Inland waters of North America. Basin of North America What are the rivers of the Pacific Basin

North America is an amazing continent full of rivers and lakes. All of them belong to the basins of the three oceans that wash the mainland - the Atlantic Ocean, the Pacific Ocean and the Arctic Ocean. These oceans include such seas as the Chukchi, Caribbean, Baffin, Bering, Sargasovo, as well as the straits and bays of North America.

Arctic Ocean Basin

Part of the mainland in the north belongs to the Arctic Ocean basin. The rivers here are quite young, and their valleys are characterized by a large number of lakes and swamps. The rivers of this territory are mostly flat, with a mixed (with a predominance of snow) type of nutrition, almost the entire year (8 months) are ice-bound. Some of them can even freeze to the bottom. The largest river Mackenzie (4240 km.), It is navigable only three months a year. This basin also includes the Bluenose River and Lake Garry.

The only ocean that does not wash North America is the Indian Ocean. South and North America are separated by the Panama Canal, Eurasia and North America, in turn, are separated by the Bering Strait.

Atlantic Ocean basin

The rivers of the Atlantic Ocean basin reach great lengths. The main river of this basin is the Mississippi (3778 km). It has two tributaries: the left one is the Missouri River, the right one is the Ohio River. The Mississippi is a flat river that flows into the Gulf of Mexico, forming a huge delta. Meals are mixed (with a predominance of rain). Frequent downpours can be detrimental as they cause flooding. In the upper reaches of the Mississippi freezes for a short time.

Rice. 1 Mississippi River

The Atlantic Ocean also includes the Bronx, Mohawk, Tar, Tallulah and others.

Pacific Basin

The Pacific basin is insignificant. This includes the mountain rivers of the Cordillera, the largest of which are the Colorado, Columbia, and Yukon. Most of the rivers are not very long, but have a fast and cold flow. The Yukon River is the third largest in the North American basin. This river is of great importance for Alaska. Fish riches are concentrated off the coast of Alaska, this river is fed by snow and is covered with ice for half a year. The Colorado River is located in southern North America and flows into the Gulf of California in Mexico. Most of the riverbed runs between desert and semi-desert areas.

Lakes of the North American Basin

North America is rich in lakes. Most of them are located in the north in the zone of continental glaciation and are of glacial-tectonic origin. In the Cordillera, the lakes are volcanic (crater), and on the coasts of the ocean - lagoons. The main waterways of the mainland are the Great Lakes. This includes Lake Superior. It is the largest fresh water lake in the world. The Great Lakes also include Huron, Michigan, Erie, Ontario. The volume of water here is almost equal to the volume of Lake Baikal.

Lake Superior is the largest freshwater lake on Earth (82.4 thousand sq. km).

Rice. 2. Lake Superior

All lakes are connected by rivers into a single waterway. For example, Lakes Erie and Ontario are united by the Niagara River, it is on it that the famous Niagara Falls is located.

Glaciers of the North American Basin

Most of the glaciers (more than 86%) belong to Greenland and the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. There is so much ice in Greenland that its entire volume exceeds the amount of water in all the lakes of the world. But due to global warming, the Greenland glaciers are melting quite intensively. Icebergs break away from the glacier and are carried by currents into the open ocean (Labrador and East Greenland). In the last century, at positive air temperatures, 50% of the ice sheet in the coastal zone melted, now this number has increased to 97%.

USA characteristic

Introduction (visiting card of the country)

Coat of arms of the United States (Eagle) Flag of the United States (50 stars on the flag)

Official language: English
Capital: Washington
Largest cities: Washington, New York, Oralndo, Miami, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, San Francisco, Denver, San Diego
Form of government: federal Republic
Territory: about 9.373 million km.
Population: 243 million people
Currency: U.S. dollar
Internet domain: .us
Telephone code: + 1
Time Zones: GMT -4 hours

US physical map

Geographical position

The United States of America is a federal republic, which includes 50 states with a certain autonomy, and the capital federal district of Columbia. The United States of America is located in the central part of the North American continent, occupying a vast area between the 25th and 57th parallels of northern latitude. From the east they are washed by the waters of the Atlantic, in the south by the Gulf of Mexico of the Caribbean Sea, in the west and southwest by the Pacific Ocean, the northern and northwestern coasts of Alaska by the Arctic Ocean. 48 states are located compactly, 2 - separately: Alaska (state status received in 1958) and the Hawaiian Islands (gained statehood in 1959). In addition, the United States owns the island of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands in the Caribbean, Eastern Samoa, the island of Guam and the islands of Micronesia (UN Trust Territory) in the Pacific Ocean and the Pacific atolls of Wake and Midway, equipped for missile testing. It borders Canada in the north and Mexico in the south. In the east it is washed by the Atlantic Ocean, in the south - by the Gulf of Mexico, in the West - by the Pacific Ocean.

The area of the country is 9666861 sq. km, of which 1593438 sq. km. accounts for Alaska and 16729 sq. miles to Hawaii. The highest point in the country (and throughout North America) is located in Alaska - Mount McKinley (6194 m), the lowest point - Death Valley (86 m below sea level) - is located in California. The average height of the territory of the United States is about 760 m above sea level. Physiographically, the territory of the country is very diverse. About half of the country's territory is occupied by mountain ranges, plateaus and the Cordillera plateau; The eastern outskirts of the Cordillera belt are formed by the Rocky Mountain ranges with a height of more than 4000 m. In the east are the Appalachian Mountains (2037 m).

Between the Cordillera and the Appalachians lie vast inland plains - the Central, the Great - and the Mexican Lowland. In the west of the country, many rivers form magnificent canyons, breaking mountain ranges. In the north of the country there is a chain of the Great Lakes - Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie and Ontario - covering an area of about 200,000 square meters. km. The United States borders with Canada in the north (the total length of the border is 8893 km, including 2477 km in Alaska), with Mexico in the south (3141 km), with Russia in the northwest (the sea border along the Bering Strait and the Arctic shelf, the distance between the islands of Maly and Big Diomede, owned by the United States and Russia, respectively, is only 4 km) and Cuba in the southeast (the border is both sea, along the Strait of Florida, and by land, in the area of the American naval base Guantanamo, located directly in Cuba).

The Hawaiian Islands are located in the central part of the Pacific Ocean, at a distance of about 4000 km from the mainland. Many island territories, also in one form or another belonging to the United States, are scattered throughout the Pacific and Atlantic oceans.

The United States also controls a number of island territories with different political status (in each case, it is established by a separate agreement, supported by a decree of the federal authorities). These include the island territories of American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands, the Baker, Howland and Jarvis Islands, Johnston, Midway, Navassa, Palmyra, Wake, Kingman Reef and some other territories.

The country is famous for its natural resources and fertile land.

Political map of North America

The main part of the territory of the United States is divided into eight provinces according to the features of the relief: the Appalachians, the Coastal Plains, the Interior Highlands, the Interior Plains, the Lake Superior Uplands, the Rocky Mountains, the Intermountain Plateaus and the Pacific Coast Mountains. Alaska and the Hawaiian Islands are also independent provinces. Only the main part of the United States is considered below.

The Appalachians are a mountainous country stretching 1,900 km from northern Maine to central Alabama. All significant mountain peaks of the East of the USA are located here, of which at least 20 exceed 1520 m and 8 - 1830 m. St. Lawrence and New England.

The Piedmont is a low plateau that forms a transition zone between the high mountain ranges of the Appalachians to the west and the Coast Plains to the east. The surface of the plateau is predominantly gently undulating, 150–300 m a.s.l. m., but in some places low ridges and remnants and even massive granite domes rise here. The most famous Mount Stone with a relative height of more than 185 m, located near the city of Atlanta (Georgia).

The Blue Ridge Mountains, the highest part of the Appalachians, stretch along Piedmont's western border from southeastern Pennsylvania to northern Georgia. These are mountain ranges and massifs with densely forested slopes and treeless peaks. The easternmost ridge, the Blue Ridge Front, or Blue Ridge Scarp, rises steeply above Piedmont's surface like a massive rock wall. The Roanoke River divides the Blue Ridge Mountains into two parts - north and south.

In the north, the width of the mountains varies from 15 to 25 km. The Blue Ridge Front is well defined here, which, together with lower ridges, is crossed by the Potomac and James Rivers, which flow into the Atlantic Ocean. In the southern part, the width of the Blue Ridge Mountains reaches 130 km. The massive ridges of the Blue Ridge Front in the west and the Great Smoky Mountains in the east stand out here. The highest point of the United States east of the Mississippi River - Mount Mitchell (2037 m) - is located in the Black Mountains, a spur of the Blue Ridge Front.

The Ranges and Valleys region is located west of the Blue Ridge region and is separated from it by the Great Appalachian Valley, or Great Valley. In some places its width does not exceed several kilometers, but in the south it increases to almost 80 km.

In fact, it combines interconnected sections of the Hudson, Lebanon and Shenandoah valleys.

To the west of the Great Valley are parallel valleys and low ridges. The number of ridges in the south reaches 10, and in the north, in the state of New York, only one ridge is expressed.

Appalachian plateaus. This largest region of the Appalachians stretches for more than 1000 km with a width of 160 to 320 km. It consists of two plateaus - the Allegheny in the north and the Cumberland in the south. In each of them, a narrow belt of parallel ridges is expressed along the eastern edge, which passes into a vast forested plateau, gradually lowering in a western direction. The Allegheny Mountains form the highest part of the ridge belt, stretching for 800 km from central Pennsylvania to Virginia. The easternmost ridge of the Allegheny Front, up to 1465 m high, abruptly breaks off to the adjacent region of the Ranges and Valleys. To the north of Allegan, a large area is occupied by the Poconos and Catskills. In the southwest, the Allegheny Mountains border the Cumberland Plateau. On the eastern edge is a series of ridges, lower but less dissected compared to the Allegany Front. To the west of the mountains stretches a vast gently undulating plateau, the surface of which is strongly dissected by steep valleys of numerous rivers and streams. Often the depth of cuts reaches several tens of meters. In the northern part of the Allegheny Plateau, which experienced glaciation in the Pleistocene, the surface is more flattened.

The Adirondack Mountains, located in upstate New York north of the Allegheny Plateau, were also glaciated during the Pleistocene. Here, over a leveled surface covered with forests and dotted with lakes, massifs with steep slopes and pointed peaks rise sharply. The highest point is Mount Marcy (1629 m).

Valley of the St. Laurentia is mostly located within Canada and only in a small area northwest of the Adirondacks forms the border between the United States and Canada. The flat or slightly undulating lowlands adjacent to the valley gradually rise to the foothills of the Adirondacks and the New England Plateau.

New England is a mosaic of rolling hills, plateaus and forested mountains. In the Pleistocene, glaciation developed in this area, the traces of which in the relief are ram foreheads, drumlins, troughs, eskers and glacial ploughed-out basins, currently occupied by lakes. By the nature of the relief, the Seaside Lowlands, the New England Uplands, the White Mountains and the Green Mountains, and the Taconic Upland are distinguished.

The Maritime Lowland stretches along the Atlantic coast from Maine to Rhode Island. The surface is flat or wavy. Heights less than 150 m a.s.l. predominate, with the exception of a few isolated peaks. The coast is rocky, with numerous bays separated by ledges. The Cape Cod peninsula with sandy spits stands out in particular.

The New England uplands occupy most of the area under consideration and are located at altitudes from 300 to 900 m above sea level. Hilly terrain dominates, crossed by numerous river valleys, including the wide valley of the Connecticut River.

The massive White Mountains in New Hampshire and Maine are heavily dissected. The highest point is Mount Washington (1917 m).

The Green Mountains, the most widely developed in Vermont, are also heavily dissected, but the average heights here are at least 300 m lower than in the White Mountains.

The Taconic Rise is located between the Green Mountains and the Hudson River and is distinguished by a hilly surface with heights of less than 600 m. In the east, the elevation adjoins the mountains of the same name with Dorset peak (1149 m).

US relief map

Minerals

The country's need for such mineral resources as gas, oil, iron and uranium ores, ores of vanadium, copper, titanium, lead, molybdenum, zinc, beryllium, tungsten, silver, gold, phosphorites, potassium salts, fluorite, boron ores, barite, sulfur is completely covered by mineral reserves.

US minerals are in first place in terms of fossil coal reserves. The main coal basins are located in the central, western and eastern parts of the country, brown coal basins are located in the south and north. Alaska also has a number of basins that are almost undeveloped.

The country has large reserves of uranium ores, concentrated in the western regions in the ore provinces: in the intermountains of the state of Wyoming, on the Colorado Plateau, on the west coast of the Gulf of Mexico. Some deposits are also found in the Cordillera.

Mineral resources The United States is abundant in oil reserves, the United States is in third place among the countries of the Americas and eighth in the world. About six hundred oil and gas fields were discovered in the waters of the Arctic, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. In the future, the discovery of new fields is considered in the waters of the Bering and Chukchi seas near the coasts of Alaska, the Beaufort Sea, the coast of California, and areas in the Gulf of Mexico.

There are oil shales in the United States, their accumulation is observed in the Appalachian Basin and the region of the Green River Mountains.

Iron ore reserves are able to fully meet the needs of the country. Large deposits are located in the north of the United States in the Lake Superior region near the border with Canada. US minerals are rich in titanium ore reserves. The most significant deposit is located in the state of New Jersey, where there are over 300 million tons of ilmenite sand. Three main types of vanadium ore deposits are known in the United States. The country has quite significant reserves of beryllium ores. The main base is in Utah.

The United States has bauxite reserves concentrated in the states of Georgia, Arkansas, Mississippi, and Virginia. The Hawaiian Islands contain almost 30% of the country's low-quality bauxite reserves.

US minerals after Canada are in second place in terms of reserves of tungsten ores. More than fifty tungsten deposits are located in the Western states of the country. In the future, Searls Lake in California is considered as a source of tungsten raw materials.

In terms of gold ore reserves, the United States is in second place after South Africa. The gold-bearing regions are located along the southeastern and western coasts, as well as in Alaska. Most of the gold is extracted from porphyry copper deposits, the largest of which is Bingham in Utah.

The country has abundant reserves of lithium ores, concentrated in the states of North Carolina and Nevada. There are large reserves of copper ores, satisfying 60% of the country. More than seventy copper deposits are known in the USA. US minerals are in first place in terms of molybdenum ore reserves, more than thirty deposits are known. Most of them are in the Western states. There are also reserves of platinum ores. After Australia, the United States ranks first in terms of lead ore reserves, with about a hundred known deposits. Most of them are located in the western and central parts of the country. The base of zinc ores is quite developed in the USA. In the state of Nevada, reserves of mercury ores are concentrated. Also, large deposits are developed in the state of California. The country has large reserves of silver ores.

After Morocco, US minerals are second in terms of reserves of phosphorites, the deposits of which are located in the phosphorite province of the states of South and North Carolina, Florida and in the Rocky Mountains. Minor reserves are found in the states of Tennessee and California.

The United States is rich in potassium salts, contained in sedimentary deposits and salt lakes. There are three large salt-bearing basins on the territory of the country. The country has abundant supplies of natural soda, which is extracted from the lakes of California.

After Turkey, the United States is in second place in terms of boron ore reserves, which are localized in southern California.

The US leads in barite reserves. Of the many deposits in the United States, there are three main ones. The largest are located in the state of Nevada, the smaller ones are in the states of California, Missouri and Arkansas.

Asbestos stocks are concentrated in the west of the country in the Cordillera region. High quality asbestos is also mined in Arizona.

In the USA there are numerous deposits of building materials: clays, facing stones, betonites, marbles, sand, crushed stone, gravel.

A number of deposits of ornamental and precious stones are known in the country, such as tourmaline, turquoise, sapphire, jade, chrysolite, rose quartz, petrified wood. Turquoise deposits are located in the states of Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico. A large sapphire deposit is located in the state of Montana.

USA Minerals Map

Almost every type of climate can be found in the vast territory of the United States, from arctic and subarctic in Alaska to tropical in the Hawaiian Islands, California and Florida. In the main part of the country, the climate is temperate continental, humid in the east and dry in the west. On a narrow strip of the Pacific coast, temperate marine (in the north) and Mediterranean (in the south) climate types can be traced.

The general temperature background is quite uniform. In summer, the temperature in most areas ranges from +22°C to +28°C, while the difference between the northern and southern states is relatively small. Winter in most of the country is quite mild - the average January temperature ranges from -2°C in the north to +8°C in the south. However, significant temperature fluctuations are not uncommon due to the free penetration of air masses both from the Arctic region and from tropical latitudes (the US mountain systems located in the meridional direction act as a kind of “pipe” along which cyclones and anticyclones move from north to south or vice versa , with virtually no obstacles). In mountainous areas it is always cooler than in the adjacent areas of the plains - in summer by 4-8 degrees, in winter - by 7-12. At the same time, in oceanic regions it is always warmer in winter, and cooler in summer than in the center of the country (the eastern coast of the country, heated by the warm Gulf Stream, has a temperature of 5-7 degrees higher than the central and western regions for almost its entire length).

Depending on the nature of the mountain systems, the stability of the weather also changes markedly - in the low Appalachians, the climate differs little from the flat regions of the east of the country and is fairly constant, while the vast and high ranges of the Cordillera system are widely known for their cooler, drier and inconsistent weather.

The distribution of precipitation is also very uneven. In the southeastern states and on the Pacific coast, up to 2000 mm of rain falls per year, in the Hawaiian Islands - up to 4000 mm or more, while in the central regions of California or Nevada - no more than 200 mm. Moreover, the nature of the distribution of precipitation depends entirely on the terrain - the western slopes of the mountains and the Atlantic regions receive noticeably more rain than the eastern ones, while throughout the Great Plains, from the coastal lowlands of the south to the wooded regions of the north, almost the same amount of precipitation falls (about 300-500 mm).

At any time of the year, you can find a region of the United States in which the rest would be comfortable due to its weather conditions. On the coast of Florida, you can swim almost all year round (the average water temperature, even in the winter months, rarely drops below + 22 ° C), however, from July to September it is quite hot here (+ 36-39 ° C) and very high humidity (up to 100%), and tropical hurricanes are not uncommon from June to November.

The Pacific coast has a noticeably greater difference in water and air temperatures between the northern and southern regions. In the southern part of the coast, you can swim almost all year round, although from November to March, even in California, the water temperature rarely rises above + 14 ° C (numerous bays with well-heated water are used for sea recreation). At the same time, in the north, in Oregon and Washington, even in the summer months, noticeable cooling of both water and air is not uncommon, while in winter the temperature regime is quite common for areas with a temperate maritime climate (air from -6 to + 4 ° C, water – about +4°С). Contrary to popular belief, Oregon's climate is quite dry (it rains less than in Atlanta or Houston) and warm enough (summer highs rarely exceed +30°C, and in winter the thermometer stays around +2°C). Therefore, you can find great opportunities for recreation almost all year round.

To the north, on the territory of the state of Washington, two climatic zones are quite clearly distinguished - to the west of the Cascade Mountains, on the Pacific coast and in Seattle, in summer it is rarely hotter than + 26 ° C, and in winter it is colder than + 8 ° C, while the eastern part of the state has markedly warmer summers and cooler winters. Traditionally, the summer tourist season here begins with Memorial Day and continues until Labor Day, and even some attractions are open to the public only during this period.

The central mountainous regions can be visited all year round, in the southern part of the Rocky Mountains it is too hot in summer (+ 26-34 ° C), so it is recommended to plan your trip for spring or autumn.

There are no seasonal restrictions on visiting Los Angeles. Despite its dry and hot semi-arid climate, the city is protected from the scorching heat by mountain ranges to the north and east, as well as by the Pacific Ocean itself. August and September are the hottest months (+24-30°C), January and February are the coolest (about +12°C) and the wettest, but at any time of the year, ocean breezes soften the weather towards greater comfort. However, urban smog combined with summer heat makes the end of summer not the best time to visit the metropolis, while the resort areas adjacent to it from the north and south have excellent weather conditions during the same period.

The climate of Alaska is quite severe, since 30% of its territory is located beyond the Arctic Circle. In the northern and central regions with their subarctic climate, the thermometer often drops to -45-50°C in winter, while in summer the air warms up to + 16-20°C (in the northern regions - + 2-6°C) with very low rainfall (about 250 mm annually). In the southern and central regions, the climate is temperate maritime, the average summer temperature here is about + 18 ° C, but often the air warms up to + 30 ° C), in winter - from -6 ° C to + 4 ° C, while precipitation falls from 400 to 600 mm per year.

USA climate map

Inland waters

The rivers of the USA belong to the basins of the Atlantic, Arctic (Alaska) Pacific Oceans. At the same time, the main watershed is shifted to the west, to the Pacific Ocean. Therefore, most of the rivers belong to the basins of the Atlantic Ocean. The area of internal runoff is insignificant. It occupies part of the Great Basin and a small area in the north of the Mexican Highlands.

Food near US rivers is snow, rain, glacial (Alaska), groundwater (predominant sources of food) and mixed for large (“transit”) rivers.

The largest river system on the mainland is the Mississippi-Missouri system. Its basin occupies 1/6 of the mainland. The length of the Mississippi itself is 3779 km. But if we take the Missouri River as the source, then the length of the river system will be 5985 km. The total watercourse of the system is formed from the confluence of three rivers that are quite different in terms of nutrition and regime - the upper Mississippi, Missouri and Ohio. In the upper reaches, the river is fed by snow and rain. The level of the Mississippi before its confluence with the Missouri does not fluctuate seasonally as much as the level of the Missouri. Missouri reflects in its diet and regimen the climatic features of the Rocky Mountains, the elevated Great Plains, and the Prairie plateau. By the end of summer the river becomes shallow; navigation on the Missouri, even in the lower reaches, is difficult. Only after the confluence with the Ohio (its length is 1580 km) does the Mississippi really become a “great river”. The volume of water in the Mississippi more than doubles. The Ohio River is characterized by a fairly uniform hydrological regime, reflecting the precipitation regime of the Appalachian and pre-Appalachian plains. Every year, the Mississippi brings about 400 million tons of sediment to the Gulf of Mexico, the main source of which is the Missouri (“muddy river”) and Arkansas. The vast river delta protrudes into the Gulf of Mexico by 100 m annually.

Rivers of the Pacific Basin

The rivers of the Pacific basin (Columbia, Colorado and others) are short, but abounding; have a mixed diet. The river valleys are narrow and deep. These are the so-called canyons. The Grand Canyon on the Colorado River is world famous. It cuts into the layers of sedimentary rocks of the Colorado Plateau to a depth of 1800 m. The length of the canyon is over 320 km. The Columbia River is full-flowing in the summer, during the melting of snow and glaciers in the mountains. A cascade of powerful hydroelectric power plants has been created on it.

In the northwest of the mainland, in Alaska, along the Yukon Plateau, the Yukon River carries its waters to the Pacific Ocean. The river has a pronounced summer flood, during which the discharge in the middle reaches triples compared to the average level. In its lower reaches, the Yukon resembles in its power and width the great Siberian rivers. The tides rise up the river for 160 km.

There are many lakes in the USA. They are very unevenly distributed across the mainland. On the southern edge of the shield is the system of the Great American Lakes: Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, Ontario. In terms of volume of water, all these lakes surpass the Baltic Sea. Lake Superior is the largest freshwater lake in the world. Its area is 82.4 thousand km2, the maximum depth is 393 m. All the lakes of this system are interconnected by rivers. Lakes Erie and Ontario are connected by the short and turbulent Niagara River, on which the Niagara Falls formed, 50 m high and more than 1 km wide. The majestic spectacle of water falling from a great height attracts millions of tourists every year. The Great Lakes are important sources of fresh water for industrial needs and urban water supply. They are used year-round as waterways. Lake Michigan is connected by a shipping channel to the Mississippi River. The Erie Canal was built, connecting Lake Erie with the Hudson River, which flows into the Atlantic Ocean.

The lakes of the internal runoff basin stand apart in the United States. The lakes here are “relic”, their basins have been preserved from the wetter epochs of the Quaternary period. The largest of these lakes is the endorheic Great Salt Lake in the Great Basin. Its salinity ranges from 137 to 300 ppm.

In general, the United States is well provided with water resources, water transport routes, and has significant reserves of hydropower. However, the countries of North America are faced with the problem of pollution of the mainland's internal waters. So, once the waters of the Great Lakes were distinguished by amazing purity. Now they are heavily polluted. Moreover, the deep basins of the lakes have turned into real collectors of hazardous pollutants. Accumulating along with silt, they threaten to gradually turn into a powerful source of pollution of living organisms. Large cities located along the shores of lakes constantly dump various toxic metals, detergents, and acids into the waters of the lakes. Pollution of the Great Lakes causes great harm to the natural environment of the entire region.

The largest of all oceans is the Pacific. It washes five continents and covers an area of 179 million km2. It includes many rivers, bays and seas. Almost 10 thousand islands and archipelagos are washed by its waters. What rivers are in the Pacific Ocean? What seas does it belong to?

great ocean

Ferdinand Magellan was one of the first to set out on an open voyage across the unknown ocean. He was very lucky with the weather, which is why he named it Quiet. Fortune smiled on the navigator, because the ocean is far from calm everywhere. For example, volcanoes and mountains located on the border with it can cause tsunamis, and typhoons and hurricanes often occur in tropical latitudes.

It is also called the Great Ocean, because it is the largest in size. It accounts for approximately 33% of the planet's surface and almost 50% of the ocean area. It washes all the continents of the Earth except Africa. Its average depth is 3984 meters, which is higher than other oceans.

The deepest place is the Mariana Trench, which goes down 11 thousand meters. At the bottom of the ocean there are no less impressive trenches, such as the Philippine (10,540 m) or the Kuril-Kamchatsky (9,783 m).

The ocean amazes with the number of islands, among which there are many tourist ones. Important transport routes run through it. Its bottom serves as a source of minerals, and the waters have become home to a huge number of species of commercial fish, mammals, mollusks, rare animals and plants. However, not all of its inhabitants are known to science.

Seas of the Pacific Basin

All the seas, straits and bays of the Pacific Ocean occupy 18% of its area. In the western part of the ocean, the coasts of the mainlands are strongly dissected and surrounded by numerous islands. Because of this, there is the largest number of seas. In total there are about 30 of them.

In the east, the coast is smoother, and there are no seas there. But there are three bays: Panama, California and Alaska. Next to the latter is the northernmost sea of the Pacific Ocean - the Bering Sea. It washes the shores of Eurasia and North America, and from the south it is bordered by the “dotted line” of the Commander and Aleutian Islands.

Together with the Sea of Okhotsk and the Sea of Japan, the Bering Sea washes the Far East of Russia. To the south of them, the number of reservoirs begins to increase. The most famous are: East China, Yellow, Coral, Philippine, Fiji, Bandu, Tasman and Solomon seas. They wash Australia and the southeastern part of Eurasia.

If you do not take into account the concept of the Southern Ocean, then the Pacific Ocean reaches Antarctica. There it forms the Amundsen, Ross, Bellingshausen and other water bodies named after the discoverers.

Rivers of the Pacific Basin

Approximately 40 rivers belong to the Great Ocean. For most of them (Mekong, Yukon, Amur), the mouth "opens" into the seas and bays. Some (Mamberamo, Yoshino, Balsas) flow into open waters, that is, into the ocean.

Due to the peculiarities of the relief of the continents, many of them are mountainous. As a rule, they are fast and full-flowing. This allows them to cut their way through the rocks, forming the most beautiful gorges and valleys, like the Grand Canyon of the Colorado River.

Interestingly, there are very large rivers in the Pacific Ocean basin only in Eurasia and North America. They are not found in Australia due to the hot and arid climate. In South America, water is blocked by a dense wall of mountains. In Antarctica, the largest river flows not into the ocean, but into the lake of one of its valleys.

We will get acquainted with the largest and longest rivers of the Pacific Ocean basin in more detail in the table.

Name		Place of confluence	Length, km
		East China Sea
		Yellow Sea
	China, Myanmar, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Laos	South China Sea
	Canada, USA	Bering Sea
	Russia, China	Amur Estuary
Colorado	USA, Mexico	gulf of california
Pearl (Zhujiang)		South China Sea
		Strait of Georgia
		Yellow Sea
Chao Phraya		South China Sea

Yangtze

The Yangtze is the deepest river in Eurasia and the longest river in the Pacific Ocean. She begins her journey in the Tibetan Plateau and ends in the East China Sea. The river basin covers ⅕ of the area of all of China. It divides the country into northern and southern regions, which are markedly different in their culture.

In Yunnan province, the river passes through the deep gorges of the Three Parallel Rivers National Park. The height of the rocks here reaches about 3000 kilometers. River waters are used for irrigation of fields, navigation and energy. The world's largest hydroelectric power plant is located on the Yangtze. In the area of the famous Leaping Tiger Gorge, it forms many rapids, attracting the attention of rafting enthusiasts.

Yukon

The Yukon River begins in Lake Marsh, in northwestern Canada, and then flows into Alaska, emptying into the Bering Sea. Most of the year it is covered with ice, which melts for a maximum of four months.

The river has long been ignored by the white population of America. The first attempts to study it began only in 1830. But in the XX century, it became one of the most famous, thanks to the "gold rush". On the right tributary of the river, the Klondike, gold was discovered. Very quickly, everyone who wanted to earn money began to come here, and the name of the tributary turned into a household name and began to mean a place full of treasures.

Amur

The Amur River is the longest in the Far East. It originates from the confluence of Shilka and Argun. It stretches across four regions of Russia, from Transbaikalia to the Khabarovsk Territory, and for almost its entire length is a natural border with China.

The mouth of the Amur is controversial. The river flows into the Amur estuary, and it is periodically referred to either the Sea of Okhotsk or the Sea of Japan. As a rule, the first wins more often. Along its entire length, the river is navigable and serves as a crossing not only for passenger, but also for cargo ships. In addition, it is known for a huge variety of fish (108-140 species), which are twice as many here as in the largest rivers of Russia - the Lena, Ob and Yenisei.

Anadyr

Both the source and the mouth of the Anadyr River are located on the territory of Russia. It begins on the Anadyr Plateau and flows into the bay of the Bering Strait - Onemen. The Anadyr is far from the largest river in the ocean, but the largest in Chukotka. Its length is 1150 kilometers.

About 30 species of fish (whitefish, chum salmon, salmon) are found in the river, and reserves of gold and coal have been found in its lower reaches. Its numerous tributaries and branches are connected to each other through lakes, forming a dense network. Most of them are fickle, and dry up in the middle of a short summer, forming oxbow lakes.

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About forty rivers belong to the Pacific Ocean basin. The largest and most significant rivers are the Amur, which flows into the Sea of Okhotsk, and the Anadyr, which flows into the Bering Sea. All rivers flowing into the Pacific Ocean can be described as relatively short, but fast-flowing. Both Amur and Anadyr originate and flow by a third among the mountains.

The Amur flows along the border of Russia and China, partly through the territory of Mongolia. Thus, the riverbed passes through the territory of three countries. In each of the countries, the Amur has its own name, for example, the Chinese call it the “Black Dragon River”, and the Mongols “Black River”. The length of the Amur is two thousand eight hundred seventy-four kilometers (2874 km.), And the length of the entire basin is about four and a half thousand kilometers, from the mouth of the Shilka and Argun rivers. In terms of basin area, the Amur is in fourth place among Russian rivers, second only to the Yenisei, Ob and Lena, the area of the Amur River basin is one thousand eight hundred and fifty-five square kilometers.

In Russia, the Amur flows through the territory of Primorsky Krai, Khabarovsk Krai, Amur Region, Chita Region, Jewish Autonomous Region and Aginsky Buryat Autonomous Okrug. Amur is formed as a result of the connection of two rivers: Argun and Shilka. Argun originates in Mongolia, more precisely on the western slope of the Greater Khingan Range. The length of the Argun from its source to the connection with Shilka is about one thousand six hundred kilometers. The source of the Shilka is located in the Chita region, before joining the Argun, the waters of the river pass over five hundred and fifty kilometers.

The Amur has seven main tributaries: Zeya, Ussuri, Bureya, Sungari, Amgun, Anyui, Tunguska. The Zeya is a right tributary of the Amur. The source is located high in the mountains belonging to the system. The Ussuri is the right tributary of the Amur, less than nine hundred kilometers long. Bureya is the left tributary of the Amur, flows through the territory of the Amur Region and the Khabarovsk Territory, the length is about six hundred kilometers. The Sungari is the largest right tributary of the Amur. It flows through China. The Amgun is a large left tributary of the Amur, originating in the mountains of the Bureya Range. The length of the Amgun is a little over seven hundred kilometers. It flows through the territory of the Khabarovsk Territory, in permafrost conditions. Anyui is the right tributary of the Amur, the source is in the mountains of the Khabarovsk Territory. Tunguska - the left tributary of the Amur, eighty-six kilometers long, flows completely through the plains of the Khabarovsk Territory.

In the last two years, the ecological situation in the waters of the Amur has deteriorated significantly. In the winter of 2005, an accident occurred at a chemical plant located on the banks of the Songhua River in China. The result of the incident was a powerful release of chemicals into the waters of the river, which is the largest tributary of the Amur, naturally, poisonous substances soon got into the water of the Amur. Despite the construction of the dam, water poisoning continues to this day.

About one hundred and twenty species of fish live in the waters of the Amur. Among them are white and black carp, sturgeon, beluga, perch, kaluga and many others. Among the representatives of the sturgeon family, there are individuals of huge sizes, sometimes the weight of the beluga reaches one ton, and the Amur sturgeons are considered the largest. The river is a large object where industrial fishing is developed.

Anadyr is a relatively small Chukchi river, its length is 1150 kilometers, and the basin area is one hundred ninety-one thousand square kilometers. The source of Anadyr is located in the center of the Anadyr plateau, there is a small lake, from which the Siberian river originates. The channel passes through the territory of the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, and the river flows into the Gulf of Anadyr in the Bering Sea. The banks of the Anadyr are high mountains covered with dense forests, so there are no villages along almost the entire length of the river. Sometimes nomadic Chukchi tribes come to the cold waters of Anadyr.

The Anadyr has six major tributaries: Yablon (right tributary), Yeropol (right tributary), Chineiveem (left tributary), Belaya (left tributary), Main (right tributary) and Tanyurer (left tributary). The width and depth of the river does not allow large cargo ships to walk on it, therefore, only small ships use it as a transport line. Only at the mouth of the Anadyr reaches six and a half, seven kilometers, in the middle reaches it is half as narrow, and the upper reaches of the river are represented. In the lower reaches and the mouth of the Anadyr, industrial fishing is developed, in the upper and middle reaches only amateurs and athletes catch fish. The lands belonging to the Anadyr basin are rich in coal deposits, so small barges travel along the river, transporting coal downstream to the Anadyr Bay, where ports and moorings are built.

Anadyr receives the main water mass as a result of snowmelt, to a lesser extent, the river is fed by rain and groundwater. The upper reaches of the Chukchi River freeze very early - in mid-September, the middle and lower reaches are covered with ice in October. Ice drift begins only at the beginning of summer. Thus, there is no navigation on Anadyr for about eight months.

According to the materials of the big encyclopedia of Russia

Amur river

In the Russian Federation, the Amur flows through the territory of the Primorsky Territory, the Khabarovsk Territory, the Amur Region, the Chita Region, the Jewish Autonomous Region and the Aginsky Buryat Autonomous Okrug. Amur is formed as a result of the connection of two rivers: Argun and Shilka. Argun originates in Mongolia, more precisely on the western slope of the Greater Khingan Range. The length of the Argun from its source to the connection with Shilka is about one thousand six hundred kilometers. The source of the Shilka is located in the Chita region, before joining the Argun, the waters of the river pass over five hundred and fifty kilometers.

The Amur has seven main tributaries: Zeya, Ussuri, Bureya, Sungari, Amgun, Anyui, Tunguska. The Zeya is a right tributary of the Amur. The source is located high in the mountains belonging to the Stanovoy Range system. The Ussuri is the right tributary of the Amur, less than nine hundred kilometers long. Bureya is the left tributary of the Amur, flows through the territory of the Amur Region and the Khabarovsk Territory, the length is about six hundred kilometers. The Sungari is the largest right tributary of the Amur. It flows through China. The Amgun is a large left tributary of the Amur, originating in the mountains of the Bureya Range. The length of the Amgun is a little over seven hundred kilometers. It flows through the territory of the Khabarovsk Territory, in permafrost conditions. Anyui is the right tributary of the Amur, the source is in the mountains of the Khabarovsk Territory. Tunguska - the left tributary of the Amur, eighty-six kilometers long, flows completely through the plains of the Khabarovsk Territory.

Anadyr River

River Amur flows through the territory of the Far East, Mongolia and China. Slightly more than half (54%) of the basin is located in Russia. The Amur riverbed separates two neighboring states China and Russia. The area of the basin of the Amur River basin is 1855 thousand square meters. km. according to this indicator, it ranks fourth among Russian rivers and tenth among the world's rivers. The length of the river is 2824 km.

It feeds primarily on monsoon rains, they make up 75% of its annual runoff, snow feeding plays a secondary role. Because of this fluctuation in the water level in the channel is 10-15 meters during the flood. During heavy rains, the river can overflow for 10-20 kilometers. During summer floods, water level fluctuations do not exceed 3-4 meters.

Along the Amur River

Upper Amur, stretches from the confluence of the Shilka and Argun rivers to the city of Blagoveshchensk, has a length of about 900 kilometers.

In the upper course, the river has a mountainous character and a strong current. Between the Nyukzha ridge and the Greater Khingan, the Amur passes between rocky and high banks. Closer to the city of Blagoveshchensk, the mountains gradually move away and the current slows down.

Middle Amur this is a section of the river between Blagoveshchensk and Khabarovsk with a length of about 1000 km.

In this section, the river flows in a wide valley, the banks are marshy in places, the channel flows in numerous.

Pacific Basin - Rivers and Seas

After crossing the Lesser Khingan, the Amur valley narrows and its waters gather into one powerful stream flowing in a picturesque valley.

Lower Amur, this is a section from Khabarovsk to the sea, with a length of about 950 km. Here the river flows through the vast Lower Amur Lowland, where there are many lakes and oxbow lakes. After the city of Nikolaevsk, there is the Amur Estuary, through which it connects with the Tatar Strait.

After the confluence of a large tributary of the tributary - the Ussuri, the Amur becomes especially full-flowing.

tributaries

Zeya, Ussuri, Bureya, Sungari, Argun, Anyui. Gorin, Gur, Amgun

Fishery resources

Amur is one of the largest fishing regions in Russia.

The most valuable fish are Chum salmon, Salmon, Pink salmon, Smelt, Lamprey. In addition, such rare species of fish as Kaluga and Sea Sturgeon live in the river.

Briefly

The main characteristics of the Amur River:

Length - 2824 km.

Swimming pool - 2855 sq. km.

Annual flow - 11330 cubic meters / s

The greatest width is 5 km (Troitskoye village)

The greatest depth is 56 m (near the Tyrsky cliff)

Food - mostly rain

Interesting Facts:

The first Russians appeared on the Amur in 1644, then the Cossacks came there under the leadership of V.
Every year, the excess of MPC for microbiological indicators, nitrates and phenol is recorded in the river.
The Amur River basin is located on the territory of 3 states - Russia (about 54%), China (44%) and Mongolia (2%).

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What rivers empty into the Pacific Ocean?

Thus, the riverbed passes through the territory of three countries. In each of the countries, the Amur has its own name, for example, the Chinese call it "Black Dragon River", and the Mongols "Black River". The length of the Amur is two thousand eight hundred seventy-four kilometers (2874 km.), And the length of the entire basin is about four and a half thousand kilometers, from the mouth of the Shilka and Argun rivers. In terms of basin area, the Amur is in fourth place among Russian rivers, second only to the Yenisei, Ob and Lena, the area of the Amur River basin is one thousand eight hundred and fifty-five square kilometers.

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***Anadyr is a relatively small Chukchi river, its length is 1150 kilometers, and the basin area is one hundred ninety-one thousand square kilometers. The source of Anadyr is located in the center of the Anadyr plateau, there is a small lake, from which the Siberian river originates. The channel passes through the territory of the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, and the river flows into the Gulf of Anadyr in the Bering Sea. The banks of the Anadyr are high mountains covered with dense forests, so there are no villages along almost the entire length of the river.

Sometimes nomadic Chukchi tribes come to the cold waters of Anadyr.
*** In the west, the rivers flow into the Pacific Ocean: Penzhina, Yalujiang (Amnokkan), Huanghe, Yangtze, Xijiang, Yuanjiang
***Rivers of North America - Yukon, Kuskokwim, Fraser, Columbia, Sacramento, San Joaquin, Colorado, Salado.

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Characteristics of the Pacific Ocean. Rivers and seas in the Pacific Ocean. Ecological status of the ocean

The characteristics of the Pacific region show that it is the largest and deepest on the planet.

It will be on such continents as Eurasia, America, Australia and Antarctica. In Marian Diche, the depth of the ocean reaches 11 km.

etymology

The first person living in Europe to visit the eastern part of the ocean is Balboa, the Spanish conqueror.

When he crossed the Isthmus of Panama and, unknowingly, entered the ocean, he named it the South Sea. A few years later, Ferdinand Magellan decided to try his fortune.

He traveled for almost four months, crossing the ocean from the Philippines to Tierra del Fuego. After that, he was named Tikh. But the French scientist Buyash, who sailed with his team and the Pacific Ocean, and its entire basin, estimating its enormous size, called it the Great.

However, this hydronym is not caught.

Properties of salt and water in winter

In fact, the highest salt ratio reaches 35.6%. A similar option is found only in the tropics due to the fact that the climate in these areas does not have a lot of precipitation, but strong evaporation occurs here. The characteristics of the Pacific Ocean, found in many reference books, show that in the immediate vicinity of the eastern part of the salinity, the water is significantly reduced due to cold currents.

It should be noted that in temperate and underground regions, this figure approaches the lowest mark due to constant rain and snow.

The appearance of ice, that is, the freezing of water, directly depends on the salt content. They often cover only the Antarctic regions, as well as the waters of the Bering Sea, the Sea of Japan and the oceanic sea. On the shores of Alaska, ice gorges often travel primarily across the Pacific Ocean.

Due to the harmful effects of human activities, the Pacific map allows you to mark several areas of water that are completely polluted and are of great harm to people, as well as to life-threatening types such as seals, whales.

The main pollution is oil and all kinds of waste. Because of this, the ocean is overloaded with metals, radioactive substances that simply cannot be in the water. A complete characterization of the Pacific Ocean showed that all substances belonging to it are present in the entire water area. The most interesting fact is that similar compounds have been found in animals living near Antarctica.

A place that attracts tourists has long been associated with beautiful landscapes.

Most people come to see the landfill, which was created a few years ago by waste generated by the currents. It is scary to almost reach the shores of California, Hawaii and Japan. If in 2001 the area of the city was 1 billion square meters. km and weighing 4 million tons, at the moment this number has increased thousands of times!

Every 10 years, this deposit grows to a decent size.

Because some birds take small plastic food collections, they eat or feed them chicks. As a result, the body does not digest these substances, and the creature dies due to the inability to take them.

Animal and plant life

More than half of the world's population lives in the waters of the Pacific Ocean.

There are many species of fish and plants here. Only phytoplankton has more than 1300 representatives. Vegetation water is 4 thousand water and 29 land plants. Laminaria is common in cold zones, the length of which sometimes reaches 200 m. In the tropics, red and fucose algae.

Holothurians live in the depths, which are stored only on the ground.

hydrosphere

Tropical ocean water is a thousand times richer in fish than other waters. Here you can see sea urchins, horseshoes and many other species of animals that are not preserved in other oceans. Most salmon live there.

Rivers in the Pacific

All watercourses that spread into the ocean are not large, but have a fairly high flow rate. There is currently no precise figure on how many streams are combined with these powerful waters.

Some have over 100 streams, while others have over a thousand.

The map of the Pacific Ocean allows you to see 40 rivers that directly belong to its basin. The largest of them is the watercourse, in which the mouth of Okhotsk is larger - Amur.

Mineral resources

You should not lose sight of the fact that there are many minerals on the bottom of the Pacific Ocean.

Here you can find deposits of various minerals. In the fields of many countries, especially Japan, the USA, Australia and other countries, they extract gas and oil. Tin is produced in large quantities in Malaysia, zircon is found in Australia. Ores and manganese deposits are found in the northern part of the water. Thanks to estimates that characterize the characteristics of the Pacific Ocean, we can say that these waters hide about 40% of gas and oil reserves.

There are also hydrates, and in 2013 Japan decided to drill natural gas wells from the capital to the ocean's northeast.

In the Pacific seas, their character as a problematic flow often does not manifest itself. At the same time, it is interesting that Magellan and his team, who traveled by water, came to the storm for all three months of their stay. That is why the ocean got its name.

It is divided into several sides: northern and southern, the border between which runs along the equatorial line.

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Island (river in the Pacific Ocean)

The width and depth of the river do not allow large cargo ships to pass through it, so only small ships are used as a transport line. Only at the mouth of the Anadir, six and a half miles, seven kilometers in the middle, and the upper course of the river is shown in the lower reaches of the Anadir, and the development of industrial fishing in the upper and middle reaches of the fish was captured only by fans and athletes.

Land belonging to the basin of the rich deposits of Anadyr coal, so that small cargo ships pass on the river, transporting coal on the river to the Gulf of Anadyr, where ports and wharves are being built.

The bulk of Anadyr's water comes from snowmelt, and to a lesser extent, the river is fed by rain and groundwater. The aforementioned reaches the Chukotka River with very early frosts - in mid-September, the middle and lower streams are covered with ice in October.

Ice begins only at the beginning of summer. There is no navigation in Anadyr for about eight months.

Home > Wiki-tutorial > Geography > 7th grade > Inland waters of North America: rivers of the Pacific and Atlantic Ocean basin

Rivers of the Pacific Basin

The rivers that belong to the Pacific Ocean in North America are short, but very full-flowing.

These rivers surround deep and narrow valleys called canyons.

The largest river in the Pacific Ocean basin is the Colorado River, which has many hydroelectric power plants that generate energy for several states.

In the northern west of North America, the Yukon River flows, the lower course of which resembles the great and full-flowing rivers of Siberia.

Rivers of the Pacific Basin

The Yukon River carries its waters directly to the Pacific Ocean. In summer, it is full of water, in July the river overflows for 160 km.

Rivers of the Atlantic Ocean basin

The rivers of the Atlantic Ocean basin are very long, they have a large number of tributaries. The largest river of the continent, which belongs to the Atlantic Ocean basin, is the Mississippi.

The main tributary of the Mississippi is the Missouri River, one of the longest rivers in the world.

The Mississippi River basin occupies 1/6 of North America.

In frosty winters, the Mississippi is covered with ice (with the exception of the part that crosses tropical latitudes), in summer the river floods. The Mississippi is called the "fat mud": its waters are colored yellow, as the current washes loose clay rocks.

Lakes of North America

On the territory of North America, the largest accumulation of fresh lakes on earth is located - the Great Lakes. The Great Lakes complex unites five reservoirs, two of which are held together by the Niagara Falls.

The largest lake on the continent is the Upper Lake, it is the largest fresh water body on the planet.

The freshwater lakes of North America do not freeze in winter, which makes them suitable for year-round use for industrial purposes.

Salt lakes are located in the north of the continent. The largest of them are the Great Bear, Great Slave, Great Salt Lake.

Niagara Falls

Translated from the language of the ancient Indians, "Niagara" means "thundering water." This name very accurately characterizes the reservoir: the noise of Niagara Falls is heard at a distance of 25 km.

Niagara Falls is relatively young: it was formed about 10 thousand years ago.

Niagara Falls is made up of three waterfalls: Horseshoe, Bridal Veil and American Falls. The height of all three waterfalls is 53 meters (of which 21 meters are visible).

Despite the fact that the height is small, the waterfalls are very wide, the volume of falling water reaches 5700 m3/s. Niagara Falls attracts many tourists from all over the world.

The most colorful views of the waterfall open from Canada.

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