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North America
CANADA
UNITED STATES
MEXICO
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH
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N O RT H A M E R I C
COUNTRIES IN
NORTH
AMERICA
We may call ourselves Americans, but
America is only part of our country’s
name. Its full name is the United States
of America. The United States is just
one of the countries located on the
continent of North America. A country
is an area of land with its own people
and laws. A continent is a large division
of land. There are seven continents.
The continent of North America is
home to 23 different countries. Find
the United States on the map. Which
country is our neighbor to the north?
Which is our neighbor to the south?
PA C I F I C
As you can see, Canada, the United
OCEAN
States, and Mexico are the largest
countries in North America. The smaller
countries are located south and east of
Mexico, in Central America, and on
islands in the Atlantic Ocean and the
Caribbean Sea.
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U
C
A
N
I
N
T
A
E
D
D
MEXICO
Which U.S. state is not
located in North America? If
you said Hawaii, you’re right!
Hawaii is a group of islands in
the Pacific Ocean. It is too far
away from North America to
be a part of the continent.
In fact, it is not a part
of any continent!
Alaska
(UNITED
STATES)
Hawaii
(UNITED STATES)
A
S
T
G
M
GUATEMALA
EL SALVAD
CO
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3
AMERICA - 2018
Greenland
(DENMARK)
D
D
CO
The name America
A
S
comes from the Italian
explorer Amerigo
Vespucci. Amerigo
Vespucci was one
of the first explorers
to sail across the
Atlantic Ocean and
visit what is now
called North America.
T
A
T
Gulf of
Mexico
E
S
AT L A N T I C
OCEAN
DOMINICAN
REPUBLIC
CUBA
N
HAITI
BELIZE
HONDURAS
NICARAGUA
ATEMALA
EL SALVADOR
COSTA RICA
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PANAMA
W
0
0
E
500 km.
500 mi.
S
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B O D I E S O F WAT E R I N N O R
BODIES OF
WATER IN
ARCTIC
OCEAN
NORTH
AMERICA
Mis
so
Think about a body of water you know.
(A body of water in nature, that is.
Swimming pools don’t count!) What do
you know about it? Is it big or small?
Can you see land on the other side? Does
the water flow, or is it still? Is that water
salty or fresh? The answers to these and
other questions can help you figure out
what kind of body of water it is.
Check out the bodies of water on this
map. Which body of water do you live
closest to?
ur
PA C I F I C
OCEAN
Ri
o
Gra
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e
Atlantic and Pacific Oceans
The largest bodies of water are oceans.
Oceans cover much of Earth’s surface. You
can’t drink the water in an ocean. Why?
Oceans contain salt water.
North America borders on three oceans.
The Arctic Ocean is to the north. The Pacific
Ocean is the largest ocean. The Atlantic
Ocean is the second-largest ocean.
nd
PA C I F I C
OCEAN
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R I N N O RT H A M E R I C A - 2 0 1 8
C
N
ve
.L
er
pi
er
ssissi p
Riv
Mississippi River
A river is a big stream of
water that flows across the
land. Most rivers begin in
hills or mountains. Melting
snow and rainwater form
small streams, creeks,
and brooks. A few rivers,
streams, and creeks
run together with the
Mississippi River to form
the longest river system in
North America.
iv
Ri
St
Mi
so
i
r
aw
ren
ce
Great
Lakes
Mis
Oh
io R
AT L A N T I C O C E A N
Riv
er
an
Great Lakes
A lake is a body of water that has land all
around it. A lake can be small or big. The
picture shows Chicago’s Lake Michigan.
It is one of the Great Lakes. Another
Great Lake, Lake Superior is the largest
freshwater lake in the world.
Hudson
Bay
ur
5
Hudson Bay
A bay is a body of water partly
surrounded by land. A bay may
be small like Hanalei Bay in
Hawaii. Or it may be large like
the Hudson Bay in Canada.
d
e
Gulf of
Mexico
Gulf of Mexico
A gulf is like a bay but larger. It is
also a large body of water partly
surrounded by land. The Gulf of
Mexico is located between the
United States and Mexico.
N
W
0
0
g2_n_america_sp2.indd 3
E
500 km.
500 mi.
S
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6
LANDFORMS IN
NORTH
AMERICA
How would you describe the
land where you live? Are you
in the mountains or in a valley?
Maybe you live on the plains
or near rolling hills. Mountains,
valleys, hills, and plains are
examples of landforms. A
landform is a kind of land with
a special shape. Suppose you
could take a trip across North
America in a plane. What
landforms would you see?
Denali
Denali is the tallest mountain in North
America. It is snow-covered all year long.
Rocky Mountains
A hill is land that rises up above the
land around it. A mountain is a very
high hill. The Rockies are a mountain
range, or group of mountains, that
stretch across Canada and the United
States. As you might guess from its
name, the Rocky Mountains are tall
and rocky. Many of its mountaintops
are covered in snow all year.
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7
Great Plains
A plain is a large area
of flat land. The Great
Plains includes parts
of 10 states and parts
of Canada. This land is
good for growing crops
such as corn and
wheat.
Appalachian
Mountains
The Appalachians are older
than the Rocky Mountains.
Over time, their sharp peaks
have worn down.
Shenandoah Valley
A valley is low land between
mountains. Many valleys are
green with plants and trees.
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8
USING A
LANDFORM
MAP
L A N D A N D WAT E R O F N O R
A map title tells
ARCTIC
OCEAN
you what the
map shows.
Bering
Sea
Maps are great for finding the location
of places. But did you know that maps
can also give information about a
place? Take a look at this landform
map of North America. How do the
different parts of the map help you?
Alaska
(UNITED
STATES)
Gulf of
Alaska
A
Mis
i
Rio
Gr
an
e
d
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ur
N I T E
T A T E
MEXICO
Look at the map again. Find your state. What
Hawaii
(UNITED STATES)
so
U
S
I live in Hawaii. Hawaii
is a state made up of
several islands. An island
is a landform that is
completely surrounded by
water. Greenland is also
an island. In fact, it is the
largest island in the world
that is not a continent!
N
n s
a i
P l
PA C I F I C
OCEAN
s
ain
unt
Mo
Most of my state is
made up of plains.
But if I head west,
I can visit the
mountains or the
desert. A desert is
dry land with few
plants and little
rainfall.
A
t
e a
G r
y
ck
Ro
I live in Texas.
C
landforms or bodies of water are in your state?
How do you know? Compare your state to
other regions of North America. A region is an
area of land that has the same features.
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9
O F N O RT H A M E R I C A - 2 0 1 8
A map
legend, or key,
Desert
tells you what
the colors and
symbols on a
map mean.
Greenland
(DENMARK)
Hills
Mountains
Plains
Water
The date tells
you if the map
is current or if
it shows how a
place looked in
the past.
TRY THIS!
Test your brain. Draw
or print out a simple
map of North America.
Hudson
Bay
A
N
A
D
CAN YOU:
• find and label the
three main countries
and the three oceans?
A
La
so
er
pa
Ap
ss i p p i R i
v
la
si
I T E D
A T E S
ian
iv
io R
ch
M is
r
Oh
Mo
un
ur
ive
i R
n s
a i
P l
• add a map title, the
date, a legend or key,
and a compass rose?
St.
Mis
a t
• find and label the
Great Lakes, major
rivers, and mountain
ranges?
wre
n
ta
R i v ce
in
s er
Great
Lakes
I live in Florida.
Florida is a peninsula.
A peninsula is land
surrounded by water
on three sides.
AT L A N T I C
OCEAN
er
Rio
Gr
A compass
rose shows
an
d
e
XICO
Gulf of
Mexico
A map scale
Caribbean Sea
helps show
distance on
a map.
0
0
g2_n_america_sp4.indd 3
direction on a
map. It points
to show north,
east, south,
and west.
N
W
E
500 km.
500 mi.
S
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NORTH AMERICA
FROM SPACE
Maps are a great way to see all of North America at
one time. But if you were an astronaut, you could take
a picture of North America that is out of this world!
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12
C L I M AT E M A P O F N O RT H
SEASONS
AND CLIMATE
ARCTIC
OCEAN
Alaska
(UNITED
STATES)
What is it like outside right now? Will the
weather be the same when the seasons
change? The answers depend on where
Gulf of
Alaska
you live.
Weather is what the air is like outside.
Two things cause weather: the sun and
moisture. Together, they make clouds form.
Clouds can bring rain, snow, sleet, or hail.
During the day, the sun may be behind the
clouds. When clouds move, the sun shines.
What is your weather like from year
to year? Do you have warm, sunny days
nearly all the time? Or are your winters
freezing? These questions are all about
climate and seasons.
Climate is the pattern of weather in an
area over a long period. Different places
have different climates. The climate of a
place depends on how much rain it gets
PA C I F I C
and how warm it is during a year.
OCEAN
A season is a time of year that has a
certain kind of weather. In many places,
the weather changes with each season.
Polar
The four seasons are spring, summer,
Continental
fall, and winter.
The colors on this map show different
Dry
climate areas. Find where you live on the
Mild
map. What kind of climate do you have?
Tropical
Tropical
Places with tropical climates
are very warm all year round.
They are close to the equator.
In tropical climates, winter
is not too different from
summer. It’s always hot!
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C
U
S
A
N
A
N I T
T A T
MEXICO
Hawaii
(UNITED STATES)
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F N O RT H A M E R I C A - 2 0 1 8
Greenland
(DENMARK)
Continental
Places far from an
ocean often have a
continental climate.
They get long, freezing
winters and short,
hot summers.
Hudson
Bay
A
N
A
D
A
N I T E D
T A T E S
XICO
13
Polar
Places with a polar
climate are, you guessed
it, near the North or South
Pole. Summers may be cool
in some places, but other
polar areas are freezing all
year round.
Gulf of
Mexico
AT L A N T I C
OCEAN
Mild
Much of the United
States has a mild
climate. Some mild
places are hot in
summer and cool in
winter. Others have
warm summers and cold
winters. Places in the
U.S. with colder winters
are mostly farther north.
Dry
Dry places get little rain. The
hottest places in the world have
dry climates. But some dry
places can be quite cold.
CUBA
N
Caribbean Sea
W
0
0
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E
500 km.
500 mi.
S
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14
WHAT GROWS
THERE?
What does the country near your home look
like? Do you see lots of trees? Or are there
mostly grassy fields? Or is the land rocky
with just a cactus or two?
Plants grow in the region where they
get the rain and warmth they need to grow.
Different regions have different kinds of
plants. Three main plant regions in North
America are forests, grasslands, and deserts.
What plant region do you live in? Take a
look at this map. It shows where to find each
plant region in North America.
MAJOR PL ANT REGIONS IN N
Arctic
Ocean
Alaska
(UNITED
STATES)
C
A
N
I
N
A
D
PA C I F I C
OCEAN
U
T
E
D
MEXICO
Desert
Grassland
Forest
Most places that get less than 15 inches of rain a year
are deserts. Some deserts are hot. Farther north,
deserts are cool.
g2_n_america_sp7.indd 2
A
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S
N S I N N O RT H A M E R I C A - 2 0 1 8
Greenland
(DENMARK)
A forest is an area that is
covered with trees. North
America has many types of
forests. Tropical rain forests
get lots of rain. Other forests
have trees that change color
in fall. Still others are made of
evergreen trees.
Hudson
Bay
A
D
D
XICO
A
S
T
A
T
E
S
AT L A N T I C
OCEAN
A grassland is, you guessed it, an area,
Gulf of
Mexico
CUBA
that is covered with grass. In North
America, grasslands are also called
prairies or plains.
N
Caribbean Sea
W
0
0
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E
500 km.
500 mi.
S
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16
WORLD REGIONS
Now that you’ve explored North
America, are you ready to go bigger?
How do regions in North America
compare to other regions in the world?
To begin, look at a globe. A globe
is a model of Earth. Like a map, it
shows areas of land and water. It also
shows the location of the North and
South Poles and the equator.
The equator is an imaginary
line that divides Earth into
northern and southern
halves.
The Grand Canyon is one of the longest
and deepest canyons in the world.
North Pole
NORTH
AMERICA
Atlantic
Ocean
Trying to see the whole
world at once on a globe
is enough to make your
head (and the globe) spin.
Instead, the maps here
can help. Regions near the
equator are hot all year
round. Regions close to the
North and South Poles are
cold all year round.
Pacific
Ocean
AF
Equator
SOUTH
AMERICA
Each region of the world has
its own landforms and climate.
Let’s take a look at some of the
biggest, longest, and coldest
places in the world.
The largest rain
forest on Earth
is the Amazon
rain forest. It
covers much of
northern South
America. In
some places, as
much as 400
inches of rain
fall in a year.
That’s over 30
feet of rain!
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ANTARCTICA
South Pole
At the South Pole, Antarctica
is the coldest continent.
Ice covers almost all of
it. Winter temperatures
average –74°F. A research
station on Antarctica
recorded the coldest
temperature ever, –128°F.
Now that’s cold!
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17
The Sahara is the largest desert in the world.
It covers most of northern Africa. Some of this
land gets only a half an inch of rain a year.
North Pole
an
Arctic Oce
Mount Everest is in the Himalayas,
a mountain range in Asia. It is
the highest mountain on Earth –
29,035 feet above sea level. That’s
higher than some planes can fly!
EUROPE
ASIA
Pacific
Ocean
The Caspian Sea is the largest
lake in the world. Unlike most
lakes, it contains salt water.
AFRICA
Equator
Indian Ocean
AUSTRALIA
N
Southern Ocean
W
ANTARCTICA
S
South Pole
The Nile River is
the world’s
longest river.
It flows north
through parts of
10 countries and
empties into the
Mediterranean
Sea.
g2_n_america_sp8.indd 3
E
Australia is the only
continent that is also
made up of one country.
It is the flattest and driest
continent. Deserts cover
most of the continent. You
may know it for its unique
animals, such as the
kangaroo.
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18
Activities
MAKE
A MAP
How can someone discover
interesting places found in
North America? With a map,
of course! A map is a great
way to learn more about parts
of our world. Your job is to
draw your own map of North
America. Use symbols and
colors to mark locations of some
landforms, mountain ranges,
Great Lakes, and major rivers
that you want to show. Label
the countries and oceans. Make
sure to date your map and give
it a title. Include a legend, a
scale, and a compass rose.
WEATHER REPORTER
As the seasons change, what is
the weather like where you live?
How can you tell when it is spring,
summer, fall, and winter? Do you
notice differences in the temperature
outside? Be a weather reporter to
g2_north_america_18-19.indd 18
share what you feel and see. Choose
two different seasons to write about.
In sentences, describe how the two
seasons are alike and how they are
different. Then share your weather
report with your classmates.
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19
MAKE CONNECTIONS WITH THESE RELATED TITLES
Location
Your community. Your state. Your
country. Your planet. Where in
the world are you? You’ll find
the answer on a map or on a
globe. Discover the biggest areas
of land. Read about the smallest
bodies of water. Find cities,
towns, and so much more.
Communities and
Resources
Leaders and
Government
You live in a community with lots
of other people. Everyone gets
hungry, but food doesn’t grow
in stores. Everyone gets thirsty,
but water doesn’t start out in the
faucet. Find out how people get
these and many other resources.
You’re a citizen of your community.
What does that mean? What does it
take to be a good citizen? What are
the rules in the community, and who
makes them? Who leads, and who
follows? You’ll find the answers here.
CALIFORNIA
STANDARDS
HSS 2.2 Students demonstrate map
skills by describing the absolute and
relative locations of people, places,
and environments.
2.2.2. Label from memory a simple
map of the North American continent,
including the countries, oceans, Great
Lakes, major rivers, and mountain ranges. Identify the essential map elements:
title, legend, directional indicator, scale,
and date.
Historical and Social Sciences
Analysis Skills:
LEARN MORE ONLINE!
• More than half the people in
North America live in the U.S.,
but it’s not the largest country in
North America. Which country
is the largest in North America?
• What kind of landform makes
up the eastern border of
California? How would you
describe the land that lies in the
middle of California?
g2_north_america_18-19.indd 19
• Discover the types of plants and
animals of tropical, mild, and
dry climates in North America.
Chronological and Spatial Thinking
4. Students use map and globe skills
to determine the absolute locations of
places and interpret information available through a map’s or globe’s legend,
scale, and symbolic representations.
• California is home to the hottest
place on Earth. Where is it?
• You can find the world’s biggest
tree in a California forest. What
is the tree’s name, and what
national park is it located in?
1/27/17 12:37 PM
hmhco.com
Editor: Jennifer Dixon
Art Direction:
Brobel Design
Designers: Ian Brown,
Ed Gabel, David Ricculli,
Jeremy Rech
Photo Research:
Ted Levine,
Elisabeth Morgan
Activities Writer:
Kristine Scharaldi
Proofreader:
Margaret Mittelbach
Fact-Checker:
David Stienecker
Author: Gari Fairweather
Author Team Lead:
Mary Pearce
President and CEO:
Ted Levine
Chairman and Founder:
Mark Levine
GRADE 2 TITLES
Family Histories
Communities and Resources
Location
Why People Work
North America
Heroes
Leaders and Government
America: Heritage and
Culture
On the Cover: Map of North America. Brobel Design.
Picture Credits: Alamy: Joel Sartore: p.5 right (Mississippi
River headwaters). Getty Images: Jaume Gual: p.10 bottom
left (small globe); Menno Boermans: p.6 left (Denali). iStock:
traveler1116: p.3 top right (Amerigo Vespucci); olddays: p.5 upper
right (Lake Michigan); VisualCommunications: p.5 top (Hudson
Bay); csfotoimages: p.5 lower right (Gulf of Mexico); Kenneth
Canning: p.6 bottom (Rocky Mountains); zrfphoto: p.7 upper
right (Appalachian Mountains); sfe-co2: p.12 bottom (Hawaii);
Joel Carillet: p.13 lower right (Joshua Tree); David Sucsy: p.13
middle right (cherry trees, D.C.); kapulya: p.17 top right (Mt.
Everest). NASA: pp.10–11 (Earth from space); Goddard Space
Flight Center: pp.16–17 (Eastern and Western Hemispheres).
Science Source: Adam Hart-Davis: p.17 bottom left (Nile River).
Shutterstock: LongQuattro: p.3 bottom right (compass rose);
skvoor: p.2 bottom center (Hawaii inset map); Sebastien Burel: p.4
left (LaJolla Beach); AridOcean: pp.6–7 (physical map of North
America); Todd Klassy: p.7 top right (Great Plains); Jon Bilous: p.7
right (Shenandoah Valley); Plume Photography: p.13 upper right
(Minnesota blizzard); Troutnut: p.13 top right (Alaska tundra);
FotoHamBorg - Borg Enders: p.15 top right (fall leaves); Michael
Rosebrock: p.15 right (midwestern prairie); Tom Roche: p.14 left
(deserts); Vixit: p.17 top left (Sahara Desert); Photodynamic: p.16
bottom right (Antarctica); Vitaly Titov: p.16 bottom left (Amazon);
Luke Shelley: p.17 bottom right (Australian Outback); sumikophoto:
p.16 top right (Grand Canyon); ekipaj: p.17 top center (Caspian
Sea); tobkatrina: p.18 (Death Valley); Stanimir G. Stove: p.18
bottom (four seasons); Gaulois_s: p.18 top (map of N.A.);
CharlesOstrand: p.19 top center (water fountain); hkeita: p.19
top left (map locator icon); Orhan Cam: p.19 top right (Capitol
building).
Original Illustrations:
Brobel Design: Map of North America and Its Countries, pp.2–3;
Map of Water Bodies, pp.4–5; Landform Map, pp.8–9; Climate
Map, pp.12–13; Vegetation Map, pp.14–15; Globe Projections,
pp.16–17.
Michael Kline Illustration: Children with Maps, pp.8–9.
Copyright © by Kids Discover, LLC
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