continental divide

     

A continental ivide 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. 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.

Trivia about continental divide

  • In the U.S. this imaginary geographical division generally follows the crests of the Rocky Mountains
  • 10 miles west of Helena is this 2-word geographic feature, the crestline of the Rockies
  • It's the 2-word term for the Rocky Mountain ridge that separates rivers flowing east & west
  • (Sarah of the Clue Crew reads from Yellowstone National Park.) This backbone of North America separating east- from west-flowing rivers cuts through the plateau of Yellowstone Park
  • Butte, Montana lies on this rocky ridge that separates North America's east- & west-running rivers