North America: natural zones and regions

North America’s nature is divided into two big regions: the plains in the east and the mountainous Cordillera in the west. These are split further into smaller natural regions. The Alaska and Canadian Cordillera consist of several parallel ranges separated by deep valleys; the continent’s highest peak, Denali (6 190 m), is here. The Alaska Peninsula and Aleutian Islands have earthquakes and many volcanoes. The western slopes receive moist air from the ocean, so rainfall is heavy and dense coniferous forests grow, while the inner plateaus have mountain tundra. Gold, silver, non-ferrous metals, oil and coal are mined here. Inside the Cordillera lie the Great Basin and the Colorado Plateau: low ranges, extinct volcanic cones and deep depressions, with desert and semi-desert and plants such as sagebrush and shrubs. Death Valley in the basin (–86 m) is the continent’s lowest point and one of its hottest and driest places. In the Great Basin water does not reach the ocean, the Great Salt Lake is salty and its area changes with climate, and on the Colorado Plateau the river has cut the Grand Canyon.