Geography. How the continent of North America is situated relative to others

The way the continent of North America is situated relative to other continents determines not only its climatic conditions, but also the population, economic structure and specialization in the world distribution of ore. The countries on its territory are rich in natural resources that are important for international trade.

Geography and climate

The continent of North America is washed by three oceans: the Arctic, Atlantic and Pacific. Each of these oceans, its currents and the air masses forming above it, is of great importance for climatic conditions not only in the coastal regions, but also in the interior of the continent.

On the mainland are three major countries - Canada, the United States and Mexico. There is also a large number of island states and US-dependent territories. In Canada, there is an extreme northern point of not only this country, but the whole continent. It's about Cape Murchison. It is located on the peninsula of Butia, which is in the Canadian Arctic. Its name was given to the head by the name of the scientist Rene Murchison. This man was the first to explore the peninsula.

The way the continent of North America is situated relative to others has determined the history of its discovery, description, study and subsequent development. Today, scientists believe that the discoverers of the continent were the descendants of a group of Vikings expelled from their settlement in Iceland.

Geological map of North America

Scientists divide the continent into three large geological regions, the boundaries of which largely coincide with the state borders of countries located on the territory of the continent.

The first and oldest geologically geographically located province is located in Canada. What is it called? This is the "Canadian Shield", located in the far north of the continent. It was built in the ancient Precambrian era, which affected the geological diversity of these lands. The way the continent of North America is situated relative to others is due, among other things, to the peculiarities of its formation in the ancient era.

Due to this geological feature, Canada is one of the most diverse countries in terms of minerals. On the territory of the Arctic state there are large deposits of nickel, gold, lead, molybdenum and, most importantly, uranium. And, recently discovered in the Arctic territories, diamond deposits make the country one of the largest suppliers of this raw material to the international market.

An important feature of the geology of Canada is the presence of the Sudbury ore basin in the province of Ontario, formed as a result of a meteorite impact on the surface of the earth. This region is very rich in metal ores, which creates an anomaly in its environs, which was called the Magnetic anomaly by Temagami.

Geological provinces in the US are similar to Canadian ones. Exceptions are only anomalous zones resembling meteorite craters.

Central America

How is the mainland North America relatively easy to spot by looking at the map. If from its western neighbor - Eurasia - America is separated by a relatively narrow Bering Strait, then from its southern neighbor, it is not separated at all, except for the artificial Panama Canal.

Central American states do not have a high level of economic development and are therefore extremely vulnerable to the negative consequences of natural disasters that often occur in the region.

Among the most common natural disasters is to indicate hurricanes, forming over the Atlantic and moving to the west and south. Under their impact inevitably fall, both the coastal states of the United States, and the island states of Central America.

Seismic activity

The second important feature of the structure of the continent is a large number of seismically active zones, as a result of which devastating earthquakes occur on the continent, which are the victims of many thousands of inhabitants of the developing countries of the Caribbean.

The most significant earthquake from all that occurred in the United States was the Great Alaskan Earthquake that happened in March 1964. This was a disastrous natural disaster, the consequences of which were felt on the territory of fifty thousand square kilometers. Immediately after the tremors, numerous landslides followed, mudslides and mudslides blocked the mountain roads and prevented the travel of rescue equipment to the places where it was so necessary.

In addition, the way North America is located, gives the states of the continent clear strategic advantages in relations with their overseas neighbors.