North America: Bodies of Water

Warning: This article does not include all of the bodies of water in North America.

The Pacific, Atlantic, and Arctic ocean all surround the continent.

List of Rivers, lakes, mountains. and more:

• Gulf of Mexico
  • located in the concave created by Mexico curvature
  • in the Atlantic Ocean
  • the largest gulf in the world

• Alaska Range
  • stretches from the Alaska-Canada border to the Alaska Peninsula
  • 600 miles long
  • consists of 50 different mountains including Denali, (Mount Mckinley), Mount Foraker, and Mount Hayes.

• Alaska Peninsula
  • extends for 800 miles
  • starts in the mainland of Alaska and ends in the Aleutian Mountains
  • separates the Pacific Ocean from Bristol Bay

• Bering Strait
  • a strait for the Pacific that separates Russia and the United States slightly south of the Arctic Circle at about 65° and 40′ N latitude
  • also known as Beringia and the Bering Land Bridge
  • an important part of history; helped connect Asia to the Americans during the Last Glacial Maximum, causing the first major human migration from Asia.

• Great Bear Lake
  • located in the Canadian boreal forest, which is located near the top of Canada
  • the largest lake in Canada, fourth in North America, and eighth in the world
  • has only one town named Deline

• Great Basin Desert
  • is part of the Great Basin, which is located between the Sierra Nevada and the Wasatch Range
  • located in Nevada
  • is the only “cold” desert in the United States; most precipitation in the form of snow

• Great Salt Lake
  • located in Utah
  • largest saltwater lake in the Western Hemisphere
  • the eighth-largest terminal lake in the world
  • The lake does not freeze because of its abundant amount of salt

• Great Slave Lake
  • a lake in Canada
  • located in the Northwest territories; a territory in Canada
  • the second largest lake in the Northwest territories, the deepest lake in North America, and tenth-largest in the world

• Colorado River
  • one of the principal rivers in the Southwestern United States and northern Mexico
  • 1,450 miles long, passing through 7 U.S. States and 2 Mexican
  • starts in the central part of the Rocky Mountains

• Hudson Bay
  • a large body of water in northeastern Canada
  • entirely located in Nunavut, a Canadian territory
  • considered a marginal sea of the Arctic Ocean because of its climate

• Mackenzie River
  • a river in the Canadian Boreal Forest
  • the longest river system in Canada
  • claims the award of having the second-largest drainage basin of North America, after the Mississippi

• Missouri River
  • the longest river in North America, beating the Mississippi by 100 miles
  • rises in the Rocky Mountains and flows east to the south for 2, 341 miles before entering the Mississippi River
  • Some dams in the Missouri River are; Lake Oahe, the Lewis and Clark Lake, and Lake Sakakawea

• Mississippi River
  • the second-longest river
  • has the largest drainage basin of North America
  • has the second-largest drainage system
  • more than 12.7 million pounds of toxic chemicals have been dumped in the Mississippi River, such as nitrates, benzene, and mercury

• Tennessee River
  • the longest tributary of the Ohio River
  • 652 miles long
  • begins in Knoxville, Tennessee, and travels south then west across northern Alabama and a bit of Mississippi before turning north and flowing into the Ohio River

• Yukon River
  • a major Waterhouse of North America
  • the source of the water is located in British Columbia, Canada, and flows through the Canadian Yukon Territory
  • the lower half of the river lies in Alaska

• Lake Athabasca
  • located in the northwest corner of Saskatchewan and northeast corner of Alberta
  • 26% of the lake is in Alberta and 74% in Saskatchewan
  • its source comes from the Peace and Athabasca rivers (the deltas that have separated from Lakes Claire and Lake Mamawi) and drained by the Slave River
  • eventually reaches the Arctic ocean, through the Great Slave, and finally the Mackenzie River
  • Deltas are wetlands that form from emptying waters

• Lake Winnipeg
  • located in North America, in the province of Manitoba, Canada
  • its southern edge is 55 kilometers north of the city, Winnipeg
  • plays a major part in the fish industry, donating $30 million of fish per year

Mountains in North America

Warning: This article does not include all mountains in North America.

• Appalachian Mountains
  • often called the Appalachians
  • extends for 2,000 miles, passing through the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador to central Alabama
  • a system of mountains in eastern North America
  • forms a natural barrier between the eastern Coastal Plain and the Interior Lowlands of North America

• Rocky Mountains
  • stretches for 3,000 miles in a straight line from the northern part of British Columbia, in Western Canada, to New Mexico, and finally in the Southwestern United States
  • one of the nation’s highest national parks with an elevation of 14, 259 feet
  • includes 100 separates ranges that are generally divided into four groups: the Canadian, Northern, Middle, and Southern Rockies
  • vias eight states

That is it for today! Keep updated for the report about the 5 Great Lakes!

Here is a sneak peak for the article, “The Five Great Lakes.”

The five great lakes were formed at the end of the Last Glacial Age. The Last Glacial Age dates back to 20,000 years ago. During this period, ice sheets covered the oceans and outer continental shelves. Then, the ice sheets retreated and revealed basins with melting glacier water. The lakes that formed from this event are Lake Ontario, Superior, Michigan, Huron, and Eerie.