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This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated.1861 Excerpt:... AMERICA. PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY Boundaries and Extent.--America contains about threetenths of the dry land on the surface of the globe. It is washed on the east by the Atlantic, and on the west by the Pacific. Its length from north to south is about 9000 miles, and average breadth about 3000. The continent is divided into North and South America. NORTH AMERICA. North America extends from the Arctic Ocean to the Isthmus of Panama. Its winding outline presents a great extent of sea-coast. The mountain ranges, which are distinguished by their magnitude, consist of two great chains, the eastern and western; the western chain consists of the Rocky or Oregon mountains, and the Sierra Nevada; the former extend from the Arctic Ocean to the Isthmus of Panama; in Mexico it expands into extensive table-lands, crowned by lofty volcanic peaks. In it general course it is nearly parallel to the Pacific Ocean, forming the great dividing ridge, or line of separation, between the eastern and western waters, the principal of which have their origin in its rugged declivities. The other extensive range is the Alleghany, which runs parallel to the eastern coast of the United States. It consists principally of two parallel chains, the Alleghany and the Blue Ridge. The Sierra Nevada runs through the north-west of the continent. The rivers are unequalled both in their length of course and in the vast masses which they pour into the ocean. The Mackenzie, the St. Lawrence, the Missouri, the Mississippi, the Rio del Norte, the Colorado, and the Columbia are the principal streams. The lakes are numerous and important; Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, form the largest bodies of fresh water in the world; the other large lakes are, Winnipeg, Athabasca, the Great Slave and Great B...