Question

Explain the location and physical setting of North America.

Answer 1

Instructions: The question has two parts: first explain the longitudinal and latitudinal extent of North America and then write what the continent is surrounded by on all sides.

Solution:

Location: North America is located entirely to the north of the equator, in the western hemisphere. It lies within 19° N to 71° N latitudes and 500 w-1500 w longitudes. The tropic of cancer (23 ½◦ N) passes through the continent in the South and the Arctic Circle (66 ½◦ N) in the north.

Physical setting: North America is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean in the east, the Pacific Ocean in the west and the Arctic Ocean in the north. It is separated from the continent of Asia by the Bering Strait. It has a land link with South America by the Isthmus of Panama.