UPSC Geography Oceans and Continents / महासागरों और महाद्वीपों Short Notes - World Geography (North America)

World Geography (North America)

• Third largest continent after Asia and Africa.
• Extends from 7°N to 85°N latitude and east to west from 20°W to 179°W. Spreads over an area of 24 million sq. I km.
• The Tropic of Cancer and the North circle pass through the continent.
• Includes three large countries - USA, Canada, and Mexico.
• The Western Cordilleras: young Fold Mountains (Alaska to South America).
• Mountain Ranges- Rocky Mountains, Alaska Range, Coast Mountains, Mt. Logan.
• Cascades, Sierra Nevada and Sierra Madre, McKinley (highest peak of North America in Alaska).
• Lakes - Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie and Ontario, Memphremagog, St. Clair, Champlain.
• Deserts: Great Basin desert, Painted desert.
• Mojave desert - Yuha desert.
• Chihuahuan desert - Baja California desert.
• Sonoran desert- Tehuacan desert.
• Moab desert- Mohave desert.
• Important Rivers:   Mississippi, Missouri, St. Lawrence, Mackenzie, Colorado, Hudson, Potomac, Ohio, etc.
• Death valley in California is the lowest point (- 86 m below sea level)
• Dam: Colorado river (Davis dam, Hoover dam, Parker dam and Buchanan dam)

Climate and Vegetation

• Tundra : Arctic Circle, Arctic Ocean and Hudson Bay.
• Summers and Winters are cool and long; Lichens, mosses and Low berry.
• Taiga : Winters [long and cold), Summer(short and warm.)
• Trees: Pine, Fir, larch.

Temperate Eastern Margin

• Northern part of this region is influenced by cold labrador current and southern is influenced by trade wind.
• Major plant species includes Maple, Oak, Elm and Ash tree.

Cool Temperate West Margin

Influenced by warm Alaska current Westerly rain through out the year and warm summers and wild winters. Coniferous trees are predominant here-

Mediterranean Climate

Influenced by trade wind in summer which make hot dry summer. As the climate is unfavourable for plant growth only scrub like vegetations are common here.

Hot Desert: Great deserts like Mohave and Sonora are present on the South Western part of North America. Because the mountains to the east act as a rain shadow for Trade wind.

Common plant species are Cacti, Sage, Thorn bushes, and Coarse Grasses. The Joshua tree is a taller cactus.

Grasslands: Prairies

• Winds: Chinook, Blizzards, Hurricanes, Tornadoes.
• Minerals: Gold, Iron, Copper, Silver, Nickel, etc.

Tribes

• Abenaki - Alent
• Apache - Arawak
• Aymara - Caddo
• Cayuga - Ponca
• Crow - Seneca
• Innu - Shoshone
• Yurok - Wichita