Mscs

• The three largest continental nations in North America are: Canada, the United States, and Mexico
• There are four other countries on the North American continent to the south of Mexico, often referred to as Central America:

  • Belize
  • Honduras
  • Guatemala
  • El Salvador
  • Nicaragua
  • Costa Rica
  • Panama
• The Panama Canal was constructed and opened in 1914, allowing ships to pass from the Caribbean Sea on the Atlantic Ocean side of the continent to the Pacific Ocean by crossing the narrow isthmus
• Panama is the end point of North America and the beginning of South America
• Island nations in the Caribbean Sea include:

  • Cuba
  • Haiti
  • Dominican Republic
  • Jamaica
• Smaller island nations in the Caribbean Sea and territories of other countries include:

  • Puerto Rico
  • U.S. Virgin Islands
  • British Virgin Islands
• The northernmost parts of North America include Canada and the US state of Alaska
• Some parts of Canada lie within the Arctic Circle at 66°34' North latitude
• The Arctic Circle is the area where all land remains in polar darkness during the winter months, peaking on the 22nd of December, the winter solstice
• The same areas remain in sunlight during six months, peaking on the 21st of June, the summer solstice, due to the tilt of the earth's axis toward and away from the sun
• To the north of Canada lies the frozen Arctic Ocean and the North Pole at 90° North
• The Canadian Shield is a large sheet of rock formation that stretches from the St. Lawrence River in Eastern Canada to the Great Lakes in Southern Canada and northward to the Arctic regions
• Farming is limited in the Canadian Shield region due to long and cold winters and a thin layer of soil