|Sint Maarten -->|Trinidad and Tobago<!-- |Turks and Caicos Islands -->|United States<!-- |United States Virgin Islands -->}}
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| *{{gray|Geography of North America}}
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| **[[Geography of Canada]]
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| **[[Geography of the Caribbean]]
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| ***[[Geography of Anguilla]]
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| ***[[Geography of Antigua and Barbuda]]
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| ***[[Geography of Aruba]]
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| ***[[Geography of Barbados]]
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| ***[[Geography of Bonaire]]
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| ***[[Geography of the British Virgin Islands]]
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| ***[[Geography of the Cayman Islands]]
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| ***[[Geography of Cuba]]
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| ***[[Geography of Curaçao]]
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| ***[[Geography of Dominica]]
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| ***[[Geography of the Dominican Republic]]
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| ***[[Geography of Grenada]]
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| ***[[Geography of Guadeloupe]]
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| ***[[Geography of Haiti]]
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| ***[[Geography of Jamaica]]
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| ***[[Geography of Martinique]]
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| ***[[Geography of Montserrat]]
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| ***[[Geography of Puerto Rico]]
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| ***[[Geography of Saba]]
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| ***[[Geography of Saint Barthélemy]]
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| ***[[Geography of Saint Kitts and Nevis]]
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| ***[[Geography of Saint Lucia]]
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| ***[[Geography of Sint Maarten|Geography of Saint Martin]]
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| ***[[Geography of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines]]
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| ***[[Geography of Sint Eustatius]]
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| ***[[Geography of Sint Maarten]]
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| ***[[Geography of Trinidad and Tobago]]
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| ***[[Geography of the United States Virgin Islands]]
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| **[[Geography of Central America]]
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| ***[[Geography of Belize]]
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| ***[[Geography of Costa Rica]]
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| ***[[Geography of El Salvador]]
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| ***[[Geography of Guatemala]]
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| ***[[Geography of Honduras]]
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| ***[[Geography of Nicaragua]]
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| ***[[Geography of Panama]]
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| **[[Geography of Greenland]]
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| **[[Geography of the Lucayan Archipelago]]
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| ***[[Geography of the Bahamas]]
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| ***[[Geography of the Turks and Caicos Islands]]
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| **[[Geography of Mexico]]
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| **[[Geography of the United States]]
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| *[[Geology of North America]]
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| *[[List of mountain peaks of North America]]
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| *[[List of rivers of the Americas by coastline]]
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| *[[Transportation in North America]]
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| ==Notes==
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| {{reflist|22em}}
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| ==References==
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| *{{cite encyclopedia
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| | title = Deserts of America
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| | encyclopedia = The Golden Treasury of Knowledge
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| | volume = 4 |series= book 13
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| | pages = 1008–1091
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| | publisher = Fratelli Fabbri
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| | year = 1961
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| | id = 61-10594
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| }}
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| *{{cite encyclopedia
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| | title = Geography of North America
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| | encyclopedia = Universal World Reference Encyclopedia
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| | volume = 11|series= book 1
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| | pages = 231–233
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| | publisher = V.S. Thatcher
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| | year = 1964
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| | id = 64-12955
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| }}
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| ==Bibliography==
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| '''[[Map]] and aerial photos'''
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| * [http://www.geographicguide.com/north-america-map.htm North America map]
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| * [http://www.geographicguide.com/north-america-image.htm Physical map]
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| * [http://www.globe-images.com/great-lakes.htm Map of the Great Lakes] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210727234513/http://www.globe-images.com/great-lakes.htm |date=July 27, 2021 }}
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| * [https://archive.today/20130222180824/http://www.globe-images.net/north-america.htm North American map]
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| * [http://www.geographicguide.com/north-america-map.htm North America Political map]
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| * [http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0779260.html Oldest Human Remains in North America Found]
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| * T. H. Clark and C. W. Stearn, ''The Geological Evolution of North America'' (1968)
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| * W. P. Cumming et al., ''The Discovery of North America'' (1972)
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| * R. C. West et al., ''Middle America: Its Lands and Peoples'' (3d ed. 1989)
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| * T. L. McKnight, ''Regional Geography of the United States and Canada'' (1992)
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| * S. Birdsall, ''Regional Landscapes of the United States and Canada'' (4th rev. ed. 1992)
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| * T. Flannery, ''The Eternal Frontier: An Ecological History of North America and Its Peoples'' (2001)
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| * A. Taylor, ''American Colonies'' (2001).
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| == External links ==
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| * [https://web.archive.org/web/20150223095255/http://csis.org/blog/future-water-north-america The Future for Water in North America]
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| {{Geography of North America}}
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| {{North America topics}}
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| {{Americas topic|Geography of}}
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| {{authority control}}
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| {{DEFAULTSORT:Geography Of North America}}
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| [[Category:Geography of North America| ]]
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| [[Category:Water in North America]]
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