NORTH AND CENTRAL AMERICA

What is the center of North America?

The geographic center of North America (including Canada, the United States, and Mexico) is located six miles (10 kilometers) west of Balta, North Dakota, at 48°10' North, 100°10' West.

What's NAFTA?

In 1994, Canada, the United States, and Mexico entered into the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which reduces tariffs and economic controls between the three countries.

Has NAFTA helped trade between Canada, Mexico, and the United States?

Yes, from 1993 to 2007 trade between the NAFTA countries more than tripled, rising from $290 billion to $930 billion.

What is the continental divide?

The continental divide is simply the line that divides the flow of water in North America. Precipitation east of the divide flows towards the Atlantic Ocean while precipitation west of the divide flows towards the Pacific Ocean. The divide follows the line of the highest ranges of the Rocky Mountains and is not a distinct mountain range.

GREENLAND AND THE NORTH POLE REGION

Is Greenland really green?

In 982 C.E., Greenland was named by its first colonizer, Eric the Red. Having been banished from Iceland, Eric the Red established a colony on Greenland and gave it a pleasant-sounding name, in order to attract other colonists. In reality, Greenland is not very green. Though small coastal areas are habitable, most of the island is mountainous and covered by ice sheets. Greenland is an autonomous territory of Denmark.

How thick is Greenland's ice sheet?

Greenland's ice sheet is more than two miles thick.

What is the northernmost landmass in the world?

Cape Morris Jesup, located in Greenland's Peary Land, is the northernmost point of land in the world. The cape is at 83°38' North.

Is there land at the North Pole?

Since the North Pole lies in the Arctic Ocean, which is mostly covered by a large icecap year-round, there is no land near the North Pole. Though there is no land, animals such as the polar bear live upon the icecap.

How big is the area of the North Pole ice region?

The arctic ice mass covers an area of 1.59 million square miles (4.1 million square kilometers).

Is global warming melting the North Pole?

Yes, from 1979 to 2005 the North Pole region lost 2.05 million square miles of total area (5.31 square kilometers), which is equivalent to an area the size of California and Texas combined. These changes have not been seen since between 6,000 and 125,000 years ago.

How many indigenous people live in the Arctic?

More than four million people live in the Arctic. They are spread across national boundaries in such places as Alaska, Canada, Greenland, Scandinavia, and Siberia.

Old Québec in Montréal, Canada, reflects the Old World charm of its French influences.

CANADA

How many provinces are in Canada?

Canada is divided into 10 provinces and three territories. The 10 provinces are Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Price Edward Island, Québec, and Saskatchewan. Canada's territories are Yukon Terri tory, the Northwest Territories, and Nunavut.

Where are the Prairie Provinces?

The grassy, central Canadian states of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta are called the Prairie Provinces.

What is Nunavut?

Nunavut, Canada's third territory, whose capital is Iqaluit, is home to Canada's indigenous people, the Inuit. This new territory, which entered the dominion in 1999, covers approximately one-fifth of Canada's land area, but contains less than one percent of Canada's population, with just over 29,000 people.

Where is Canada's population concentrated?

Over half of Canada's population lies in southern Ontario and southern Québec in eastern Canada. This area, dubbed "Main Street," stretches from Windsor, Ontario, to Québec City, Québec, and includes the major cities of Toronto, Ottawa, and Montréal.