North America, 1883
North America comprises the northern part of the continent of
America, and is joined to South America by the Isthmus of Panama. It
is bounded on the north by the Arctic Ocean; on the west by the
Pacific Ocean; on the south by the Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of
Mexico; and on the east by the Atlantic Ocean. Its surface is
divided into four great regions by the grand chain of the Rocky
Mountains, and the lesser chain of the Alleghanies; consisting of
the northern slope towards the Arctic Ocean, the Pacific slope, the
great central plain extending from the sources of the Mississippi to
the Gulf of Mexico, and the eastern slope towards the Atlantic
Ocean. North America is divided in to Danish America, Mexico,
Dominion of Canada, United States of America, Central America, and
West India Islands.
—
Modern School Geography and Atlas, 1880