Canada is part of what continent?
Canada is part of the North American continent and spans an area of 9.9 million sq. km. The country extends northward into the Arctic Ocean and to the Pacific Ocean in the west. Eastern Canada fronts on the Atlantic Ocean, including Baffin Bay, the Labrador Sea, Davis Strait, and the Gulf of St. Lawrence. The western parts of Canada border Alaska and front on the Pacific Ocean. The Canada-United States border is 8,895 km (5,527 miles) long, making it the longest border in the world.
The North American continent is characterized by well-defined, clear divisions into 10 physiographic provinces or physically homogenous regions. These include the Appalachian Highlands, Piedmont, the Interior Highlands, and the Interior Lowlands. All regions are marked by a degree of uniformity in terms of environmental conditions – soils, vegetation, climate, and relief. The Interior Lowlands cover a huge territory from the Gulf of Mexico to Hudson Bay. The core area, the Great Canadian Shield, contains the oldest rocks on the continent. The Western Plateaus form another physiographic province in North America. The Fraser Plateau covers most of central British Columbia and is found between the Canadian Coast Mountains and the Rockies. Other physiographic provinces are the Rocky Mountains, the Great Plains, and the Pacific Mountains and Valleys. The last remaining active volcanoes in North America and the highest points are found in the Pacific Coast region.
North America borders the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, the Pacific Ocean to the south and west, and the Caribbean Sea and South America to the southeast. The continent covers 16.5 percent of the planet’s land area and 4.8 percent of the earth’s surface. North America is the 3rd largest continent by area after Africa and Asia. There are many islands off the coasts of North America – the Greater and Lesser Antilles, the Arctic Archipelago, the Alexander Archipelago, and others. Greenland is the world’s largest island and a self-governing Danish island, which is part of the continent geographically and is found on the same tectonic plate. There are many Canadian islands off the continent’s coasts, the largest being Baffin Island (the world’s 5th largest island). Other big Canadian islands are Axel Heiberg Island, Devon Island, Newfoundland, and Banks Island.
Economically, the United States and Canada are the most developed and wealthiest nations in North America, followed by Mexico. The countries of the Caribbean and Central America are at various levels of human and economic development. North America is a well-defined entity – culturally and socially. The United States and Canada are former British colonies, as a result of which they have similar traditions and culture. Canada is the 3rd largest country on the North American continent, after the United States and Mexico. Other countries in North America are Haiti, Grenada, Trinidad and Tobago, Antigua and Barbuda, etc. The continent also includes dozens of possessions and territories. The main languages spoken on the continent are English, Spanish, and French.