Lesson 3.1.1

Lesson 3.1.1

Physical Geography

of North America

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your notebook for Lesson 3.1.1

Main Idea

North America has a wide variety

of landforms, bodies of water, and climates

Notes: What forms North America?

North America stretches from the cold arctic

of northern Canada to the warm tropics of Mexico.

At the center, lie the 48 contiguous United States,

which means they are all connected in one block.

The state of Alaska is in the northwest of the continent.

The islands of the state of Hawaii are in the Pacific Ocean.

Notes: Highlands, Plains, and Plateaus

• Land elevation in North America rises from east to west

• East of the Rocky Mountains, lie the Great Plains

• Plains are flat areas of land, which make up most of North America

• Plateaus are located between mountains

• Plateaus are flat lands of high elevations

Notes: Rivers and Lakes

• Major cities are developed along the region's rivers

• Examples: Cincinnati, New Orleans, Juarez

• The Great Lakes are 5 lakes that form the largest body of freshwater in the world - Four of the lakes provide a boundary between the United States and Canada, Just as the Rio Grande is the natural border between the United States and Mexico

• Lakes: Superior, Huron, Michigan, Erie and Ontario

Notes: A Variety of Climates

• This region includes temperate, or mild climates

• This region also includes extremes of cold and heat

• Parts of the far north are covered by glaciers

• Much of northern Mexico is warm and dry

• Mexico’s tropical south has warm climates and rainfall all year

Lesson Summary

Major landforms in North America are mountains, highlands, plains, and plateaus. Major bodies of water in North America are rivers and lakes. Climates in North America range from mild to extreme.