North America

Author: Zhou Min, Editor-in-Chief
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-08-01
Features: North America is a shortened form of North America, located in the northern part of the Western Hemisphere. It borders the Atlantic Ocean to the east, the Pacific Ocean to the west, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and is separated from South America by the Panama Canal to the south. The continent extends from Saint Charles Point (55°40′ W, 52°13′ N) in the east to Mariato Point (81°05′ W, 7°12′ N) in the south, from Prince Wales Point (168°05′ W, 65°37′ N) in the west to Murchison Point (94°26′ W, 71°59′ N) in the north. The total area of the continent is 24.28 million square kilometers, accounting for approximately 16.2% of the total land area of the world. Population: The population distribution in North America is highly uneven, with the majority of the population concentrated in the southeastern region. This area is home to 4/5 of the population of the United States and 2/3 of the population of Canada, with the highest population density near New York City in the United States and around Lake Erie between the United States and Canada. The islands of the West Indies, such as Puerto Rico and Martinique, are also areas with high population density. The vast northern region and the interior western regions of the United States have sparse populations, with some areas being uninhabited. The residents are primarily descendants of European immigrants from countries such as England, France, and others.、、，、、、。 They are followed by Black people, Indigenous people, mestizos, and a small number of Greenlanders, Puerto Ricans, Daitians, Japanese, and Chinese immigrants. The main religions are Christianity and Catholicism. The most widely spoken languages are English and Spanish. Natural Environment: The North American continent is wider in the north and narrower in the south, roughly shaped like an inverted trapezoid. The western northern section and the northern and eastern coasts are relatively, with numerous islands and bays. The islands are mostly distributed in the northern and southern regions, with a total area of approximately 4 million square kilometers, making it the continent with the largest island area. Greenland covers an area of 2.1756 million square kilometers and is the largest island in the world. The terrain of the North American continent can be divided into three distinct north-south longitudinal belts: 1. Eastern Mountains and Plateaus. North of the Saint Lawrence Valley is the Labrador Plateau, while to the south is the Appalachian Mountains. The terrain slopes from south to north, with an average elevation of 300-600 meters in the north and 1,000-1,500 meters in the south. The highest peak is Mount Mitchell, standing at 2,037 meters. To the east of the Appalachian Mountains, there is a narrow coastal plain along the Atlantic Ocean, while to the west, the terrain gradually descends and connects with the central plain. 2. Central Plains, located between the Labrador Plateau, Appalachian Mountains, and Rocky Mountains, stretching from Hudson Bay in the north to the Gulf of Mexico in the south. The northern part of the plains is characterized by numerous lakes and rapid rivers, while the southern part is part of the Mississippi River Plain. The western part of the plains is known as the Great Plains of the world. 3. Western Mountains and Plateaus, part of the northern segment of the Cordilleran system, extending from Alaska to the south of Mexico. It mainly includes three parallel mountain ranges: the eastern belt is the Rocky Mountains, with an elevation of over 2,000-3,000 meters, extending for 5,000 kilometers north-south and serving as an important climatic divide for North America; the western belt starts from the coastal ranges of the United States, extends northward into the sea, forming the western coastal islands of Canada, with an average elevation of 1,000-1,500 meters; the middle belt includes the Alaska Mountains in the north, the coastal mountains of Canada, the Nevada Mountains, and the Cascade Range in the United States. Mount McKinley in Alaska, standing at 6,193 meters, is the highest peak in North America. Between the eastern and middle belts are plateaus and basins. The bottom of the basins is at an elevation of 1,300-1,800 meters. The Death Valley in the southern basin is 85 meters below sea level, making it the lowest point on land in the Western Hemisphere. Most rivers in North America, except the Saint Lawrence River, originate in the Rocky Mountains. Rivers east of the Rocky Mountains flow into the Atlantic Ocean and the Arctic Ocean, while those west of the Rocky Mountains flow into the Pacific Ocean. The rivers are ranked by length as the Mississippi River, the Mackenzie River, the Yukon River, the Saint Lawrence River, the Grand River, and the Nelson River, among others. North America is a continent with many lakes, with the largest freshwater lake area in the world. The five Great Lakes in the central high plains are the largest freshwater lake system in the world, known as the "North American Mediterranean." Among them, Lake Superior is the largest, followed by Lake Huron, Lake Michigan, Lake Erie, and Lake Ontario. North America spans the tropical, temperate, and arctic zones, with complex and diverse climates. The northern part is within the Arctic Circle, an ice and snow world, while the southern Caribbean Sea benefits from the equatorial warm current but is also prone to tropical hurricanes. The vast central part of the continent is in the northern temperate zone. Due to the barrier of the western mountains, the moist west winds from the Pacific Ocean cannot penetrate deep into the interior, so most of the rainfall in these areas comes from the southeastern Atlantic Ocean, with the air being humid and precipitation gradually decreasing from southeast to northwest. Most areas in the southeastern part receive an average annual rainfall of over 1,000 millimeters, while the northwest part of the plains and the area west of the Rocky Mountains receive less than 500 millimeters. The coastal areas of the Pacific Ocean, facing the west winds, experience a significant increase in rainfall, with some areas receiving an average annual rainfall of over 2,000 millimeters. The northern part of Canada and the northern edge of Alaska are in the tundra climate zone of the arctic. The southern part of Canada and Alaska are mostly in the temperate coniferous forest climate zone. The eastern part of the United States west of the Rocky Mountains is in the temperate broadleaf forest climate zone and subtropical forest climate zone. The inland plateaus in the west are mostly in the temperate grassland climate zone. The southern coastal areas of the Pacific Ocean are in the subtropical Mediterranean climate zone. The West Indies and the eastern coastal areas of Central America are in the tropical rainforest climate zone. Natural Resources: North America is rich in mineral resources, mainly including oil, natural gas, coal, sulfur, iron, copper, nickel, uranium, lead, and zinc. Forest resources are mainly distributed in the western mountains, with abundant production of Douglas fir, redwood, giant sequoia, and Sitka spruce, while the southern part produces high-quality timber such as mahogany. The Caribbean Sea and the waters near Newfoundland are world-famous fishing grounds. Economy: North America is one of the world's most developed industrial regions. The specialization, commercialization, and mechanization of agricultural production are highly advanced. Mining is on a large scale, mainly extracting coal, crude oil, natural gas, iron, copper, lead, zinc, and sulfur. However, important strategic materials such as tin, manganese, cobalt, aluminum, diamonds, tantalum, and niobium are almost entirely or mostly imported. The central plains of North America are one of the world's most famous agricultural regions, with crops such as corn, wheat, rice, cotton, soybeans, and tobacco being the main products. The production of soybeans, corn, and wheat in North America holds a significant position in world agriculture. Central America and the West Indies primarily produce tropical crops such as sugar cane, bananas, coffee, and cocoa. Geographical Regions: Divided into nine regions: Eastern Region, Central Region, Western Region, Alaska, Canadian Arctic Archipelago, Greenland, Mexico, Central America, and the West Indies. Eastern Region: Bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east, with a coastline and numerous harbors. Most ports in North America are concentrated in this region. North of the Saint Lawrence Valley is the Labrador Plateau, with an elevation of 300-600 meters, known as the "Lake Plateau" due to its numerous glacial lakes. South of it is the Appalachian Mountains, with an average elevation of 1,000-1,500 meters. The western side of the mountains is the Appalachian Plateau, and there is a narrow foothill plateau and coastal plain between the mountains and the Atlantic Ocean. Numerous short, rapid rivers flow through the transition between the hard and soft rock layers, forming waterfalls. Therefore, there is a "Waterfall Line" from New York to the southwest to Columbus. This region is the earliest area in North America to develop industry and agriculture, and is also an important commercial, industrial, and financial center. Central Region: Located between the Labrador Plateau and Appalachian Mountains and the Rocky Mountains, stretching from the upper reaches of the Churchill River in the north to the Gulf of Mexico in the south, covering an area of about 3,000 kilometers in length and 2,000 kilometers in width. It is the most concentrated region in North America for wheat, corn, soybeans, and cotton, as well as a highly developed region for meat production. Western Region: Composed of high mountains and plateaus, part of the northern segment of the Cordilleran system. The Rocky Mountains form the backbone of the region's terrain. The area has many volcanoes, hot springs, and frequent earthquakes. The interior is arid, with a focus on livestock farming. The horticultural industry for subtropical fruits is highly developed in the coastal areas of the Pacific Ocean. Mining plays a significant role in this region, and manufacturing industries are dominated by aircraft and shipbuilding.