Continents - North America

Continents - North America North American is the third largest continent. It includes all the lands in the western hemisphere located north of the Isthmus of Panama. It includes the countries in Central America, the island countries of the West Indies, the many islands in the Caribbean Sea, and Greenland. The countries of the continent are:

United States
Canada
Mexico
Greenland
Costa Rica
El Salvador
Barbados
Trinidad and Tobago
Haiti

Guatemala
Belize
Honduras
Nicaragua
Panama
Cuba
St. Kitts and Nevis
St. Vincent and the Grenadines

Jamaica
Dominican Republic
Antigua and Barbuda
Dominica
Bahamas
St. Lucia
Grenada

At the northern end of the continent, North America is over 5,500 miles wide. It tapers to a mere 31 miles wide at its southern end at the isthmus of Panama.

The first people to live on North America probably crossed over from Asia on a now submerged land bridge near the Bering Strait. Vikings visited the continent aroudn 1000 A.D. Christopher Columbus ended up in the West Indies in 1492.

Sample these North American places and complete the activities to learn more about our home continent.

North America

What is the longest river system in North America?
List 9 other major rivers in North America.
What is the continent's largest lake?
What waterway which uses the St. Lawrence River and the Great Lakes and enables ocean-going vessels to penetrate into the heart of North America?
List the 5 major regions of the North American continent and describe where they are.
During the Ice Age, what covered most of northern North America?
List 4 ancient glacial lakes of North America.
What modern-day lakes are remnants of the ancient glacial lakes?
What are the general climatic conditions of North America?
What 3 European countries extensively explored North America and eventually claimed portions of it for themselves?
What percentage of people in North America live in urban areas?
What areas have the largest urban agglomerations on the continent?
What factors make North America ideal for many agricultural pursuits?
Which agricultural crops does North America produce most of the world's supply?
List North America's mineral resources.

Country Statistics At a Glance

From the given charts find the following information:

Of the 10 largest countries in terms of physical area, which ones are in North America?
Of the 10 smallest countries in terms of physical area, which ones are in North America?
Of the 10 countries with the highest population density, which ones are in North America?
Of the 10 countries with the lowest population density, which ones are in North America?
Of the 10 countries with the highest per capita income, which ones are in North America?
Of the 10 countries with the lowest per capita income, which ones are in North America?
Of the 10 countries with the highest infant mortality rate, which ones are in North America?
Of the 10 countries with the lowest infant mortality rate, which ones are in North America?
Of the 10 countries with the highest life expectancy, which ones are in North America?
Of the 10 countries with the lowest life expectancy, which ones are in North America?
Of the 10 countries with the lowest literacy rates, which ones are in North America?

Most Populous Cities

Of the world's 50 most populous cities, which ones are in North America?

North America Map

List the oceans and seas that surround North America.

North America's Living Legacy

Scroll down to the fourth page. From this map of ecoregions of North America, which general area has the most species richness?
From this map of ecoregions of North America, which general area has the least species richness?

Infonation

From countries on right, select Canada, the United States, Mexico, and 4 other North American countries (like Cuba or Honduras or Panama). Then click "Data Menu". From the next screen, under the Geography section, select Threatened Species, from the Economy section, select GDP Per Capita, from the Population section, select Population Density, and from the Social Indicators section, select Telephones. Then click "View Info".

Which of the selected North American countries has the most threatened species?
Which of the selected North American countries has the highest per capita income? The lowest?
Which of the selected North American countries has the greatest population density? The lowest?
Which of the selected North American countries has the most telephones? The least?

Using some or all of these resources Pioneer : Utah's Online Library (there are many different parts to Pioneer--World Book Encyclopedia might be a good choice), InfoPlease Almanac, or Ask Jeeves for Kids, find the following:

The highest point in North America
The lowest point in North America
The longest river in North America
The largest lake in North America

23 Peaks Expedition

American Phil Buck became the first person to climb the highest peak of every nation of North, Central, and South America in May of 1998. So what peaks did he climb in North America? And how high were each of the peaks? If you can't find all the answers from this site, you may have to use a source like World Book Encyclopedia Online to find the highest peaks for the North American countries--Canda, the United States, Mexico, the countries of Central America, Greenland, etc.

Flag Trivia

Play this Flags of North America game. Record your score.

Teacher Resources

Information for Teaching About the Americas
Lesson plans, background information, bibliographies.

Visit the Utah Education Network's Our World web site for information on the other six continents and all of the countries around the globe.

Author: LINDA MOSBACKER - Email linda.mosbacker@slc.k12.ut.us