North and South America

 On completion of this lesson, learners should

be able to:

I. Say something about each of the countries

in North America and Greenland.

I. Say something about each of the countries

of Central America and the Caribbean.
 The third-largest continent

 Extends from the tiny Aleutian Islands

in the northwest to the Isthmus of
Panama in the south.
 North America and South America are
named after Italian navigator Amerigo
Vespucci. Vespucci was the first European
to suggest that the Americas were not part of
the East Indies, but an entirely separate
landmass. The portions of the landmass that
widened out north of the Isthmus of Panama
became known as North America.
 Canada  Guatemala
 the United States  Honduras
 Greenland  Nicaragua
 Mexico  Panama
 Belize  the island countries
 Costa Rica and territories of
the Caribbean Sea
 El Salvador,
and western North
Atlantic Ocean.
 Indigenous cultures shaped, and were shaped
by, the geography of North America. The first
North Americans are believed to have
migrated from Siberia, in northeast Asia, by
crossing a land bridge over the Bering Strait.
These populations fanned out southward, to
present-day Florida, California, Mexico, and
Central America.
 The Olmec and the Maya, indigenous to
Central America, built the first cities on the
continent, eventually leading to the great
urban areas of Tenochtitlan, Texcoco, and
Tlacopan.

These cities, in what is now central Mexico,

with boasted sophisticated engineering
structures, such as canals, apartment
buildings, and irrigation systems.
 The Mayans were also mathematically
advanced. Their counting system was able to
represent very large numbers using only three
symbols: dots, lines, and a football-shaped
symbol that indicated a zero. The Mayans
were, in fact, the first culture to have a written
symbol for zero.
 Cultures throughout southern North
America harvested corn, squash, and beans
in regular cycles.
 This sort of agriculture allowed major
civilizations to develop.
 People were no longer bound to produce
food and shelter for their families—some
people could work in the food and
construction industries while others
became engineers, artists, and political
leaders.
 The economy of North America
comprises more than 565 million
people (8% of the world population) in
its 23 sovereign states and 15
dependent territories.
 Mexico has one of the world's largest
economies.

 It is the tenth largest oil producer in the

world.

 The largest silver producer in the world.

 and is considered both a regional power

and middle power
 Ranks second only to Brazil in Latin America
for population.

 Spanish is the official language.

 Mexicans Consider themselves as Americans.

 Capital is Mexico City.

 Population is 122.3 million (2013)

 Situated in northern
North America
(constituting 41% of
the continent's
area),

 The population of
Canada, is 34.98
million as of
November 2012.

 Capital- Ottawa
 Highest point-Mount
Logan, 5,959 m (19,551 ft)
 Lowest point-Atlantic
Ocean ( 0 m)
 Longest river-Mackenzie
River, 4,241 km (2,635 mi)
 Largest lake-Great Bear
Lake 31,153 km2 (12,028
sq mi)
 Climate- temperate in
south to subarctic or arctic
in north
 Terrain- mostly plains with
mountains in west and
lowlands in southeast
 Natural Resources- iron
ore, nickel, zinc, copper,
gold, lead, molybdenum,
potash, diamonds, silver,
fish, timber, wildlife, coal,
petroleum, natural gas,
hydropower.
 Natural Hazards-
permafrost, cyclonic
storms, tornadoes, forest
fires
 Environmental Issues -
air and water pollution, acid
rains
 Greenland, the largest island in the world

 It is located between the Arctic Ocean and the

North Atlantic Ocean, northeast of Canada
and northwest of Iceland.

 Greenland has no land boundaries and

44,087 km of coastline.

 The country comprises of more than a

hundred other smaller islands
 Greenland possesses the world's second
largest ice sheet.

 Greenland sits atop the Greenland plate, a

sub-plate of the North American plate.

 The climate is arctic to subarctic, with cool

summers and cold winters.

 The terrain is mostly a flat but gradually

sloping icecap that covers all land except for a
narrow, mountainous, barren, rocky coast.
 Natural resources
include:
 molybdenum
 Zinc  gold
 Lead  platinum
 iron ore  uranium
 Coal  and fish.
 Central America is the central
geographic region of the Americas.

 It is the southernmost, isthmian

portion of the North American
continent, which connects with South
America on the southeast.
 Spanish
 English
 Mayan languages
 Garifuna, Kriol
 European languages
 and many others
10 largest cities in Central America are:
 Guatemala City
 Managua
 Tegucigalpa
 Panama City
 San Salvador City
 San Pedro Sula
 San José
 San Miguelito
 Santa Ana
 Quetzaltenango
 Guatemala, officially the Republic of
Guatemala, is a country in Central
America bordered by Mexico to the
north and west, the Pacific Ocean to
the southwest, Belize to the northeast.
 Has an estimated population of 15,806,675,
making it the most populous state in Central
America.

 A representative democracy.

 Its capital is Nueva Guatemala de la Asunción,

also known as Guatemala City.
 Panama, officially the Republic of
Panama, is the southernmost country
of Central America and the whole of
North America.
 Situated on the isthmus connecting North
and South America.

 It is bordered by Costa Rica to the west,

Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean to
the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south.

 The capital is Panama City.

 Population- July 2014 -3,608,431 [1

 The Caribbean is a region that consists of
the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some
surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some
bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the
North Atlantic Ocean), and the surrounding
coasts.

 Situated largely on the Caribbean Plate, the

region comprises more than 700 islands,
islets, reefs, and cays.
 The Caribbean islands, consisting of the
Greater Antilles on the north and the Lesser
Antilles on the south and east (including the
Leeward Antilles), are part of the somewhat
larger West Indies grouping, which also
includes the Lucayan Archipelago (comprising
the Bahamas and Turks and Caicos Islands)
north of the Greater Antilles and Caribbean
Sea.

 In a wider sense, the mainland countries of

Belize, Guyana, and Suriname may be
included.
 The geography and climate in the Caribbean
region varies:
 Some islands in the region have relatively flat
terrain of non-volcanic origin.
 These islands include Aruba (possessing only
minor volcanic features), Barbados, Bonaire,
the Cayman Islands, Saint Croix, the
Bahamas, and Antigua.
 Cuba  Saint Thomas
 Hispaniola  Saint John
 Puerto Rico  Tortola
 Jamaica  Grenada
 Dominica  Saint Vincent
 Montserrat  Guadeloupe
 Saba  Martinique, and
 Saint Kitts  Trinidad & Tobago
 Saint Lucia
 The climate of the area is tropical but rainfall
varies with elevation, size, and water currents.
Warm, moist trade winds blow consistently
from the east creating rainforest divisions on
mountainous islands.

Occasional north westerlies affect the northern

islands in the winter. The region enjoys year-
round sunshine, divided into 'dry' and 'wet'
seasons, with the last six months of the year
being wetter than the first half.
 Lucayan  Greater Antilles:
archipelago:
 Cuba
 Bahamas  Hispaniola
 Turks and Caicos  Haiti
Islands  Dominican
Republic
 Jamaica
 Cayman islands
 Puerto Rico
 US Virgin Islands
 British Virgin Islands
 Anguilla
 Antigua and Barbuda
 Saint Martin
 Saba
 Saint Kitts and Nevis
 Montserrat
 Guadeloupe
 Dominica  Grenada
 Martinique (French  Grenada
Antilles, France)  Carriacou and Petite
 Saint Lucia Martinique
 Saint Vincent and  Barbados
the Grenadines  Trinidad and
 Saint Vincent Tobago
 The Grenadines  Tobago
 Trinidad
 Aruba (Kingdom of the Netherlands)

 Curaçao (Kingdom of the

Netherlands)

 Bonaire (BES islands, Netherlands)

 The Caribbean islands are remarkable
for the diversity of their animals, fungi
and plants.
 The region also contains about 8% (by
surface area) of the world's coral
reefs.
 11250 species of fungi recorded from
the region
 Spanish
 English
 French
 Dutch
 Haitian Creole
 Papiamento
 are the predominant official languages of
various countries in the region, though a
handful of unique Creole languages or
dialects can also be found from one country
to another.
 Christianity is the predominant religion
in the Caribbean. Other religious groups
in the region are Hinduism, Islam,
Rastafari, Santería, Voodoo and others.
 Anguilla – Rice and Peas and Fish
 Antigua and Barbuda – Fungee &
Pepperpot
 Bahamas – Crack Conch with Peas and
Rice[61]
 Barbados – Cou-Cou and Flying fish
 Cayman Islands – Turtle Stew, Turtle
Steak, Grouper
 Jamaica – ackee and salt fish, callaloo, jerk
chicken, curry chicken
 Montserrat – Goat Water
 Grenada – Oil-Down
 Guyana – pepperpot, cookup rice, Roti and
curry, methem
 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines – Roasted
Breadfruit & Fried Jackfish
 Trinidad and Tobago – Callaloo, Doubles, Roti,
Crab and dumpling, pelau (pilaf)
 United States Virgin Islands – Stewed goat,
oxtail or beef, seafood, callaloo, fungee.