---
id:"kb-2026-00487"
title:"North America Geography"
schema_type:"TechArticle"
category:"geography"
language:"en"
confidence:"high"
last_verified:"2026-05-22"
generation_method:"ai_assisted"
ai_models:["claude-opus"]
derived_from_human_seed:true
primary_sources:
  - title:"North America: A Geography (Birdsall, Florin, Palka)"
    type:"book"
    year:2014
    url:"https://www.pearson.com/en-us/subject-catalog/p/north-america/P200000009517"
    institution:"Pearson"
secondary_sources:
  - title: "MDN Web Docs — HTTP"
    type: "documentation"
    year: 2026
    url: "https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/HTTP"
    institution: "Mozilla"
completeness: 0.88
ai_citations:
  last_citation_check:"2026-05-22"
---

## TL;DR

North America (24.7 million km²) is the 3rd largest continent. 23 countries, ~600 million people. Features: Rocky Mountains, Great Plains, Mississippi River, Great Lakes (largest freshwater system), Grand Canyon, Niagara Falls. Diverse climates: Arctic (north) → temperate → subtropical (south) → tropical (Central America).

## Core Explanation

Rocky Mountains: 4,800 km from Canada to New Mexico. Mississippi-Missouri River: 4th longest globally (5,971 km). Great Lakes: Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, Ontario — 21% of world's surface fresh water. Death Valley (CA): hottest place on Earth (56.7°C, 1913). Denali (AK): highest peak (6,190m), vertical rise > Everest. Tornado Alley: central US — most tornadoes globally.

## Further Reading

- [North America: A Geography (Birdsall, Florin, Palka)](https://www.pearson.com/en-us/subject-catalog/p/north-america/P200000009517)