ArcticThe polar zone that crowns the Northern Hemisphere. Alaska, northern Canada and Greenland all reach into it.
CanadaThe country whose capital is Ottawa. It is made up of ten provinces and three territories and touches three oceans: the Atlantic, the Pacific and the Arctic.
CaribbeanA tropical sea and the many islands scattered across it. The region counts more than seven thousand islands, reefs and cays.
Central AmericaA strip of seven small countries, Belize to Panama. They are Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama.
continentA landmass as vast as Africa or Asia; there are seven. North America is the third largest, after Asia and Africa.
Great LakesFive freshwater bodies, the largest such group on Earth. Together they hold more than a fifth of the world's fresh surface water.
Great PlainsThe prairie belt across the middle of North America. They lie in both the United States and Canada, and deep, rich soil makes them a major grain region.
GreenlandThe world's largest island, far in the northeast. It governs itself as part of the Kingdom of Denmark, and its capital is Nuuk.
gulfA wide inlet where the sea reaches far into the land. The world's largest gulf lies between the United States, Mexico and Cuba.
MexicoThe country just north of Guatemala and Belize. Its capital, Mexico City, is also its largest city.
Rocky MountainsHigh ranges running from British Columbia to New Mexico. No mountain system in North America is larger. It belongs to a longer line of ranges called the Cordilleras.
United StatesA federal republic that reaches to Alaska and Hawaii. Forty-eight of its fifty states lie between Canada and Mexico, and its capital is Washington, D.C.
Show all 36 terms (24 more)
Mountains, plateaus, deserts 12
Alaska RangeAn arc of mountains with the continent's highest peak. It curves for about 600 miles across the south of Alaska.
Appalachian MountainsAn older range that rises near the east coast. They run from Alabama in the United States to Newfoundland in Canada.
Baja CaliforniaThe long, narrow peninsula of northwestern Mexico. The Gulf of California lies on its east side and the Pacific Ocean on its west.
Canadian ShieldA rocky plateau of very old rock around Hudson Bay. Ice sheets left it with thin soil and a great number of lakes.
Death ValleyA hot desert floor that dips below sea level. Badwater Basin, on its floor, lies 282 feet below sea level, lower than any other place in North America.
Grand CanyonA steep gorge in Arizona, more than a mile deep. The Colorado River carved it, and it is 277 miles long.
Great BasinA dry region whose streams never reach the sea. It covers nearly all of Nevada and much of Utah.
Isthmus of PanamaThe slim land bridge at the continent's southern tip. It joins North America to South America, with the Caribbean Sea on one side and the Pacific Ocean on the other.
Mexican PlateauHigh, dry tableland between the two Sierra Madres. It reaches from the United States border south to a belt of volcanoes in central Mexico.
Sierra MadreA system of great ranges running through Mexico. Its western range is the Sierra Madre Occidental and its eastern range the Sierra Madre Oriental.
tundraA far-northern plain too cold for trees to grow. In North America it lies along the northern edges of Alaska and Canada.
Yucatán PeninsulaThe flat limestone arm of southeastern Mexico. It reaches into Belize and Guatemala as well, and it has the Caribbean Sea on its east side.
Rivers, lakes and seas 12
Bering StraitThe gap of water that parts Asia from North America. It joins the Pacific Ocean to the Arctic Ocean.
Colorado RiverIt runs from the Rockies toward the Gulf of California. The name is Spanish for colored reddish, after the silt the river carries.
Hudson BayA huge inland sea in northeastern Canada. Its southern arm is called James Bay.
Lake SuperiorIt tops the world's list of freshwater bodies by area. Of the five Great Lakes it lies farthest north and farthest west, and its surface is the highest.
Mackenzie RiverIt flows north across Canada to the Arctic Ocean. It starts at Great Slave Lake, and with its headwater rivers it is the longest river system in Canada.
Mississippi RiverIt flows south down the middle of the United States. It is about 2,300 miles long, and ten states lie along its banks.
Missouri RiverThe longest U.S. waterway, rising in Montana. It flows east and south and joins the Mississippi just north of St. Louis.
Niagara FallsThree waterfalls on the border of Ontario and New York. The Niagara River, which carries water from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario, forms them.
Panama CanalA ship route dug across an isthmus to link two oceans. It is about 50 miles long, and it saves ships the trip around South America.
Rio GrandeThe river boundary between Texas and four Mexican states. It begins in Colorado, and in Mexico it is called the Río Bravo.
St. Lawrence RiverIt drains Lake Ontario northeast to the open sea. Part of it marks the border between Canada and the United States, and its mouth is the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
Yukon RiverIt crosses Alaska westward and ends in the Bering Sea. It was a main route to the Klondike during the gold rush of 1896 to 1903.
How this list was compiled: Term list chosen for this site on 2026-10-12. Each meaning is written in our own words and was checked that day against the English Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/), whose text is under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike license, in the articles North America, Continent, Canada, United States, Mexico, Central America, Caribbean, Greenland, Rocky Mountains, Great Plains, Great Lakes, Bay, Arctic, Appalachian Mountains, Canadian Shield, Sierra Madre Occidental, Sierra Madre Oriental, Mexican Plateau, Great Basin, Alaska Range, Death Valley, Grand Canyon, Yucatán Peninsula, Baja California peninsula, Isthmus of Panama, Tundra, Mississippi River, Missouri River, St. Lawrence River, Rio Grande, Colorado River, Mackenzie River, Yukon River, Hudson Bay, Lake Superior, Niagara Falls, Bering Strait and Panama Canal, and against the entries of Wiktionary, the free dictionary (https://en.wiktionary.org/), under the same license, for continent, gulf and tundra. The second source is the education library of the National Geographic Society (https://education.nationalgeographic.org/), in its entries North America: Physical Geography, North America: Human Geography, Gulf and Isthmus; it bears the continent's rank by size, the Rocky Mountains and the Cordilleras, the Great Plains, the Canadian Shield, the tundra, the Sierra Madre, the Appalachians, the islands of the Caribbean, the world's largest gulf, the Isthmus of Panama and the Panama Canal. The heights and lengths were also read on pages of the National Park Service (https://www.nps.gov/dena/learn/nature/denali.htm, https://www.nps.gov/deva/learn/nature/index.htm, https://www.nps.gov/grca/learn/nature/grca-geology.htm, https://www.nps.gov/miss/riverfacts.htm) and in the table Highest and Lowest Elevations of the U.S. Geological Survey (https://www.usgs.gov/educational-resources/highest-and-lowest-elevations). Where the sources give different figures (the height of the continent's highest peak, the lengths of the Mississippi River and the Panama Canal) the sheet prints a round figure that all of them bear, and where they use different names for a place the sheet names it by a description. The other rows, and the fact after each meaning, rest on the Wikipedia articles. Licence: own work
How it works
This North America vocabulary worksheet has students match continent, Canada, Mexico, Central America, Greenland, Rocky Mountains, Great Plains, Great Lakes, gulf and three more terms to their meanings. A key prints after the sheet.
Read the full guide
Mountains, plateaus and deserts
In Set, the second sheet has Appalachian Mountains, Canadian Shield, Sierra Madre, Mexican Plateau, Great Basin, Alaska Range, Death Valley, Grand Canyon, Yucatán Peninsula, Baja California, Isthmus of Panama and tundra.
Rivers, lakes and seas
The third has Mississippi River, Missouri River, St. Lawrence River, Rio Grande, Colorado River, Mackenzie River, Yukon River, Hudson Bay, Lake Superior, Niagara Falls, Bering Strait and Panama Canal. Under the tool each term has a fact, checked against Wikipedia and, for many, the National Geographic Society, the National Park Service or the U.S. Geological Survey.
Where maps differ on a place's name, as for the continent's highest peak, the sheets describe the place instead.
Questions and answers
How many countries are in North America?
Twenty-three independent countries, by the usual count: Canada, the United States, Mexico, the seven of Central America and the island nations of the Caribbean. Greenland and a number of islands are territories of other countries.
Is Central America part of North America?
Yes. Central America is a subregion of North America, the land between Mexico and Colombia. The islands of the Caribbean are counted with the continent as well.
What is the highest mountain in North America?
A peak in the Alaska Range, 20,310 feet above sea level by the National Park Service's figure. Its Koyukon name is Denali and the United States government calls it Mount McKinley, so a map may show either name.
What are the five Great Lakes?
Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie and Ontario. The lakes are joined to one another, and their water reaches the Atlantic Ocean through the St. Lawrence River.