North America

Great lakes, canyons and giant trees

North America is home to Canada, the USA and Mexico. It has the huge Grand Canyon, the tallest trees in the world — redwoods — and Niagara Falls. Polar bears live in the north, and grizzly bears and moose roam the forests.

North America is the third-largest continent, stretching from the Arctic to the tropics. In the west rise the young Cordillera (Rocky Mountains); in the east, the ancient Appalachians. The Great Lakes form the largest freshwater system on Earth. The Mississippi flows through the continent's heart. Yellowstone is the world's first national park (1872) and a giant supervolcano. Mexico and Central America belong to this continent too; the Maya and Aztec civilisations flourished here.

Fun facts

• Redwood trees grow up to 115 metres — as tall as a 30-storey building!
• The Great Lakes hold 21% of the world's fresh water.
• The Grand Canyon is 446 km long and 1.8 km deep — carved by the Colorado River over millions of years.
• Canada has more lakes than any other country — over 2 million!