NORTH AMERICA

North America is made up of Canada, the United States, and Mexico. It also has Greenland, which is the biggest island in the world. During the last Ice Age, a huge sheet of ice moved across the continent and destroyed the land, deepening the depressions where the Great Lakes are now and covering the central plains with rich soil. From Alaska to New Mexico, the Rocky Mountains run down the middle of the continent. The Appalachians are in the east, and coastal plains are to the east and south of them. In eastern Canada, the Canadian Shield is a huge basin of old rocks that have been worn down over time and are covered by thin soils. There are deserts from the southern United States to the north of Mexico.

MOUNTAIN RANGES

The two main mountain ranges in North America, the snow-covered Rockies and the forested Appalachians, look very different. The difference is because of how old they are. On the right, you can see that the Rockies are fairly new, undamaged mountains. But the Appalachians are some of the oldest mountains in the world. Wind, water, and the movement of glaciers have worn away at them over time.

THE GRAND CANYON

The waters of the Colorado River and its tributaries chiseled their way through the solid rock over the course of many millions of years, which resulted in the formation of the Grand Canyon. The canyon has depths of up to one mile (1.6 kilometers) in certain areas, and it passes through rocks that are over two billion years old. The history of the canyon may be pieced together from the various sorts of fossils that have been discovered in its walls.

THE GREAT PLAINS

The Great Plains, often known as the prairies, stretch across the middle of both Canada and the United States. This enormous region has summers that are very warm and winters that are very cold and snowy. Outside of the areas bordering rivers and lakes, the land is almost entirely devoid of trees, yet it was originally covered in grasses that were grazed by millions of buffalo. Today, just a small portion of the original grassland remains, and in its place, farmers have planted large acreages of wheat and corn.

THE GREAT LAKES

The five Great Lakes, which are estimated to hold one-fifth of the world's freshwater, are located on the international boundary between Canada and the United States. Only Lake Michigan, which is pictured on the left, is completely contained within the United States. The lakes are connected to one another by rivers, and the St. Lawrence River, which flows into the Atlantic Ocean, is responsible for draining them. The world-famous Niagara Falls are reached by traveling over the Niagara River, which connects Lakes Erie and Ontario.

THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER

From Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico, the big Mississippi River flows. At the turn of the last century, there was a lot of soil erosion around the river basin because trees were cut down and prairies were plowed. Soil washed into the river, which caused the water level to rise and floods to happen. Replanting forests and building dams have helped control the flow of water, but floods still happen when it rains very hard.

THE EVERGLADES

The Everglades in Florida are a protected wetland area that are home to a wide variety of endangered plants and animals. A portion of the Everglades that was once much larger has been drained and is now used for the growth of sugarcane. Originally, the Everglades covered a much wider area. The northern portion of the wetland that was able to survive is now a sawgrass prairie that is partially submerged in shallow water and features islands of higher ground. In the south, salt marshes are formed when seawater and freshwater combine, resulting in the presence of mangrove swamps on the marsh's periphery.

PEOPLES OF NORTH AMERICA

Native tribes who lived off the land used to live in North America, but most of the people who live there now are immigrants who came in the last 400 years. The US, which is the richest country in the world, now has the most people and the most money on the continent. In the north, Canada is a big country, but most of it is cold and hard to live in, so there aren't as many people there. Both were once British colonies, and most people there still speak English. Mexico, on the other hand, speaks Spanish because it was once a Spanish colony. Even though Mexico has a lot of oil and gas, it is a pretty poor country.

People from Hong Kong and other parts of Asia have moved to Vancouver, in western Canada, in large numbers over the past few years.

POPULATION DISTRIBUTION

North America is one of the continents with the fewest people living there. The US is home to more than two-thirds of the world's people. Canada comes next with the most people, then Mexico. In the past, the east coast of the US was the most crowded, but in the last few decades, many people have moved to the south and west, where it's warmer. People have also moved from the east coast of Canada to the Great Lakes and cities like Toronto or to the west coast and places like Vancouver.

US PEOPLE

Because of all the different kinds of people who live there, the US is often called a "melting pot" of cultures. The main groups are whites (people of European descent), Hispanics, blacks, Asians, and native people.

A CONTINENT OF IMMIGRANTS

People have come to North America in many waves, mostly from Europe but also from South America and Asia. Everyone didn't choose to go. African slaves who were brought to the US between 1619 and 1808 to work on plantations are their ancestors. In the US, slavery didn't end until 1865. African Americans are now an important part of American culture in all areas, from politics to sports.

CULTURE IN CANADA

The unique maple-leaf flag is a popular choice for Canadians to fly outside their homes. They take great pride in their land, which is filled with vast wilderness areas such as national and provincial parks, lakes, and mountains. However, there is always the problem of American pop culture and media permeating into Canada and supplanting indigenous forms of expression. The government of Canada provides funding for the arts, as well as the media (television, newspapers, and movies), to foster the country's cultural growth.

GOOD BORDERS

More than a century and a half have passed since North American countries last fought each other. The United States, Canada, and Mexico have recently come to terms to eliminate trade restrictions and open their respective markets to goods from all three countries. As cheaper US food and goods have rushed into Mexico, the full implications of this agreement have yet to be discovered, but Mexican workers like these farmers have already lost out. Food that is less expensive, on the other hand, can help the impoverished.

FIRST WORLD NATIVES

Some 20,000 years ago, a land bridge across the Bering Strait allowed people to travel from Asia to North America, where they eventually established a new civilization known as Native America. Native Americans and Canadians now make up a very small percentage of the total population in these countries. As European settlers took over the United States in the 19th century, many indigenous people were forced onto reservations. About 30 percent of Mexico's population consists of indigenous peoples like the Maya who live in various regions across the country.

EARLY SETTLERS FROM EUROPE

Even though Europeans have been settling in the United States and Canada since the 16th century, the influx of immigrants did not really start until the 19th century. Due to poverty, political turmoil, or religious persecution, they were frequently forced to leave Europe. Many individuals came to the Americas in search of a better life because they heard that it was possible to buy cheap land and be free in the North. Initially settling along the eastern seaboard, immigrants migrated inland in the 1800s as the industrial sector expanded.

In the United States, local concerns like law enforcement, healthcare, and transportation are handled by individual states. Foreign policy, defense, and currency issuance are all centralized because of their pan-state impact.

PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENTS

All three of North America's nations operate under a model of federalism. What this means is that every nation is made up of separate states and provinces. These have the power to pass their own laws and also have a voice in Washington. There might be friction between the needs of the country as a whole and those of its different states and provinces. In Canada, the French-speaking province of Québec has seen the rise of a robust independence movement.

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