58 



NORTH AMERICA. 



CHAPTER 11. NORTH AMERICA. 



Completion of JYorth Coast. 



JVorth America. 



1 . Boundaries and Extent. North America is bounded on the N. by the Arctic or Frozen 

 Ocean, on the E. hy the Atlantic, and on the W. by the Pacific. Behring's Strait on the 

 Northwest separates it from Asia. The isthmus of Panama connects it with South America 

 on the south. It has an area of about 8,000,000 square miles, with a population of about 

 26,000,000. 



2. JWountains. A great mountainous system covers the western part of the continent with 

 .ts numerous chains, running parallel with the coast, and extending with slight interruptions from 

 the northwestern coast to the isthmus of Panama, where it joins the Andes. It is known in 

 diflerent parts of its course, under the various names of the Cordillera of Guatemala, the 

 Cordillera of Mexico and the Rocky Mountains ; its principal peaks are Mount Fairweather 

 (14,000 feet), and Mount St. Elias (17,000), in Russian America ; Spanish Peak (11,500), 

 James's Peak (12,000), and Long's Peak (14,000,) in the United States ; PopocatapetJ 

 (17,884), Orizava (17,375) Iztaccihuatl (15,700), and the Nevado of Toluca (15,500), in 

 the Mexican States ; and the volcanoes of Agua, and Fuego in Central America. The 

 Alleghany or Appalachian system, which runs nearly parallel with the eastern coast, is the only 

 other considerable series of mountainous chains 



/ 



