The Continental Divide is a geographic feature that separates the river systems of a continent that feed into different basins. Specifically, the Continental Divide of the Americas is the principal hydrological divide of the Americas, extending from the Bering Strait to the Strait of Magellan. It separates the watersheds that drain into the Pacific Ocean from those that drain into the Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, including those that drain into the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean Sea, and Hudson Bay. The Continental Divide is largely mountainous and zig-zags southwardly over Yukon, forming part of the boundary between Yukon and the Northwest Territories in the Mackenzie Mountains.
Triple Divide Peak in Glacier National Park, Montana, is the point where two of the principal continental divides in North America converge, the primary Continental Divide and the Northern or Laurentian Divide. From this point, waters flow to the Pacific Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean via the Gulf of Mexico, and the Arctic Ocean via Hudson Bay.
The Continental Divide is important because it divides water resources, creating ecological habitats and weather patterns. It also dictates where precipitation will drain to different bays, gulfs, seas, or oceans.
