On which continent is America? What are the continents?

What mainland is America on? This question is quite interesting. In order to fully understand it, you must have certain knowledge.

First of all, you need to understand what a continent is. This is an array of the earth's crust, which rises above the ocean level. Its dimensions are quite large. There are two official names:

1. mainland;
2. continent.

Looking at a geographical map, you can clearly see the six geological zones. The largest Eurasia - it takes more than 50 million km². The second position in the list goes to Africa, its size is 30 million km². Third and fourth places, respectively, are shared by the North (25 million km²) and South (18 million km²) America. Antarctica follows with an area of ​​almost 15 million km.². And completes this list Australia - its size is slightly less than 8 million km².

A bit of history

In order to understand which mainlandis America, look at the history of geological development. 200 years ago there were 2 continents on the planet - Laurasia and Gondwana, which divided the world ocean with the name Tetris. In the modern world, these are the waters of the Persian Gulf, Caspian, Black, and Mediterranean seas.

When Gondwana split, South America was formed,Australia, Africa and Antarctica. An interesting fact: the movement of the crust occurs to this day, as evidenced by the increase in distance between the continents.

Laurasia split into two large continents:North America and Eurasia. The last continent is special. Scientists observe three lithospheric plates at the heart of Eurasia. For comparison: other continents have only one fragment.

North America: description of the mainland

North America is the third largest. It is 24.2 million km². The continent is rich in deposits of oil, coal and gas.Due to its location, almost all climatic zones are observed here, except for the equatorial belt. The uniqueness of the mainland lies in the presence of the longest coastline. Its length is 76 thousand km. Depending on which continent America is on, or rather its northern part, certain temperature fluctuations can be observed. The south of the mainland has a very hot summer with little rainfall. But in the north they often observe polar nights and winters that are too cold. Depending on the climate and topography, all countries of the mainland develop a particular industry and various industries.

South America

Geographical position and its featuresa given continent are determined, first of all, by its position. It almost entirely falls under the influence of equatorial latitudes, which significantly affects its climate. Here there is the most precipitation. The total area of ​​the mainland is 17.8 million km². It housed 12 countries. The biggest is Brazil. On the continent, mining of non-ferrous and precious metals is well developed.

United States: description

The United States of America is located inNorth America. On its territory one can observe a different relief: plains, lowlands and mountain systems. As a rule, such parameters depend on where the state is located, and more precisely, on which continent it is located. America is subdivided into the northern and southern continents, having their own geographical features. This is what affects the further development of the country.

Due to the large area (almost 10 million square meters.km) US climatic zones range from tropical to arctic climates. The state does not lack fresh water. The most important source is the Great Lakes, located on the border with Canada.

Administratively, the country is divided into 50 states and 1 independent federal territory, on which the capital of America is located, better known as Washington.

It is washed by the Atlantic (in the east), Pacific (in the west) and Arctic Ocean (in the north of Alaska) oceans.

The United States is centrally located.continent. Their territory also includes such territories as Puerto Rico, Guam, etc. It is also worth noting that one of the most important sights of the United States is the lake system called Great. It consists of 5 freshwater bodies. Although the US rivers occupy almost the entire territory of the state,the lakes do not go unnoticed. It is here (and in Canada) is the greatest amount of fresh water. Great American lakes combine the five largest reservoirs. Their area is 246 thousand square meters. km The volume of water - 24 thousand cubic meters. km This system of lakes is the most famous, their total depth exceeds the parameters of the North Sea, as well as the Baltic.

Brazil

Studying South America, it is impossible not to mention the verybig state. This is Brazil. It is one of the five largest countries in the world. The only place on the mainland where they mostly speak Portuguese. This state is characterized by heat, frosts are observed only in high-mountainous massifs. However, the only problem can be a large amount of precipitation: the annual rate exceeds 3000 mm. Here you can see 77 species of primates and more than 3 thousand freshwater fish. It is worth noting that Brazil has a very rich fauna.

Lakes of america

Continents and continents cannot exist without water. America has many ponds and rivers. Lakes play a large role in water supply of all countries located on this continent.

The Great Salt Lake, located in Utah,is the largest in the west. Since it has no runoff, the water here is with more salt than sea water. The size of the reservoir is constantly changing under the action of heavy rainfall and their absence.

America - the mainland is quite diverse.For example, Alaska is the “owner” of four large lakes. Lake Bocharova was discovered in 1791 by Russian scientist Dmitry Bocharov, after whom it was named. Iliamna, due to its glacial-tectonic origin, often feeds only on snowy waters. Kenai Lake is suitable for fishing purposes. It is located in the mountains. It is the source of the river of the same name. Bear Lake is located in the south of Alaska.

California is rich in ponds.In the northern part of the state is Castle. It feeds on glacial waters. Because of the dam on one of the rivers of America, Lake Mendocino formed. Mono is a salt water body in which fish do not live, but on the other hand there are many crayfish.

Crater is located in Oregon.It is unique in its structure, as it has a crater origin. The color of his water is blue. In addition, it is quite popular because of the log floating in the waters of the lake which year.

Where is America located? We tried to answer this question in this article by providing extensive information.