North America is the third largest continent in the world. It is connected to South America through a narrow piece of land called the Isthmus of Panama.
To the north of the continent is the Arctic Ocean. To the east is the Atlantic Ocean and to the south and west is the Pacific Ocean.
There are 23 countries on the continent and more than 550 million people. The main language spoken is English. Spanish and French are also spoken by many people.
Big and small
Canada is the biggest country in North America, it covers over half the continent! The smallest country is an island in the Caribbean called Grenada.
The biggest island in North America is Greenland, it’s also the largest island in the world.
Rivers, mountains and lakes
The Mississippi River is the longest river in North America, it flows through seven different states in the USA.
Mount Denali in Alaska is the continent’s highest mountain.
Lake Superior is the biggest lake, it’s so big that it’s in both Canada and the United States.
North American landscape
North America has one of the biggest varieties of landscapes of all the continents. Its has huge mountain ranges, dry deserts, grassy plains, tropical beaches and frozen ice caps.
It’s the only continent that has every kind of climate: tropical, dry, continental, moderate, and polar. That means it has polar bears on one coast and palm trees on another!
What is North America famous for?
North America is famous for its rivers and lakes, the Grand Canyon, Niagara Falls, Hollywood and the Statue of Liberty.
It’s home to animals such as brown bears, coyotes, racoons and moose, as well as the endangered American bison and cougar (also called puma or mountain lion).
