Transcript North America - Cloudfront.net

North America
The US and Canada occupy 4/5 of
the continent.
What
country
occupies
the other
1/5?
Mexico
Which country is largest?
Canada:
3.9 million
square miles
US:
3.2 million
square miles
Who has the largest population?
Canada:
35 million
US:
322 million
Although they are about the same size, Canada has a
much smaller population. Why?
Think about our
discussions on
population
distribution and
why people
settle in certain
areas.
What large bodies of water surround
North America?
•Atlantic
•Pacific
• Gulf of
Mexico
• Arctic
Physical Regions of the
United States
Identify some of the states in the
Great Plains?
What are the two
mountainous regions?
What are the oldest mountains?
What are the highest mountains?
What islands form a state?
What type of map is this?
Which state has the longest border with
Canada?
Which state has the longest border with
Mexico?
Where is Canada’s greatest
population density?
Where is the U.S.’s greatest
population density?
What do you think is responsible
for the population pattern?
What is the majority climate region of
Canada?
What is the majority climate region of the
United States?
Could climate have anything to do with the
population density of the regions?
Physical Features: Bodies of Water
Mexico and the US
are neighbors with
the Rio Bravo River
(Rio Grande) making
up part of the border.
At other parts of our
borders it difficult to
tell where one
country begins and
the other ends =
border patrol issues.
Mexico - Bodies of Water
Mexico, outside of
our border, is almost
completely
surrounded by
water. The Pacific
Ocean is on the
west and
Caribbean Sea and
Gulf of Mexico on
the east.
Peninsulas
Mexico also has two
peninsulas that jut
into the ocean. The
Baja Peninsula cuts
into the Pacific on
the west and the
Yucatan into the
Atlantic separating
the Gulf of Mexico
from the Caribbean
Sea.
Plateaus and Mountains
Most of the interior is
covered by the
Mexican Plateau, a
rugged area that
ranges from ½ mile to
2 miles above sea
level. It sits between
the Sierra Madre
Occidental and Sierra
Madre Oriental
mountain ranges.
Mountains
These two ranges
along with another
shorter one to the
south create the
Sierra Madre
mother range.
Between the two
ranges lies the
Mexican Valley.
Mexico City, the
capital lies in the
Mexican Valley.
Volcano and Earthquake Zone
The southern
mountain zone
includes volcanoes
and earthquake
zones.
Popocatepetl, a
volcano near Mexico
City. Has been active
as recently as 2010.
Climates and Vegetation
Snow capped
mountains and hot
sunny beaches are
just two examples of
Mexico’s many
climates. The
varied climates
promote a wide
variety of types of
vegetation.