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Exploring North America - Its Water
By Trista L. Pollard
About three-fourths of
our planet is made of
water. Early explorers
crossed almost half of this
water. They were
traveling to claim land and
riches in North America.
The Earth's oceans and
lakes are very important.
They support animal and
human life. In North
America, these lakes,
rivers, and oceans have become part of history. They were the water
"highways" for many early settlers. Today, they are still a huge part
of our economy.
Before Columbus sailed for the Indies, people knew very little
about our water. Most people believed that the Earth was flat, and
that the water had an edge like a waterfall. You could sail over into
eternity! Columbus, Magellan, and other explorers proved our
world was a sphere. Many of these explorers made their journeys to
North America. They crossed the continent's land and sailed its
waterways.
The Atlantic Ocean borders the east coast of North America.
Many explorers from Europe sailed across this ocean. They were
hoping to find water routes to Asia. Instead, they found North
America. Some entered the waterways near Canada. The Vikings
entered near Baffin Bay and the Labrador Sea. These bodies of
water are between Greenland and Canada. Hudson Bay is one of
the largest bays in the world. It was named after a fur trading
company. The bay was also discovered by explorer Henry Hudson.
He explored North America from 1609-1611 for Holland and
England. Hudson also sailed down the Hudson River. This river is
located in New York state. It is one of many famous rivers in the
U.S. The Hudson Strait is a pathway between the bay and the
Labrador Sea. Some of the smaller bays are located on the east coast.
The Chesapeake Bay and Delaware Bay were very important to
early colonists.
North America has many lakes. Our most famous are called the
Great Lakes. There are five that have homes in the North Central
U.S. They are Lake Huron, Lake Ontario, Lake Michigan, Lake
Erie, and Lake Superior. They are freshwater lakes. There are
three more freshwater lakes on the continent. In Canada you will
find the Great Bear Lake, the Great Slave Lake, and Lake
Winnipeg. All eight are part of the world's twelve largest freshwater
lakes. The Great Lakes flow into the St. Lawrence River. This
river flows into the Atlantic Ocean. French explorers like Jacques
Cartier sailed along the St. Lawrence. They built trading posts along
the river.
As you move into the U.S., you will notice the Mississippi
River. It is one of our major waterways. Many smaller rivers and
lakes feed into the Mississippi. The Missouri River flows from the
Rocky Mountains. It meets up with the Mississippi River near
southern Illinois. The Ohio River flows from the northeast. It also
joins the Mississippi near southern Illinois. Once these smaller
rivers join the Mississippi, the water makes its way south. The
Mississippi flows into the Gulf of Mexico.
North America has two major gulfs. They are the Gulf of Mexico
and the Gulf of Alaska. The Gulf of Mexico is the border of five
southern states. It also borders Mexico on its east. This gulf is
formed by the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. The
Mississippi River empties into the gulf. The Gulf of Alaska is
located on the western coast of North America. It is formed by the
Pacific Ocean. The gulf borders Alaska on its southern coast. The
Bering Sea borders Alaska on its west. It also separates Asia from
North America. The Bering Strait is the area's narrowest part.
Speaking of the Pacific, some of our rivers empty into the ocean.
The Colorado River begins in the western Rocky Mountains. It
flows into the Gulf of California. This is one of our smaller gulfs.
The Snake River also begins in the western Rockies. It connects to
the Columbia River. This river empties into the Pacific Ocean.
The rivers and lakes of North America have helped to shape its
land. The Colorado River is the reason we have the Grand Canyon.
Many of the explorers came to the continent and built forts and
trading posts along its rivers. Most of our early cities started along
the coast of the Atlantic Ocean. Today, these waterways continue to
provide food and water for animals and humans. They are also used
to ship goods within North America.
5. The Ohio River flows from the ______ to the Mississippi
River.
A. southeast
B. northeast
C. northwest
D. none of the above
Exploring North America - Its Water
6. Name the five Great Lakes. Which major river do they feed
into?
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Questions
1. What is the main idea of paragraph number six?
2. The Labrador Sea and ______ are located between Greenland
and Canada.
A. Lake Winnipeg
B. Baffin Bay
C. Hudson Bay
D. The Great Slave Lake
3. In the sentence, "They were the water "highways" for many
early settlers...", describe the comparison.
4. Two of our major gulfs include the Gulf of Mexico and the
Gulf of California.
A. True
B. False
7. One of the largest bays in the world is the ______.
A. Chesapeake Bay
B. Delaware Bay
C. Great Slave Bay
D. Hudson Bay
8. The Bering Sea borders Alaska on its west coast. It separates
Asia from North America.
A. False
B. True