North America, whose geography was mastered only in the 17th century, and even then not completely, is a huge mainland. It was discovered by Europeans in the 10th century. The length of North America is so large that the nature here is different not only in the south and north, but also in the western and eastern parts of the mainland.
Overview
Map of North America (physical) shows that in the far north here, as well as on the Eurasian continent, arctic deserts are located - the realm of ice and snow. Nothing grows on this land except for mosses and lichens. From Alaska, the north of Labrador and the Hudson Bay begins the tundra zone. Here you can already find dwarf trees, shrubs and low grasses. The forest tundra flows into the coniferous forest. In general, the forests of North America occupy a third of the mainland. Taiga with white and black spruces, pines, balsam firs is replaced by mixed and broad-leaved forests, in which lindens, maples, oaks, and chestnuts are found. Then the forest thins out and to the south passes into the forest-steppe, and then into the steppe. These areas of the NorthAmerica is called the prairie. There are real deserts on the mainland, but they are disturbed by the mountains cutting through them.
Climatic features
The nature of North America is so diverse, because the mainland is located in all climatic zones, except for the equatorial one. In winter, the weather is significantly dependent on solar radiation, and in summer - on the influence of the oceans. In the north of the mainland in January, frosts reach -20 … -25 degrees, and in the central part of Greenland they can reach -55 degrees. In Alaska and most of the Hudson Bay in winter it gets cold to -15 … -20, and in summer the air warms up to +5 … +10. In areas with a temperate climate (north of the mouth of Columbia), the temperature in winter is -5 … -10 degrees, and in summer it does not exceed +20. The territory from Florida to California belongs to the subtropical zone. On the Mississippi lowland, the average temperature in summer is +25…+30, and in winter frosts can reach -15 degrees.
Arctic
As the map of North America (physical) shows, the northernmost part of the mainland is not at all monotonous. Depending on the relief, nature also changes. Everything that is not covered with ice is saturated with water. In terms of color, the tundra is sometimes even brighter than the Russian autumn forest. Ocean ice gives an amazing range of colors with a smooth transition from white to black. The ice is often colored with greenish and blue hues. Polar bears and walruses live here, and there are not so many birds, although the abundance of insects serves as a rich food for them.
MoreHalf of the landmass of the American Arctic is Greenland, which is 85% covered by an ice sheet. However, its coastline is not as cold as it seems to many. In the summer, people here even swim in the lakes. The flora of Greenland is very diverse and has several hundred different plant species, including even birches. But, of course, mostly the land is covered with vegetation characteristic of the tundra. Here you can find the smallest tree on the planet - a dwarf willow, reaching a height of no more than 5 centimeters. The western coast of Greenland is characterized by more severe nature. Ice lies here, and the rocky shores are cut by fjords and bays.
Boreal forests
The nature of North America is rich in forests. Aspen-shaped poplars and spruces grow to the south of the tundra, to the south-west - spruce and pine forests, which in the south are replaced by a transitional zone with coniferous and deciduous vegetation. The Canadian North Rim strikes with silent beauty at any time of the year, but in summer, when the spruce forest sparkles with bright colors, it is especially beautiful here. The Yukon and British Columbia are covered in an ocean of trees. Plants and animals of North America in this zone are represented by many species. Among the representatives of the fauna there are white-tailed deer, wood bison, coyotes, beavers, moose, gray and red lynxes, forest caribou, rabbits and hares, wolverines.
In the transition zone, coniferous trees begin to alternate with deciduous trees: oak, elderberry, alder, maple. Mixed forest stretches from British Columbia to the Great Lakes and beyond- to New England. The mountains of Southern California are surrounded by meadows and covered with green forests. There are many exotic plants in the coastal zone - these are both palm trees and eucalyptus trees imported from Australia. In Kentucky, Alabama and Tennessee, real broadleaf forest grows. Through these states and Georgia it goes east to the south of Virginia. There are oaks, hazels, elms, birches, hornbeams, magnolias, alders, willows, maples, poplars, chestnuts, ash trees, acacias.
The temperate forests are separated from the prairies by a strip of parkland. They run through East Texas, go around the Great Plains and cover the plains of Illinois, and then bypass the Rocky Mountains and reappear in southern British Columbia. This type of landscape is characterized by grasses and single trees appearing among them: juniper, pine, oak, maple, spruce.
Prairie
This is the name given to the boundless spaces that occupy the entire central part of the mainland. The nature of North America has changed greatly due to human influence, and the prairies in their original form are now found only in small areas. The rest of the land is plowed up, artificially irrigated, crossed by power lines and a network of roads. Farms sprawled along the rivers in water meadows. Many of the plants and animals of North America that were previously found here are now gone or drastically reduced.
In the prairies in winter it gets quite cold: snow falls, winds rage. With the advent of spring, severe floods are possible. The best time here is the first month of summer, when everything is fragrant and blooming. In August comesdrought, often there are fires. And yet, the corners of the prairies, preserved untouched, are considered by Americans to be the edge of unsurpassed beauty. Tourists love these places no less than the sea coasts and forest parks.
Mountains
From Alaska to Mexico stretches the Cordillera chain, and between their ranges lie plateaus and plateaus. The rocky mountains are covered with wonderful vegetation and there are many blue marvelous lakes. Snow on the northern slopes and in the bowl-shaped valleys may not melt all summer. The mountains of Arizona, Utah and Colorado are surrounded by high plateaus. This whole area has its own climate, its own nature and geological structure, amazing fauna and flora. Many geological layers cut through one of the wonders of North America - the Grand Canyon, the depth of which reaches 1800 meters, and the length is 340 kilometers. People from all over the world come here to see with their own eyes the spectacle of eternity and the greatness of nature.
Sand coasts
In the northeast of the mainland, from Nantucket Island to Florida and around the Gulf of Mexico, there is a coastal strip with many sand dunes. In some places, pines, ragwort, wild roses grow on the dunes. Many birds are found here: mockingbirds, blackbirds, blue herons, woodpeckers, red-winged marsh troupials, buntings, cormorants, gulls, ducks. Birds feed on marine life: fish, crabs, horseshoe crab, etc.
In closing
The nature of North America is no longer the same as it used to be. Having plowed up the prairies, cut down forests, built cities, people violated the natural balance. Man destroyed the passenger pigeon, exterminated the herds of bison, and those animals that remained have to adapt to new conditions. On city streets, you can see possums overturning garbage cans in search of food, raccoons near restaurants begging for leftovers, and wild deer grazing along highways, completely oblivious to speeding cars. In New York, owls and peregrine falcons nest on skyscrapers, and a variety of birds have taken root in parks and gardens. Here it is, the fauna of the anthropogenic landscape!
