Survey
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Human and Physical Characteristics of North America Physical Characteristics Location • Located in Northern Hemisphere • Bordered by Pacific and Atlantic Ocean • North America Includes: • Canada • United States • Mexico • Central America • Caribbean islands Climate • Varies Extremely • Examples: • Greenland- permanent ice cap • Central America• tropical rain forests with • heavy precipitation and hot temperatures all year Landforms • Plains, Mountains, Islands, Basins, Plateaus, Great Rivers, and Large Lakes • Plains • runs down the center of Canada and United States • “Great Plains” • fertile soil • Mountains • run the length length of North America • Great Mountain Ranges: • Rocky Mountains • Appalachians • Sierra Madre Oriental • Sierra Madre Occidental Landforms • Islands • Clusters near: • Arctic Circle • Caribbean • Plateaus • often cut by canyons or a mountain system • Most famous —> Grand Canyon • Lakes and Rivers • important source of food and valuable transportation Human Characteristics Population • 491 million people live in North America • 59% live in the United States • Most of European ancestry • Large number of people of African descent live throughout North America • due to slavery Education • United States and Canada • public and private school • very large and well attended • required to attend elementary, middle, and secondary levels • Mexico and Central America • receive mainly an elementary education • leave school after a short time to help support their families Religious Beliefs • Christianity most widely practices • United States • Mainly Protestant • Large minority are Catholic • Mexico and Central America • Majority Catholic ! • Others: Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism Lifestyle • 2 Distinct regions: • United States and Canada • Middle America • Lifestyles in large urban areas are similar BUT rural areas are very different • United States/Canada: • enjoy the same conveniences and services that are found in urban areas • Use modern farm equipment and create a surplus to sell • Middle America: • rural population is very poor • few own their own land • raise only enough food for their own use • do not share the same convinces and services that are found in urban areas