NORTH AMERICA: LOCATION, POLITICAL DIVISIONS AND

PHYSICAL FEATURES
A. 1. Cancer, Arctic 2. Bering Strait 3. Canada, USA, Mexico 4. Denali 5. Columbia
Plateau 6. Dust Bowl 7. Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, Ontario
B. 1. False. The Rockies form the Continental Divide separating the rivers that
flow into the Pacific Ocean from those draining into the Atlantic and Arctic
Oceans.
2. False. The Cordillera redirects moisture-laden winds from the Pacific Ocean to
cause relief rainfall.
3. False. The Canadian Shield is a peneplain that has a number of lakes.
4. False. The Appalachian or Eastern Highlands were once higher than the
Rockies but their elevations were significantly reduced by glacial erosion.
5. False. The Rio Grande River forms the boundary between Mexico and the USA.
C. 1. c. Washington, DC
2. a. twisted ropes or cords
3. b. Mississippi and its tributary, the Ohio River
4. d. Lake Erie and Lake Ontario
D. 1. The Cordillera is part of the Pacific Ring of Fire because of which it has many
active volcanoes.
2. The large Intermontane plateaus that lie between the parallel ranges of the
Western Cordillera receive very little rainfall because the mountain ranges that
lie to their west prevent the rain bearing winds from the Pacific Ocean from
reaching them.
3. A series of droughts in parts of the Central Lowlands made the farmers there
to give up cultivation of wheat. The topsoil, which was no longer protected by
vegetation, was carried away by the wind. Due to this, a large area covering
Nebraska and Colorado turned into a desolate human-made desert called the
Dust Bowl.
4. The height of the mountains of the Eastern Highlands got significantly
reduced due to glacial erosions.
E. 1. North America is generally divided into these four major physical regions:
• The Western Cordillera • The Central Lowlands • The Eastern Highlands • The
Canadian Shield
2. The Central Lowlands are made fertile by layers of sediment brought down
and deposited by glaciers and rivers.
3. The Appalachians and the Piedmont region are rich in deposits of coal, copper,
zinc and lead.
4. The word ‘piedmont’ means ‘foot of a mountain’. Thus, piedmont plateaus
are raised, flat-topped landforms found at the foot of mountains.
5. Rivers Yukon, Columbia, Fraser and Colorado
6. The piedmont plateau at the foothills of the Appalachian Range has several
springs, streams, waterfalls and rivers on its eastern slopes. The Tennessee
Valley Authority was established in 1933 to use water from these sources for
purposes of navigation, power production, land reclamation, and watershed
development.

Long Answers
1. Name the ranges that make up Western Cordillera.
Ans - The Western Cordillera is a series of young fold mountains that run
parallel to each other all along the western coast of North America. From
east to west, the main mountain ranges of the Western Cordillera include the
Eastern Chain, the Central Chain and the Pacific Coast Range.
● The Eastern Chain is the broadest chain of the Cordillera, with high peaks
and glaciers. The Rocky Mountains form the main part of this chain. The
Rockies stretch for over 4800 km, from British Columbia in Canada to the
southwestern tip of the USA. Its highest peak is Mt Elbert (4401 m). Glaciers
and snowfields cover the higher reaches of the mountains. The Rockies form
the Continental Divide separating the rivers that flow into the Pacific Ocean
from those draining into the Atlantic and Arctic Oceans.
● The Central Chain includes the Cascade Range in the north and the Sierra
Nevada in California.
● The Pacific Coast Range runs along the Pacific coast from Alaska to
California. It includes the Alaskan Range, Coast Mountains, California Coast
Ranges, Peninsular Ranges, and the Sierra Madre in Mexico. The Central
Valley of California lies between the California Coast Ranges and the Sierra
Nevada. Denali in the Alaska Range is the highest peak in North America with
a height of 6,190 m.
Q. How did the Canadian Shield transform into a peneplain that is full of
large lakes?
Ans - During the Ice Ages, the region of the Canadian Shield was covered with
thick continental ice sheets. As these ice sheets moved, the land surface got
scraped and worn down leading to the formation of a peneplain or a vast
extent of land that has been eroded till it is almost a plain. In addition to this
levelling action, the moving ice dragged along huge boulders which scooped
out hollows in the ground. When the Ice Ages ended, these hollows filled
with water to form large lakes.