<P> The northern half of North America is sparsely populated and covered mostly by Canada, except for the northeastern portion, which is occupied by Greenland, and the northwestern portion, which is occupied by Alaska, the largest state of the U.S. The central and southern portions of the continent are represented by the United States, Mexico, and numerous smaller states primarily in Central America and in the Caribbean . </P> <P> The continent is delimited on the southeast by most geographers at the Darién watershed along the Colombia - Panama border, placing all of Panama within North America . Alternatively, a less common view would end North America at the man - made Panama Canal . Islands generally associated with North America include Greenland, the world's largest island, and archipelagos and islands in the Caribbean . The terminology of the Americas is complex, but "Anglo - America" can describe Canada and the U.S., while "Latin America" comprises Mexico and the countries of Central America and the Caribbean, as well as the entire continent of South America . </P> <P> Natural features of North America include the northern portion of the American Cordillera, represented by the geologically new Rocky Mountains in the west; and the considerably older Appalachian Mountains to the east . The north hosts an abundance of glacial lakes formed during the last glacial period, including the Great Lakes . North America's major continental divide is the Great Divide, which runs north and south down through Rocky Mountains . The major watersheds all drain to the east: The Mississippi / Missouri and Rio Grande into the Gulf of Mexico, and St. Lawrence into the Atlantic . </P> <P> Climate is determined to a large extent by the latitude, ranging from Arctic cold in the north to tropical heat in the south . The western half of North America tends to have milder and wetter climate than other areas with equivalent latitude, although there are steppes (known as "prairies") in the central and western portions, and deserts in the Southwestern United States of Arizona, Colorado, California, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, Oklahoma, and Texas; along with the Mexican states of Baja California, Baja California Sur, Sonora, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo Leon and Tamaulipas . </P>

Which mountain range lies to the east of north america