| Alaska |
a state of the United States on the northwestern coast of North America. Its capital is Juneau. (abbreviated: AK) |
| all-American |
made up only of Americans or of parts made in America. [1/2 definitions] |
| alpaca |
an animal with long legs and a long neck. Alpacas live in the mountains of South America. They are mammals closely related to llamas and to camels. Alpacas are raised for their long, soft wool. |
| Amazon |
the longest river in South America. It flows from the Andes mountains in Peru across northern Brazil to the Atlantic Ocean. [1/2 definitions] |
| Amazon River |
a major river of South America that flows from the Andes Mountains in Peru across northern Brazil to the Atlantic Ocean. |
| America |
(plural) the lands of North and South America, including the lands of Central America and the Caribbean islands (preceded by "the"). [2/3 definitions] |
| American |
of or having to do with North, Central, or South America, or its people or languages. [2/5 definitions] |
| American Indian |
a member of any of the native peoples of North America, Central America, South America, or the West Indies, except for Eskimos. American Indians are also called Native Americans. |
| anaconda |
a very large snake found in South America. Anacondas are not poisonous but kill other animals by squeezing them until they cannot breathe. Anacondas can grow to over twenty feet long. |
| Andes |
a high mountain range that stretches along the entire west coast of South America. |
| Andes Mountains |
a mountain range that extends the length of the western coast of South America. |
| anteater |
a mammal that uses its long, sticky tongue to eat ants and termites. True anteaters have no teeth, are furry, and live in Central or South America. They are related to armadillos and sloths. Other kinds of mammals that eat ants are also sometimes called anteaters, but they are not related to American anteaters. |
| Appalachian Mountains |
a mountain range in eastern North America that stretches from the southeastern part of Canada to central Alabama in the United States; Appalachians. |
| Argentina |
a country in southern South America. Buenos Aires is the capital of Argentina. |
| armadillo |
a mammal whose body is protected by hard, bony plates. Armadillos live in Central and South America, and the southern United States. Some kinds of armadillos are only six inches long; other kinds grow up to four feet in length. They eat mostly insects and are related to sloths and anteaters. |
| Atlantic |
an ocean bordered by Europe and Africa on the east and North and South America on the west; Atlantic Ocean. |
| Atlantic Ocean |
an ocean that is bordered by Europe and Africa on the east and by North and South America on the west. |
| badger |
a furry mammal with short legs and a long body. The American badger has a white stripe on its forehead that runs down its back, and it has long dark marks on its face also. Badgers eat worms, rodents, rabbits, and plants. Different kinds of badgers live in Europe, Asia, and North America. They are related to skunks, otters, and other kinds of weasels. [1/2 definitions] |
| balsa |
a tree of tropical America, whose wood is very light in weight. [1/2 definitions] |
| beaver1 |
a large rodent, up to four feet long, with thick brown fur and a wide flat tail. Beavers use their long front teeth to cut down trees for food and to build dams and lodges (beaver houses). They use the dams to keep water around their lodges. Beavers live in North America, Europe, and Asia. |
| bighorn |
a wild sheep found in the Rocky Mountains of North America. The male has large, curved horns; the female has short, straight horns. They are also called Rocky Mountain sheep. |