Printer Friendly
Dictionary, Encyclopedia and Thesaurus - The Free Dictionary
1,771,616,131 visitors served.
forum mailing list For webmasters
?
New: Language forums
Dictionary/
thesaurus
Medical
dictionary
Legal
dictionary
Financial
dictionary
Acronyms
 
Idioms
Encyclopedia
Wikipedia
encyclopedia
?

continental divide
(redirected from North American continental divide)

   Also found in: Wikipedia, Hutchinson 0.02 sec.
Continental Divide, the "backbone" of a continent. In North America, from N Alaska to New Mexico, it moves along the crest of the Rocky Mts., which separates westward-flowing streams from eastward-flowing waters. In SW New Mexico the divide crosses an area of low relief; it becomes more distinct in N Mexico, where it follows the Sierra Madre Occidental. In the United States it has been called the Great Divide, a name also occasionally used to designate the whole Rocky Mt. system, especially the southern section, where the high, rugged ranges presented an almost impenetrable barrier to westbound explorers and settlers. Glacier Glacier National Park, 1,013,572 acres (410,497 hectares), NW Mont.; est. 1910. Straddling the Continental Divide, the park contains some of the most beautiful primitive wilderness in the Rocky Mts.
..... Click the link for more information.
, Yellowstone Yellowstone National Park, 2,219,791 acres (899,015 hectares), the world's first national park (est. 1872), NW Wyo., extending into Montana and Idaho. It lies mainly on a broad plateau in the Rocky Mts., on the Continental Divide, c.
..... Click the link for more information.
, and Rocky Mountain national parks lie on the Continental Divide, and the

Continental Divide National Scenic Trail runs along it (see National Parks and Monuments National Parks and Monuments

National Parks
Name Type1 Location Year authorized Size

acres (hectares)
Description
Acadia NP SE Maine 1919 48,419 (19,603) Mountain and coast scenery.
..... Click the link for more information. , table).

Continental Divide

Most notable watershed of the North American continent. The mountains comprising it extend generally north-south, thus dividing the continent's principal drainage into waters flowing eastward (e.g., into Hudson Bay in Canada or the Mississippi River in the U.S.) and waters flowing westward (into the Pacific Ocean). Most of the divide runs along the crest of the Rocky Mountains, through British Columbia in Canada and through the states of Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, and New Mexico in the U.S. Its central point is Colorado, where it has many peaks above 13,000 ft (3,962 m). It continues southward into Mexico, roughly paralleling the Sierra Madre, and into Central America.


continental divide [¦känt·ən¦ent·əl di′vīd]
(geology)
A drainage divide of a continent, separating streams that flow in opposite directions; for example, the divide in North America that separates watersheds of the Pacific Ocean from those of the Atlantic Ocean.


How to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit webmaster's page for free fun content.
?Page tools
Printer friendly
Cite / link
Email
Feedback
? Mentioned in
 
Encyclopedia browser? ? Full browser
 
North American Computers, Inc.
North American Confederacy
North American Conference of Associates and Religious
North American Conference of Separated and Divorced Catholics
North American Conference on British Studies
North American Conference on Chinese Linguistics
North American Conference on Ethiopian Jewry
North American Conference on Logic Programming
North American Conference on Mycorrhizae
North American Congress of Clinical Toxicology
North American Congress on Biomechanics
North American Congress on Latin America
North American Congress on Latin America
North American Conservation Action Plan
North American Consortium on Legal Education
North American Construction Group
North American Consumer Products
North American Consumer Protection Investigators
North American Contact Dermatitis Group
North American Container System
North American continent
North American continent
North American continent
North American continental currency
North American continental divide
North American Contract Bridge League
North American copperhead snake
North American coral snake
North American coral snake antivenin
North American Corriente Association
North American Cottage Garden Society
North American cottonmouth snake
North American Cougar
North American Council for Adoptable Children
North American Council for Muslim Women
North American Council for Online Learning
North American Council of Automotive Teachers
North American Council of Chemical Associations
North American Council of South Asian Christians
North American country
North American Country Music Association International
North American cowbird
North American cowbird
North American Crane Working Group
North American Craniofacial Family Conference
North American Crappie Association
North American craton
North American Cruiser Association
North American CT-39
 
Encyclopedia
?

Disclaimer | Privacy policy | Feedback | Copyright © 2009 Farlex, Inc.
All content on this website, including dictionary, thesaurus, literature, geography, and other reference data is for informational purposes only. This information should not be considered complete, up to date, and is not intended to be used in place of a visit, consultation, or advice of a legal, medical, or any other professional. Terms of Use.