Land of the Eagle

2. Confronting the Wilderness

Trade rivalries eventually pushed the French south. Following the great Mississippi River, they laid claim to a land on behalf of their King - Louisiana.

3. Conquering the Swamps

The vast Spanish territory of Florida once stretched as far as the Mississippi. The wealth of this land was its wildlife, which thrived in sub - tropical swamps.

4. Across the Sea of Grass

Beyond the Mississippi, the explorers found the trees giving way to immense grasslands: the rolling prairies ablaze with a mass of flowers.

5. Into the Shining Mountains

The explorers searching for a safe trail through the Rocky Mountains found themselves locked in a maze of steep wooded valleys, rushing torrents, and harsh climates threatening storms and avalanches.

6. Living on the Edge

The Southwest of the continent is mostly desert - harsh, hot, inhospitable landscapes where plants and animals have developed very special means of survival.

7. The First and Last Frontier

Alaska, the northernmost mainland of America was the gateway for the native peoples that, 10,000 years ago, came from Asia to the New World.

8. Searching for Paradise

California's plant and animal communities were unrivalled elsewhere on the North American continent. But Americans soon began to realize the province's natural resources were not inexhaustible.