North America, the third-largest continent, extends from the tiny Aleutian Islands in the northwest to the Isthmus of Panama in the south. The continent includes the enormous island of Greenland in the northeast and the small island countries and territories that dot the Caribbean Sea and western North Atlantic Ocean. In the far north, the continent stretches halfway around the world, from Greenland to the Aleutians. But at Panama’s narrowest part, the continent is just 50 kilometres (31 miles) wide.




North America has five physical regions: the mountainous west, the Great Plains, the Canadian Shield, the varied eastern region, and the Caribbean.

Mexico and Central America’s western coast spans the western mountainous, and the lowlands and coastal plains extend into the eastern region.

 Within these regions are all the major types of biomes in the world. Some diverse biomes in North America include deserts, grassland, tundra, and coral reefs.


Highest Elevation: 
Denali, Alaska, United States (6,190 meters/20,310 feet)
Largest Urban Area: 
New York City, United States (23.7 million people)
Largest Watershed
: Mississippi River (3 million square kilometers/1.15 million square miles)