NORTH AMERICA NOTES:

CHAPTER- 6.
2. Give reasons to explain each of the following:
a. Volcanoes and fold mountains are a common
occurrence along plate boundaries:
Ans: The pressure of plates at the junction of convergent
movement is so massive that the rocks can melt and
erupt through volcanoes. The occurrence of earthquakes
is common too. The fold mountains are formed at this
junction of convergent boundaries.
b. The shape of the continents of South America and
Africa bears evidence to the theory of continental drift:
Ans: The parts of Gondwana land that contain Africa and
South America form an ideal jigsaw fit. This, along with
several other evidences, makes us believe that the
drifting of continents did take place.
c. The region around the Canadian Shield is dotted with
lakes:
Ans: This area was covered by thick ice sheets, which
extended up to the Great Lakes, in the recent geological
past, which is known as the Ice age. The denudation of
the area by ice sheets has resulted in the formation of a
large number of basins. These basins contain lakes at
present.
d. Western Cordilleras have steep slopes and high peaks:
Ans: Western Cordilleras have steep slopes and high
peaks because they are young fold mountains.

3. Explain the differences between the following:

a. Laurasia and Gondwanaland:
Pangea broke up into two large continents-Laurasia and
Gondwanaland. Laurasia forms the major part of North
America, while South America is a part of
Gondwanaland.
b. Convergent and divergent movements:
● Convergent Movement: when two plates move
towards each other and collide, the weaker plate
usually slips below the more stable one. This is
known as subduction.
● Divergent Movement: This occurs when two plates
move away from each other and as a result the
ocean floor begins to spread. Often magma erupts
from the interior and creates new landforms.
c. Western Cordilleras and Eastern Highlands:
Western Cordilleras- The Western Cordilleras are young
fold mountains and are high and rugged as the
Himalayas in our country. These ranges spread across a
distance of about 6500 km from Alaska in the north to
Panama in the south. The Western Cordilleras consist of
several mountain ranges running north to south.
Eastern Highland- The Eastern Highlands include the
Appalachian Range and the Labrador Plateau. The
Appalachian Range consists of the old fold mountains,
which have been denuded over millions of years. The
peaks in this range do not exceed 2100m in altitude.

4. Answer the following questions.

a. Explain the arrangement of oceans and continents
before they started drifting apart.
Ans: It is believed that continents and oceans were
formed millions of years ago. The seven continents as
they appear today were joined together in one huge
continental mass or supercontinent called Pangea. The
Pangea was surrounded by a large mass of water or
universal ocean known as Panthalassa.
b. Enumerate the major seas and oceans surrounding
the continent of North America.
Ans: North America is separated from Asia by the narrow
Bering Strait in the northwest and is linked with South
America by the narrow Isthmus of Panama. The
continent is bounded by the Arctic Ocean in the north,
the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea in the South,
the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans wash its eastern and
western shores respectively.
c. Why have deserts developed in the south-western part
of North America? Name the important deserts of this
region.
Ans: The existence of the Western Cordilleras created
rain-shadow conditions that led to the formation of four
important desert regions. The important deserts are:
1] Great Basin Desert
2] Mojave Desert
3] Sonoran Desert
4] Chihuahuan Desert
d. List any three countries of North America. Also
mention the capitals of each of the three nations.
Ans: The three countries of North America are

Countries Capitals

1] Barbados Bridgetown

2] Canada Ottawa

3] Jamaica King

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