Download Name Date Exploring North America

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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 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.
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?
4. Describe the landscape of eastern North America.
5. Central America has a land bridge that connects it to ______.
A. Mexico
B. The Islands of the Caribbean
C. The United States
D. South America
6. Based on context clues, define icy tundra.
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?
The Vikings were the first known group to reach northeastern Canada and Greenland.
What physical features did they see when they arrived? Use the Internet, periodicals, and
nonfiction books to research the physical features of Greenland and northeastern Canada.
Write a research essay that describes the physical features of both places. You should also
discuss how these physical features affected the Vikings' exploration of these areas.
How did the physical features or landforms of North America affect the expeditions of
early explorers?