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THE POPULAE EDUCATOR 



LESSONS IN GEOGRAPHY. XXXVI. 



NORTH AMEEICA. 



NORTH and South America form but one vast irregularly-shaped 

 continent, being connected with each other by the Isthmus of 

 Panama or Darien ; it occupies a part of four zones, extending 

 from the north frigid zone, across the north temperate and 

 the torrid zones, and stretching into the south temperate zone. 



Boundaries. North America is bounded on the north by the 

 Arctic Ocean ; on the south by the Gulf of Mexico and the 

 Pacific Ocean ; on the east by the Atlantic Ocean ; and on the 

 west by the Pacific Ocean. The mainland of this continent 

 extends from about the parallel of 72 N. lat. to nearly 7 N. 

 lat., and from about 53 W. long, to 168 W. long. The most 

 northerly point of the mainland of North America is considered 

 to be Murchison Promontory, in Boothia Felix, in 72 N. lat. 

 and about 95 W. long. ; the most southerly is Mariato Point, 

 in the Bay of Panama, in 7 15' N. lat. and about 81 W. long. ; 

 the most easterly point is Cape Charles, Labrador, in 52 18' N. 

 lat. and 55 30' W. long ; and the most westerly point is Cape 

 Prince of Wales, in the part formerly called Russian America, 

 but which now belongs to the United States, and is called 

 Alaska, in lat. 65* 16' N. and long. 168 W. The latter point, 

 situated in Behring Strait, is said to approach the easternmost 

 point of Asia within a distance of 36 miles, a short enough sail 

 for men migrating eastward from Asia, or even Europe, sup- 

 posing them to have traversed Siberia, to accomplish even in an 

 open boat, and, having done so, to people the New World. 



Length, Breadth, Area, etc. The greatest length of North 

 America, in a straight line from north-west to south-east, from 

 Cape Lisburn, in Alaska, to the extremity of the Isthmus of 

 Panama, is about 5,600 miles ; while its greatest breadth, from 

 east to west, from Cape Canso, in Nova Scotia, to the mouth of 

 the Oregon Eiver, is about 3,125 miles. The superficial area 

 of this continent, including that of the West Indies and other 

 islands belonging to it, may be reckoned about 8,350,000 square 

 miles, and the population about 50,000,000 ; thus giving on an 

 average about six inhabitants to every square mile. 



The great inland seas and gulfs of North America are the 

 following : Hudson Bay, which communicates with the Atlantic 

 Ocean by Hudson Strait, and runs far into the British territory, 

 being connected with the Arctic Seas by Fox Channel, Fury 

 and Hecla Straits, Prince Regent Inlet, Barrow Strait, and 

 Wellington Channel ; it is also connected with Baffin Bay by 

 Lancaster Sound ; it terminates in James Bay, to the south. 

 Baffin Bay is connected with the Atlantic Ocean by Davis Strait, 

 and affords immediate access to Lancaster Sound, Smith Sound, 

 and other sounds and inlets on the north. The Gulf of St. 

 ' Lawrence is the broad estuary of the river of the same name, 

 having the large island of Newfoundland, with other smaller 

 ones, at its mouth. The area of Hudson Bay is reckoned at 

 350,000 square miles ; its length from north to south being 

 about 1,000 miles, and its breadth about 500 miles. Baffin Bay 

 is about 1,500 miles long, and about 300 miles broad ; its sur- 

 face, including Davis Strait, is not less than that of Hudson 

 Bay, being at least 400,000 square miles. The Bay of Fundy 

 runs from the Atlantic between Nova Scotia and New Bruns- 

 wick. It is remarkable for its high tides, which have been 

 known to rise 90 feet. The Gulf of Mexico, which is about 

 1,100 miles long, and about 500 miles broad, washes the 

 southern shores of the United States, and the western 

 shores of Mexico ; it is connected with the Caribbean Sea, 

 which washes the shores of the West India Islands, and of 

 the northern part of South America; the last-named sea is 

 about 1,800 miles, and on an average about 1,000 miles broad. 

 The Bay of Campeachy, or Campeche, is the southern part of 

 the Gulf of Mexico. The warm Gulf Stream rushes from the 

 Gulf of Mexico through the Strait of Florida, between Cuba 

 and the peninsula of Florida, and crosses the Atlantic in an 

 easterly direction, preserving its higher temperature in the 

 middle of the ocean, and being sensible in this respect when it 

 reaches the Azores : the stream continues its course to the 

 shores of England and Ireland, and is one of the chief causes of 

 the temperate climate and mild winters of the United Kingdom. 

 In the Caribbean Sea, to the south-east, are the Gulf or Bay 

 of Honduras, the Mosquito Gulf, and the Gulfs of Darien and 

 Maracaibo, of which the last-named enters the north coast 

 of South America. On the western side of North America are 



the Gulfs of Panama, Tehuantepeo, and California, large inlets 

 of the Pacific, and a variety of small bays and sounds stretching 

 to Behring Strait, and even beyond that strait into the Arctic 

 Ocean. The most important straits have been already men- 

 tioned in the preceding remarks. Besides these there are : 

 Frobisher Strait, leading from Davis Strait to Fox Channel ; 

 Sir Thomas Roe's Welcome, between Southampton Island and 

 the mainland ; the Strait of Belle Isle, between Newfoundland 

 and Labrador ; the Gut of Canso, between Cape Breton Island 

 and Nova Scotia ; and others of less importance. 



The peninsulas and capes in North America are the following : 

 Peninsulas Melville Peninsula and Boothia Felix, in the 

 Arctic Regions ; East Main and Labrador, in the British terri- 

 tory ; Nova Scotia, east of New Brunswick ; Florida, in the 

 United States ; Yucatan, forming part of Mexico, in Central 

 America ; Lower California ; and Alaska. Capes : In the 

 northern regions, projecting into the Arctic Ocean, Icy Cape, 

 and Point Barrow, in Alaska; Cape Bathurst, Murchison Promon- 

 tory, Cape Parry, and Cape Felix, in the British territory ; also 

 Cape Rennel, Cape Clarence, Cape Hay, Cape Adair, Cape Roper, 

 Cape Walsingham, and Cape Enderby ; Cape Chudleigh and 

 Cape Charles, in Labrador ; Cape Sable, in Nova Scotia ; Cape 

 Cod, Cape Hatteras, Cape Look-out, etc., all on the east coast 

 of the United States ; Sable Point, in Florida ; Cape Catoche, in 

 Yucatan ; Cape Gracios a Dios, on the Mosquito coast ; Cape 

 Blanco, Central America; Cape Corrientes, Mexico; Cape St. 

 Lucas, Lower California ; Cape Mendocino and Cape Blanco, on 

 the west coast of the United States ; with Capes Romanzoff, 

 Prince of Wales, and Lisburn, in higher latitudes. To these 

 may be added Cape Farewell, in Greenland, and Cape Race, in 

 Newfoundland. 



Isthmuses. The principal isthmus in North America is that 

 called the Mexican Isthmus, which separates the waters of the 

 Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. At three different points do 

 these waters approach each other. The Isthmus of Panama 

 or Darien, already mentioned, is the narrowest portion of this 

 region ; and at the narrowest point of this isthmus the breadth 

 of the land is only about 28 miles across, from ocean to ocean. 

 The next isthmus in point of narrowness is that of Tehuantepec, 

 which is reckoned 125 miles across the land from ocean to 

 ocean ; and the last, which is the broadest, is that of Guatemala, 

 or Chiquimula, which is reckoned about 170 miles across the 

 land between the Gulf of Honduras and the Pacific. The isth- 

 mus which connects California and Lower California is upwards 

 of 100 miles broad. The Isthmus of Florida is about 150 miles 

 broad ; that of Alaska, in the southern part of the territory of 

 Alaska, stretching out to the south-west, towards the Aleutian 

 Islands, may be about 50 miles, and that of Nova Scotia about 

 the same. 



The mountains and plateaux of North America are on a grand 

 scale. The most extensive chain of mountains is that called the 

 Rocky Mountains, next the Pacific, which extend in parallel 

 ranges from north to south, or from the shores of the Arctic 

 Ocean to Lake Nicaragua, in Central America, a distance of 

 nearly 5,000 miles ; and which vary in height from 3,000 feet 

 to nearly 18,000 feet above the level of the sea. The principal 

 plateaus are the great basin of Utah, the highlands of Oregon, and 

 the mountain range of California. The next chain is that of the 

 Appalachian or Alleghany Mountains, on the eastern side of the 

 continent, next the Atlantic, and within the United States ; 

 these mountains extend from about the parallel of 34* N. lat. 

 to the shores of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, a distance of about 

 2,000 miles, their breadth on an average being about 120 miles. 

 Their average altitude is about 2,500 feet; and the highest 

 summits are rather more than 6,400 feet. The Ozark Moun- 

 tains occupy a space about 300 miles long and 100 miles broad, 

 and vary in height from 1,000 to 2,000 feet. The table-land in 

 Labrador has an average height of 2,000 feet; but the Arctic 

 highlands have a considerably less elevation. In the Mexican 

 isthmus, the plateau of Chihuahua varies from 4,000 to 6,000 

 feet in height ; and farther to the south the plateau of Anahuac 

 varies from 6,000 to 9,000 feet in elevation. In this table-land 

 there are several mountains, chiefly volcanic, which rise to an 

 enormous height above the level of the sea, such as Jorullo, 

 Popocatepetl, and Orizaba. The altitude of Popocatepetl ia 

 17,720 feet above the sea-level; it is reckoned the highest peak 

 in North America. The plateau of Central America extends 

 from the Isthmus of Tehuantepec to that of Panama, diminish- 



