Welcome dear students! Today we are going to learn about North America from Class 7 Social_Science. Last year you studied the geographical features and importance of Asia, Europe, and Africa. This year you will learn a lot about North America, South America, Australia, and Antarctica. In this lesson you will study the location, extent, physical setting, physical divisions, climate, natural vegetation, agriculture, important minerals and industries, population growth, distribution, and density of the continent of North America. Let us look at the competencies you will achieve. First, understand the location, extent, and physical setting of North America. Second, understand by comparison the diversity of physical divisions of North America. Third, know about the rivers and the great lakes of North America. Fourth, understand the influence of varied climate on natural vegetation and animals. Fifth, know about agricultural development of North America. Sixth, understand how North America developed by utilizing prominent mineral wealth. Seventh, understand the origin, density, and distribution of population of North America.
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North America is a recently discovered continent. The continent is mostly inhabited by Europeans and immigrants from other countries. The Spaniards made use of Mexico's gold. The French built up profitable fur trade in Canada. The British not only did fisheries in the Atlantic province of Canada and New England but also exploited the forests there. North America's abundant resources are the basis for the development of science and technology. A large domestic market, international trade relationship, and the development of good means of transportation have helped North America to become one of the richest and economically dominant continents. Therefore, it is necessary to understand the continent as a model for progress for other continents. Now let us move on to the location, position, and extent of the continent. North America is located entirely to the north of the equator. It extends from 7 degrees North to 84 degrees North latitudes. The Tropic of Cancer at 23 and a half degrees North passes through the continent in the south, and the Arctic Circle at 66 and a half degrees North passes through it in the north.
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North America is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean in the east, the Pacific Ocean in the west, and the Arctic Ocean in the north. It is separated from the continent of Asia by the Bering Strait. It has a land link with South America by the Isthmus of Panama. A number of smaller water bodies are found here, for example, the Gulf of Mexico, the Hudson Bay, the Gulf of Alaska, and the Gulf of California. The West Indies and Cuba islands are found in the Caribbean Sea. Newfoundland is found to the east coast of Canada. A number of islands lie in the Arctic Ocean, of which Greenland is the largest. The strip of land that lies to the south of North America is called Central America. North America is the third largest continent in area, covering 16.46 percent of the world, after Asia and Africa. It is almost 7 times bigger than India, with an area of 24.24 million square kilometers. There are 24 countries in North America. Canada, United States of America, and Mexico are the three large countries by their size. The Caribbean Islands are also included in the physical definition of North America.
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Let us pause for a moment to learn some interesting facts. Did you know that different countries have their own unique facets? Mexico is known for the sites of Mayan Civilization. Canada is known for the snowbird and polar bear. The United States of America is famous for the Grand Canyon, HOMES, Barringer Crater, and Volcanoes. The West Indies are known for cricket and islands. Next, we will learn about the physical divisions. The continent of North America is divided into four major physical divisions. They are first, the Western Cordilleras or the Rocky Mountains. Second, the Great Central Plains. Third, the Canadian Shield. Fourth, the Appalachian Highlands.
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Let us explore the first division, the Western Cordilleras. These are folded mountain ranges like the Himalayas of India. The Western Cordilleras run from Alaska in the north to Panama in the south. They consist of a series of plateaus, for example, the Colorado, Mexican, and Yucatan plateaus. The Rocky Mountains ranges, Alaska Mountain ranges, and McKinley Mountain are part of this region. The Rockies are the most important ranges in the Western Cordilleras. Mount McKinley at 6194 meters is the highest peak, and Death Valley at 86 meters below sea level is the lowest part in this region. The Whitney Mountain and White Mountain in California are well known for their rugged slopes and scenic beauty. There are some intermountain plateaus found between these ranges. Columbia, Colorado, and Mexican plateaus are important among them. The Colorado River has caused the formation of the Grand Canyon through its massive erosion. The Old Faithful geyser, which is a hot water spring, is a world famous geyser in the Yellowstone National Park of the United States of America.
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Now let us move to the second division, the Great Central Plains. The Central Plains are also referred to as the Great Plains of the Prairies. They lie between the Appalachians in the east and the Cordilleras in the west. The plain consists of a vast expanse, covering three-fifths of the total area of North America, of flat to gently rolling land. These plains are formed by the River Mississippi, Missouri, and their tributaries. This is one of the most fertile plains of the world and is a good farming region. The denudation of the area by ice sheets, also known as ice rivers, has resulted in the formation of a large number of basins. These basins are covered by lakes. You should also know about the Dust Bowl. It is caused by a local tornado. It causes disaster to agriculture in the prairies of America and Canada. Let us continue with the third division, the Canadian Shield. The Canadian Shield lies around the Hudson Bay in the northern part of North America. This is made up of some of the oldest rocks in the world, like those of the Deccan Plateau in India.
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The fourth division is the Appalachian Highlands. The Eastern Highlands, also known as Appalachians, extend from Newfoundland to Alabama along the eastern margin of the continent. The Appalachians are old folded mountains, but have been denuded to their present height. East of the Appalachian ranges lie the Piedmont Plateau and the Atlantic Coastal Plain. The St. Lawrence Valley separates the Labrador plateau from the Appalachian ranges. They are rich in coal, lead, zinc, iron ore, copper, water power, and forest wood. This region has a large population and its contribution to North America's economy is significant. Next, we will learn about the rivers and great lakes. North America has a few large and short rivers. A number of lakes form the unique physical features of this continent around the Canadian Shield. They are formed due to the glaciers.
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The Mississippi and Missouri are the great rivers of North America and together they drain two-thirds of the area. The Mississippi is the largest river, that flows into the Gulf of Mexico. The Colorado River drains into the Colorado Plateau and forms the Grand Canyon. It is a center for scenic beauty and tourism. The Grand Canyon is called the natural wonder of the world. It is located in Arizona, USA. Its depth is about 1800 meters, and its width is 3 to 29 kilometers. The St. Lawrence is an important river of the USA and Canada. It passes through the Great Lakes. It remains frozen for 3 months in a year. Now let us talk about the lakes. North America has a large number of fresh water and salt water lakes. They are situated on the southern border of the Canadian Shield. Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, and Superior are the important lakes. Together they are called HOMES. Lake Superior is the largest of the Great Lakes and is the largest fresh water lake in the world. Chicago and Detroit cities are situated on the Michigan and Erie lakes respectively. All these lakes have provided important waterways.
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Moving forward, we will study climate and natural vegetation. North America has a wide range of climate due to its vast latitudinal extent, and varied relief features. It includes extreme weather conditions ranging from freezing conditions in Alaska and Greenland, which is the Tundra type, to burning heat in the deserts of the south-west USA. South-Eastern Florida, the Caribbean, and Central America have tropical conditions. Central and Southern regions of the continent are prone to severe storms including hurricanes and tornadoes. The natural vegetation and animal life largely depend on climate, soil, and topographical features. Due to the great diversity in climate and topography, North America has a wide variety of semi-arid vegetation. These vegetation belts broadly follow the climatic regions.
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The Tundra type of vegetation is found within the Arctic Circle. It is found mainly in Canada, Alaska, and Greenland. Winters are long and freezing and summers are very short. The only vegetation found here are mosses and lichens. Some scented flowering plants are grown in summer season. The animals which survive in this hard and harsh conditions are Reindeer and Caribou and Carnivores like Polar Bears. To the south of the Tundra belt lies the cool temperature type of climatic regions where cold climate foxes are found. This is actually a belt of coniferous forest called Taiga. The coniferous forests are evergreen and species like pine, fir, spruce, and larch are found here. The fur bearing animals are found in this region, for example, the Lynx, Sable, silver fox, Beaver, and Black Bear. The deciduous forests are found in the east of the St. Lawrence river and Great Lakes. The northern part is cold and the southern part of the region remains warm. Winters are cold but summers are warm and rainfall occurs usually in summer. The trees found here shed their leaves during a certain period. Examples include Cypress, Oak, ash, and chestnut. The wild animals found here include Beaver, Black Bear, Musk rat, and Porcupine.
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The cool temperate climate is found in parts of the USA. There is a vast grassland between the Rockies and the Great river basins of Mississippi and Missouri, which is also known as the Prairies. This is actually a vast treeless plain. This plain land is known for wheat cultivation and animal rearing. This is known as the Wheat bowl of the world. The coniferous and deciduous trees are found in Temperate mixed forests. Canada and North California have such forests. The important trees found in this region are birch, beech, maple, and oak. Canada is a country of lakes, formed by glaciers. It has a sparse population and abundant Taiga kind of forest. The world largest export of timber is done from here. The Southern part of Mexico and the West Indies region is known for tropical forests. Mixed forests are found here with hardwood trees like mahogany and logwood. The western coast of California experiences the Mediterranean type of climate. The desert condition is found in the western part of the continent in South California, Mexico, and Arizona. Different varieties of Cactus and thorny bushes are common here. Desert nights are called Desert winters.
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Now let us move on to agriculture. Agriculture is an important occupation of North America. Central lowlands of the continent, especially Canada and USA, are very productive agricultural countries. Only ten percent of the total area of North America is suitable for agriculture. But the production from their farms is very high. Because large farms, rich soil, adequate irrigation, mechanised farming, and other facilities with huge human efforts make North America one of the largest agricultural regions of the world. Regions specialized in the production of specific crops are called Crop belts. For example, Corn belt, Wheat belt, Cotton belt, Tobacco belt. Wheat is one of the popular cereals grown in North America, especially in Canada and USA. The Prairie region provides the best soil for wheat cultivation. Since the population is low, a lot of surplus production is obtained, which can be exported. Maize is popularly known as Corn. It is grown extensively in the United States and Mexico. Most of the maize is used for feeding cattle and pigs. They are reared for meat in Mexico. Maize is the staple food grain. But today maize is grown as a check crop. The other popular crops are barley, oats, and potato. Beer is brewed from barley. Oats is used to feed the animals. Potato is also grown in the continent which serves as a food crop.
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Cotton and Tobacco are grown as cash crops in the southern parts of North America. The Cotton belt lies along the Mississippi Valley. The USA ranks second after China among major tobacco growing countries of the world. Sugarcane is another important crop grown here. Cuba is the third largest producer of sugar in the world, so popularly called the Sugar bowl of the world. Coffee and Cocoa are the tropical plantation crops, grown in the parts of Central America and West Indies. Fruits like grapes, oranges, lime, apple, pears, and peaches are grown in California, Florida, New Jersey, and areas around Urban Centers. California produces 90 percent of the wine by using grapes in North America. Therefore California is called the Wine Country. The Grand Banks on the Atlantic coast of the north eastern part of North America, the Georges Bank of the New England and Newfoundland coast are the shallow continental shelves which are popular fishing grounds. As you follow along in your textbook, you will see helpful images of apple gardens, wheat and maize fields, desert cacti, and animals like the beaver, black bear, polar bear, and silver fox.
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Next, we will learn about important minerals and industries. North America is blessed with abundant resources. Its natural resources are a variety of soils, extensive grasslands, minerals, power resources, and forest wealth. The continent has rich deposits of different valuable minerals. The deposits of gold had very earlier attracted people to this continent. Besides this, iron ore, copper, nickel, silver, and zinc are other major mineral deposits. The continent also abounds in coal, petroleum, and natural gas. Gold is the very first mineral mined in North America. California and Yucatan valleys are important areas of gold mines. Lake Superior and its surrounding areas are known for having large deposits of Iron ore. The high grade iron ore is found in and around the Canadian Shield. Mexico is the world major producer of silver. The USA is the leading producer of copper in the world. North America has large deposits of high grade coal in the Appalachian region. The USA is the world largest coal exporter. The offshore region of the Pacific Ocean has good deposits of natural gas. The USA is not only the major producer of petroleum but also the leading producer of nuclear power in the world.
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Among the countries of North America, USA and Canada are highly industrialized. Availability of raw materials like iron ore, coal, copper, and bauxite helps heavy industries. Availability of power, transport, and modern technology has helped industrialization to a great extent. The Lake Region of Erie, Superior, and Michigan have seen a lot of development in iron and steel industry. Raw materials and water transport have helped them. The city of Pittsburgh is called the Steel city. Iron and steel is the basic industry, so it helps the growth of other industries like automobile, ship building, locomotives, heavy engineering, and aircraft. Soft wood is used in making paper, cardboard, and newsprint in the USA and Canada. Pulp is used to produce synthetic fibre. Canada is one of the top exporters of paper, pulp, and news prints. Lumbering is a highly organized job in North America. People engaged in lumbering in Canada are known as lumberjacks. Chemical industry produces a variety of articles like synthetic rubber, plastics, fertilizers, and medicines. Plastic has now replaced wood to a great extent. Plastic is prepared in all parts of the USA. Chicago is famous for the plastic industry. Meat packing is an important industry spread over in a number of centers like Chicago, Kansas City, and St. Louis. Electrical and Electronic goods are also produced on a large scale. Many of the industrial products and machinery are exported from USA and Canada.
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Now let us look at the population. Most of the North Americans are Europeans, American Indians, and Africans. Most of them speak Spanish, English, French, or American Indian languages. In the eastern parts of North America highest density of population is found. It is highly urbanized, for example, New York, Washington, and Chicago. But much of the northern part of the continent is almost empty, because it is generally ice-covered. The densely populated parts of the USA are urban centers and industrial regions. Nearly 98 percent of the population is urban in North America. Before we practice, let us quickly review some new terms. Prairies, Caribbean, Cordilleras, Rockies, Appalachians, Canadian fold mountains, land shield, Grand Canyon, Homes, Hurricanes, Tornado, Tundra, Reindeer, Caribou, Taiga, cropbelt, oats, dust bowl, coking, locomotives, lumberjacks.
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Now let us look at the exercises to test your understanding. Please keep your notebook ready. Exercise One: Fill in the blanks with a suitable word. Question one: The Continent of North America is called the _________ Continent. Question two: In Canada, the people whose occupation is to cut trees are called ___________. Question three: World's wheat Basket is __________. Question four: Coniferous forest is called as __________. Exercise Two: Answer the following questions. Question five: Mention the location and extent of North America. Question six: Make a list of important countries of North America. Question seven: How are the Grand Canyon of North America formed? Question eight: Name the important plants and animals of North America. Question nine: Make a list of important rivers of North America. Question ten: Mention the majority of the people and their languages found in North America. Take your time to answer these questions using what you have learned today. Finally, let us look at the activities for your practice. Activity one: On the outline map of North America, mark the important mountains, rivers, great lakes, and plains with the help of the Atlas. Activity two: Make a list of important plants and animals found in North America and collect their pictures. I encourage you to complete these activities to strengthen your map reading and research skills. Thank you for listening! Keep revising and practicing. Goodbye! [CHAPTER_COMPLETE]