- This article is about continental divides in general. For other meanings, see Continental divide (disambiguation).
A continental divide is a line of elevated terrain which forms a border between two watersheds such that water falling on one side of the line eventually travels to one ocean or body of water, and water on the other side travels to another, generally on the opposite side of the continent. Terrain, or relief, is the third or vertical dimension of land surface. A drainage basin is an extent of Land where Water from Rain or Snow melt drains downhill into a body of water such as a River, Water is a common Chemical substance that is essential for the survival of all known forms of Life. An ocean (from Greek, ''Okeanos'' (Oceanus) is a major body of saline water, and a principal component of the Hydrosphere. A continent is one of several large Landmasses on Earth. They are generally identified by Convention rather than any strict criteria with seven regions Because the exact border between bodies of water is usually not clearly defined, the continental divide is not always definite for any continent (The International Hydrographic Organization's publication Limits of Oceans and Seas defines exact boundaries of oceans. The International Hydrographic Organization (IHO was originally established in 1921 as the International Hydrographic Bureau (IHB
See also
External links
- nationalatlas.gov
- Continental Divides in North Dakota and North America by Mark A. Gonzalez. Excellent article on America's other continental divides.PDF (123 KiB)
- Map of drainage basins in Canada
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