Page 6 - Wildlife of the World

22 | NORTH AMERICA

AVERAGE TEMPERATURE Labrador Sea r a d o r Mountains

Tundra Ice °C °F 30 86 20 68 10 50 0 32 -10 14 -20 -4 -30 -22 -40 -40 n l a n d t r a i t Hudson Strait L a b

KEY DATA ECOSYSTEMS Tropical broadleaf forest Tropical dry broadleaf forest Tropical coniferous forest Temperate broadleaf forest Temperate coniferous forest Mediterranean woodland, scrub Tropical, subtropical grassland Temperate grassland Wetland Desert, scrub Boreal forest/taiga AVERAGE RAINFALL MM IN 10,000 394 7,500 295 5,000 197 2,500 98 0 0 G r e e Baffin Bay D a v i s S B af f i n I sl an d Péninsule d’Ungava Hudson Bay

animals, from the largest mammals—American bison
forest, prairie, desert, and extensive wetlands. These
of the Western Cordillera have a profound influence
infamous San Andreas fault. The mountain ranges
much of the interior of North America is low-lying.
types, from Arctic cold to tropical heat. Dominant
mountains’ eastern flanks. Smaller, more ancient
ecosystems include tundra, boreal and temperate
which abuts the North American plate along the
California lying on the neighboring Pacific plate,
mountain ranges follow the eastern coast, while
on the climate of the west side of the continent.
diverse habitats support an impressive range of
Ellesmere Island
The vast north-south extent of the continent
and bears—to alligators living in the swamps
means it encompasses a wide range of climate
Pa r r y I s l a n d s Victoria Island Reindeer Lake
For example, rainshadow deserts form on the
a single plate, with small parts of Mexico and
PEAKS AND PRAIRIES
Queen Elizabeth
Islands
and wetlands of the southeast. ARCTIC OCEAN Banks Island Great Bear Lake Great Slave Lake Lake Athabasca
Beaufort
Sea
Mackenzie
Mackenzie Mountains

e k y
g R o c
B r o o k s R a n

Yukon Mount McKinley (Denali) 6,194m Gulf of Alaska Queen Charlotte Islands
Bering Strait
North America The world’s third largest continent is bordered by the Pacific, Arctic, and Atlantic oceans, and the Caribbean Sea. Geographically, Greenland and the islands of the Caribbean are considered part of North America. Most of the continent occupies CANADIAN SHIELD Extending north from the Great Lakes to the Arctic Ocean is one of the world’s largest geologic continental shields (exposed Precambrian crystalline rocks). The rocks of the Canadian Shield have remained above sea level for almost 4 billion years. Soi