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Exploring North America - The Landforms
By Trista L. Pollard
Early explorers who
came to North America
saw its different physical
features. In fact, if you
travel across the continent,
you will see its variety of
landforms. There are
mountains, deserts,
canyons, valleys, and
plains. They also saw the
Native American
communities that existed
in North America. These
people were familiar with North America's landscape. Early
explorers had to learn how to navigate these physical features.
North America today is divided into three major countries. They
are the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Canada is to the north
of the U.S., and Mexico is to the south. Connected to Mexico is
Central America. Central America has many countries. It also has
a land bridge that connects to South America. Other parts of North
America are the island of Greenland and the islands in the
Caribbean Sea. When early explorers came, they called these
islands the West Indies.
Explorers who landed on the east coast of North America may
have noticed its coastal plains. They border the Atlantic Ocean and
the Gulf of Mexico in the south. Today, the largest number of
people live in the coastal and gulf plains. Farther inland from the
coastal plains are the piedmont and valleys. These lead up to one of
six mountain chains. These chains run north to south. Imagine what
it would have been like to cross these mountains. Remember, there
were no trains, plains, or automobiles. The Appalachian
Mountains are located in eastern North America. They are not as
high now. However, to early explorers, they probably continued
forever into the sky. The Appalachians run from Canada to Alabama.
In the west there are the Rocky Mountains. They are higher than
the Appalachians. You will also find the Continental Divide in the
Rockies. These mountains run from Canada to eastern Mexico.
The Pacific ranges are the last mountain chains on the continent.
They are the Cascades, the Sierra Nevadas, and the Pacific Coast
Range. Like the Rockies, these ranges run through the United States
and Canada.
Once explorers crossed these mountains, they found enormous
plains and valleys. The center of North America has the central
plains. The Great Plains is located between the Appalachians and
the Rockies. They run north into Canada. Here is where the plains
turn into an icy tundra. The central plains is one of the U.S.'s most
important farming regions today. In between the Pacific Coast
Range and the Cascade/Sierra Nevada Ranges are two very large
valleys. They are the Central Valley in California and the
Willamette Valley in Oregon. These green valleys gave the
explorers a chance to rest after crossing those high mountains! The
lowest place in North America is a valley. It is Death Valley in
California. Death Valley has an elevation of 282 feet below sea
level. This valley is also the hottest.
Some early explorers entered North America through the
southwest. They saw deserts and canyons as they traveled on their
expeditions. Located south of Death Valley is the Mojave Desert.
This is one of the few deserts that is in North America. Some of the
others are the Great Salt Lake Desert near Utah and the Sonoran
Desert in Arizona. These explorers had to cross some of the hottest
land on the continent. They may have also seen one of the largest
canyons on the continent. The Grand Canyon is located in Arizona.
It is part of the largest plateau in North America, the Colorado
Plateau. The southwest also has buttes and mesas to complete the
landform picture.
Two other areas of North America are Alaska and Hawaii.
Alaska, which is connected to Canada, is close to the Arctic Circle.
Explorers did not venture that far north during the Age of
Exploration. However, there were communities of Native
Americans in the area. It was probably covered with icy tundras and
mountainous glaciers. Explorers who traveled to the islands of
Hawaii would have seen its tropical landscape. The islands were
covered with tropical trees and volcanic islands. The Polynesians
who lived on the island probably fished in the Pacific Ocean that
surrounded the islands.
The physical features of North America still continue to amaze
people today. For early explorers, some of the features were a
4. Describe the landscape of eastern North America.
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challenge. Knowing the geography of North America helps to
understand what explorers faced during their expeditions.
Exploring North America - The Landforms
Questions
1. Using context clues, write a definition for landscape.
5. Central America has a land bridge that connects it to ______.
A. South America
B. The Islands of the Caribbean
C. Mexico
D. The United States
6. Based on context clues, define icy tundra.
2. Explain the Continental Divide. You may use outside research
to help answer the question.
3. Explorers who entered North America through the southwest
probably saw what landforms?
7. What is the main idea of paragraph number four?
8. Why do you think early European explorers did not travel to
the area of Alaska?
What landforms can be found in Arkansas?
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How did the physical features or landforms of North America affect
the expeditions of early explorers?