Continental divide
A
continental divide is a line of elevated terrain which forms a border between two drainage basins such that
water falling on one side of the line eventually travels to one
ocean, and water on the other side travels to another, generally on the opposite side of the
continent. Since the exact border between oceans is usually not clearly defined, the continental divide is not always definite for any continent. For instance,
North America has a clear continental divide in the
Rocky Mountains along most of its length, draining into the
Atlantic Ocean on the east and the
Pacific Ocean on the west, while
Australia has less distinct ocean boundaries around it, and less prominent mountain ranges, making it hard to define a single divide.