Download Lesson 3: Neighboring Countries

Regions Around You
Lesson 3: Neighboring Countries
 Vocabulary
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province – political region similar to the state in the United States
territory – an area owned and governed by a country
commonwealth - territory of the United States that governs itself
tropics – area around the equator that has a warm climate year round
rain forest – a wet area, usually warm, in which tall trees, wines and other plants
grow close together
 tundra – flat, treeless plain that stays mostly frozen
 Canada
 largest political region in North America
 second largest country in the world
 Canada’s Political Regions
o divided into 13 smaller political regions
o 10 are provinces, 3 are territories
 Canada’s Geography
o mountains with forests in the west
o farmland cover the Interior Plains in the center
o Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River valley in the east
o cold and icy in the north
 The Border We Share
o Canada and the United States share the world’s longest unprotected
border
 Mexico
 offical name: United States of Mexico Estados Unidos Mexicanos
 also divided into states
 Mexico’s Geography
o two large mountain ranges running through eastern and western Mexico
o Mexican Plateau stretches between the mountains; rich farmland
o desert in the north; wetter climate in the south with plains and forests
 Mexico’s People and Economy
o more than 100 million people; most have Native American and Spanish
backgrounds
o Spanish is the official language
o Important industries include manufacturing, farming, ranching, mining
and oil production
 Central America and Caribbean
 Central America
o narrow strip of land that connects North and South America; part of
North America
o divided into 7 countries
o Pacific Ocean and Carribbean Sea forms borders
 The Caribbean
o hundreds of islands make up this region
o Puerto Rico is a commonwealth
o Virgin Islands are a territory of the United States
 Land and Climate
o Both Central America and the Caribbean are located in the tropics
o Rainforests cover much of the land
o has several mountains
o fertile soil which allows for farmers to grow coffee, sugarcane, bananas
and other tropical fruit
 Greenland
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large island off northeast coast of Canada
world’s biggest island
very cold climate, tundra
territory of Denmark