PLA –
NORTH AMERICA
AND SOUTH AMERICA
(MS FORMS)
PHYSICAL FEATURES NA SA
NORTH AND SOUTH AMERICA
1. Highest Peaks in each continent
2. Longest Rivers in each Continent
3. Mountain ranges on the west coasts of each
continent
4. Major rivers in each continent
5. Mountain ranges on the East of each continent
6. Two major waterfalls in each of the continents
7. Deserts on the west coast of each continent
8. Waterbodies surrounding each continent
9. Five Great Lakes of NA
10. Two major rivers of SA
PHYSICAL FEATURES NA SA
NORTH AND SOUTH AMERICA
Mt McKinley Aconcagua
1. Highest Peaks in each continent
Mississippi, Missouri Amazon
2. Longest Rivers in each Continent
Rockies, Cascade Range, Andes Mountain,
3. Mountain ranges on the west coasts of each Sierra Nevada
continent
Mississippi, Mackenzie, St Orinoco ,
4. Major rivers in each continent Lawrence Amazon, La
Plata
Brazilian
5. Mountain ranges on the East of each Appalachian Highlands,
Guiana Highlands
continent
Horseshoe Fall Angel Fall
6. Two major waterfalls in each of the continents American Fall, Niagara Fall Iguassu Fall
Great Basin, Mojave, Atacama
7. Deserts on the west coast of each continent Sonoran
Atlantic, Pacific, Arctic Atlantic, Pacific,
8. Waterbodies surrounding each continent Southern
Lake Huron, Lake Ontario, Lake
9. Five Great Lakes of NA Michigan, Lake Erie, Lake
------------------
Superior
Amazon , Orinoco
10. Two major rivers of SA ----------
Geography
Study of the Continents: North America and
South America
Learning Intention:
To analyze how the physical geography of a region can influence the progress and
development of that region
Learning Objective:
To understand and explain how the geographical features of North and South America
impact the life of people.
Success Criteria:
• To be able to locate and identify the physical features of North and South America on
the map.
• To be able to describe and differentiate the physical features between North and South
America
• To be able to identify and mark the rivers in North America and South America on the
respective map
• To be able to analyze the economic development owing to its natural resources
ISTHMUS OF PANAMA Vasco Núñez de Balboa
North America Features South America
7°N – 84° N Latitudinal 12°N - 55° S
Extent
20° W – 179° W Longitudinal 35° W – 81° W
Extent
Frigid , Temperate, Heat Zones Torrid, Temperate
Torrid
Water Bodies surrounding North and South America
North America & South
America is made up of 4
major physical divisions
Physical Features / Divisions of North and South America
North America South America
1. The Canadian Shield or 1. The West Coastal Plains
Laurentian Shield
2.The Western Mountain System 2. The Andes Mountains /
or Western Cordilleras Western Mountains
3.The Eastern Highlands or 3. The Central Plains
Appalachian Mountains
4.The Central Lowlands or Great 4. The Eastern Highlands
Central Plains
1. The Canadian Shield around Hudson Bay is
covered with shallow soil. Its main industrial use
is for mining.
• Rich in minerals and fresh water
The Great Lakes
Over 20,000 years ago, the temperatures were very cold. This caused a
great mass of ice, called a glacier, which covered Canada and the
United States. That glacier moved slowly south, scraping the land.
When the temperatures warmed, the glacier began to melt and formed
the Great Lakes and their many connecting rivers and lakes.
There are five Great Lakes. They are called Lake Huron, Lake Ontario,
Lake Michigan, Lake Erie, and Lake Superior. (HOMES)
The Great Lakes were formed during the Ice Age when glaciers
scrapped out many hollows and when the ice melted the hollows filled
up with water giving this region a valuable source of fresh water.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gBRcOLcEwF0
Niagara Falls
This Photo by Unknown author is licensed under CC BY-SA.
2. The Western Cordilleras a large mountain range system, stretching from Alaska in the north to
the Isthmus of Panama in the south – for about 6500km and continue as the Andes in SA
WESTERN CORDILLERAS
• These young fold mountains have high peaks
and steep slopes - Mt. McKinley or Mt. Denali
in Alaska standing @ 6194 m tall being the
highest point
• The Rockies is the highest range with many
intermontane plateaus - e.g. Colombia and
Colorado plateaus
• These plateaus have many rivers that have
weathered the land forming deep canyons –
most famous of all – the Grand Canyon –
2000m deep and 480km long, is world-
famous for its beauty and majesty.
GRAND CANYON
3. The Appalachians or Eastern
Highlands stretch for about 2575 km with
Mt. Mitchell standing @ 2037 m tall being the
highest point.
• These are old fold mountains were
once taller than the Rockies – over time
have been weathered down.
• The Eastern Slopes are steep and rivers
flow over the Piedmont plateau.
• Since the edge of this plateau has many
waterfalls along its length, it is referred to
as the Fall Line, they are utilized to
generate hydroelectric power.
4. The Central Lowlands or Great
Central Plains.
• It extends to about 2000 km wide
6000km long from the Hudson Bay
in the North to the Gulf of Mexico in
the south.
• Some parts slope to the north
towards Canada and some areas
slope south toward USA and
therefore rivers drain in both
directions
• The Mississippi – Missouri rivers
drain south into the Gulf of Mexico
– it is the largest river system in
North America.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YzW0hTp3TNM
NORTH AMERICA – RIVERS
Many large rivers drain over vast areas of
NA enriching the land thus enabling large
scale progress and development.
Some notable RIVERS of NA are:
➢ River Mackenzie and River Nelson – drain
northwards into the Arctic Ocean
➢ River Yukon and River Columbia – drain
westwards into the Pacific Ocean
➢ River Hudson and River St. Lawrence –
drain eastwards into the Atlantic Ocean
➢ River Mississippi and River Missouri –
drain southwards into the Gulf of
Mexico
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY
All these rivers drain the continent in all directions thus help in
the development of the economy of NA by providing:
1. Fresh water for domestic purposes
2. Water for industrial purposes
3. Water for irrigation
4. Fertile soil for agriculture
5. Fishing / Shipping industries
6. Production of Hydroelectricity
https://www.visitoregon.com/the-oregon-trail-game-online/
South America is made up of 4 major physical divisions
South America
1. The West Coastal Plains
2. The Andes Mountain
3. The Central Plains
4. The Eastern Highlands
1. The West
Coastal Plains
They are the most important grazing and
cropland areas on the continent. A coastal
plain is an area of low, flat land next to the
seacoast.
1. The Western Coastal Plains
▪ Narrow plain lying between the Andes and Pacific ocean
▪ Atacama desert lies in this coastal region across the Tropic of Capricorn in North Chile
Andes Mountain: Why do you think the Andes Mountain are so important for South America?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7TWfLFqm96w
2. The Andes Mountain (7,000km)
• Long stretch of high, young fold mountains.
• Not one mountain range but several parallel ranges with basins
and plateaux.
• Mountain range in Spanish known as Andean Cordilleras
• Number of lofty peaks.
• Highest peak Mt Aconcagua 6960m – remains covered with
snow despite being near the equator.
• The USPALLATA PASS is one of the few gaps/breaks in this lofty
mountain chain.
• Lake Titicaca, 2nd highest freshwater lake in the world.
• There are number of extinct, active and dormant volcanoes.
Draught Animals
Donkey Mules Llamas
3. The Central Plains:
• Region of lowlands
• Plains formed by the rivers Amazon, Orinoco,
Parana, Paraguay and Uruguay.
• The La Plata River system - Parana, Paraguay and Uruguay.
• In the NORTH Orinoco Plains known as LLANOS
• South of LLANOS, the AMAZON LOWLANDS known as SELVAS,
a region of dense Equatorial forest
• Further SOUTH , the Temperate grassy plains of Argentina are
called the PAMPAS.
• The Parana- Paraguay Lowlands include the GRAN CHACO -
1. a vast alluvial region
2. becomes marshy during the rainy season
4. Eastern Highlands:
• The Guiana Highlands and the Brazilian
Highlands are separated by the Amazon
river.
• Extend along the Atlantic Coast
• Rise steeply in the East and gentler in the
West and slope towards the Central plains.
• Lower in height as compared to the Andes
• Old hard rocks
• Between 40°S and 50°S lies the
cold Patagonian desert
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Rivers and Lakes – SOUTH AMERICA
• Orinoco River: flows from Guianea Highlands towards the Atlantic Ocean in
Venezuela
• River Magdalena runs parallel to the Andes Mountain and drains northwards
into the Caribbean sea.
• Amazon River: rises in the Andes Mountains and flows eastwards across the
widest part of the continent
➢ Joined by thousands of tributaries
➢ Daily heavily equatorial showers
➢ Largest volume of water
https://study.com/academy/lesson/amazon-river-facts-lesson-for-kids.html
La Plata River system
• Formed by the Parana, Paraguay and Uruguay
• Flows southwards and drain into the South Atlantic Ocean
There are few lakes in South America
• Lake Titicaca is situated on the high plateau of Bolivia.
• It is drained by the Desaguadero River into Lake Poopo, a saltwater lake and
inland drainage.
• Lake Maracaibo in Venezuela is very important for mineral oil deposits.
Angel Falls (979m),
the world's highest
waterfall is formed by
a tributary of the river
Orinoco
This Photo by Unknown author is licensed under CC BY-SA.
Climate: NORTH AMERICA
• Latitudinal extent - 7° N to 84° N latitudes
Being a vast continent NA has varied climatic conditions: CLIMATE: SOUTH AMERICA
Factors that influence the climate in NA are: Latitudinal extent: 12°N to 55°S
• Latitudinal extent - 7° N to 84° N latitudes
Climate is influenced by a number of factors
• Distance from the sea – close to the sea moderate climate –
far from the sea extremes of climate • Presence of Andes Mountain- has cool climate
• Direction of the Western and Eastern Mountains – cold
throughout the year
winds from the north blow across / blocks interior areas from
sea breeze • Height of place above sea level
• Wind direction: N-E Trade Winds & South Westerlies – rain • Nearness to the oceans and seas
winds
• Impact of ocean currents
• Ocean Currents: Warm Gulf Stream and Labrador Current
help maintain a balance on temperature – when they meet near
Newfound Land the water is warm and attracts marine life thus
making it the world’s best fishing grounds.
NORTH AMERICA SOUTH AMERICA
Vegetation:
• The abundant variety of forests provide The Equatorial Rain Forest –
for the manufacture of a variety of
products such as paper, resin, wood etc…
• The Lungs of the world the Amazon Rainforest
which adds to the growth of the
economy.
located in the Selvas of the Amazon basin
Cattle rearing:
• This is a big industry in the Prairies of NA
• Largest forest in the world – thick forest with
in the temperate latitudes as it
experiences cool climate and little
summer rainfall which helps the pastures large, tall, hard wood trees that yield good
for grazing.
• Nowadays many areas have been produce that help the economy of the region
converted into wheat farms.
NORTH AMERICA SOUTH AMERICA
Mineral Wealth: Mineral Wealth:
• The variety of mineral wealth stored in • Rich in mineral wealth – much yet to be
the physical features of NA ranging from discovered
iron-ore to natural gas besides the many • Brazil – largest deposits of iron – ore, coal and
other minerals has helped especially USA oil reserves
to become an industrial giant and helped • Lake Maracaibo – rich in oil deposits in
in the rapid industrialization of NA Venezuela – biggest exporter of crude oil in SA
• Owing to the reduced reserves of oil and • Chile – leading producer of copper
other forms of energy is being developed • Atacama Desert – rich in nitrates – used to
such as: make fertilizers
1. Geothermal Energy • Bolivia – one of the leading producer of tin
2. Wind Energy • Gold & silver is found in many countries
3. Solar Energy • Two rare minerals – vanadium & Platinum
4. Nuclear Energy found in the Andes
