North America

North America is a continent in the Northern and Western hemispheres. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South America and the Caribbean Sea to the southeast, and the Pacific Ocean to the south and west.

The continent covers about 24,709,000 square kilometers (9,540,000 square miles), making it the third-largest continent after Asia and Africa. It is home to over 592 million people living in 23 independent states and territories.

North America includes areas such as Canada, the continental United States, Mexico, and many smaller regions. The continent has a rich history, with people living there thousands of years ago. Over time, many different groups have shaped its cultures and languages. Today, most people speak languages like English, Spanish, and French.

Name

Further information: Naming of the Americas, New Spain, Turtle Island, and Vinland

The continents we call the Americas were named after an Italian explorer named Amerigo Vespucci. Vespucci sailed along South America and showed that these lands were a new continent, not part of Asia. In 1507, a mapmaker named Martin Waldseemüller put the name “America” on his map for the southern part of this land. Later, the name “America” was used for the northern part too, which we now call North America.

At first, North America had other names. One old map called it “Baccalearum,” meaning “land of the cod fish,” because there were many cod fish along the East Coast. Over time, the name “America” was used for the whole area.

Definition

The United Nations says North America has three parts: Northern America, Central America (which includes Mexico), and the Caribbean. Some trade rules, like NAFTA, use the term for three countries: Canada, Mexico, and the United States.

North America has different areas based on culture, language, and money. It includes places such as Anglo-America and Latin America. Some places, like Louisiana and Quebec, have many people who speak Francophone languages. The biggest countries by size are Canada and the United States, each with many famous regions.

History

Main article: History of North America

Pre-Columbian era

Main article: Pre-Columbian era

The first people of North America had many stories about how they arrived there. Scientists think they came from Asia, possibly crossing a land bridge called Bering Land Bridge between Siberia and Alaska thousands of years ago. Others may have sailed from a place called Beringia. These early people lived in many different groups, each with their own ways of life. Some hunted animals on the Great Plains, while others farmed in places like Mesoamerica. They created art called petroglyphs and grew new crops such as maize.

Europeans first learned about North America from old stories called Norse sagas, which mentioned a place called Vinland. The first proof that Europeans visited North America comes from a site in Newfoundland, showing that a explorer named Leif Erikson was there around the year 1000.

Post-contact, 1492–1910

Main article: European colonization of the Americas

Further information: Timeline of the European colonization of North America, British America, French America, New Spain, and Russian colonization of the Americas

When Europeans arrived in North America, the people who already lived there reacted in many ways. Many got sick from diseases the newcomers brought. Others fought or made agreements. Life changed greatly for the native peoples, and many of their traditions shifted.

Spain, England, and France all claimed parts of North America. Spain started settlements in places like Hispaniola and Cuba. France settled areas such as Saint-Domingue, and Britain settled places including Barbados and Jamaica. Later, Britain began settling along the east coast of what is now the United States.

English settlements

Main article: British America

The first permanent English town was Jamestown, Virginia in 1607. More towns grew along the east coast, from Georgia to Massachusetts. In Canada, early British towns included St. John's, Newfoundland and Halifax, Nova Scotia. The French founded Quebec City, Quebec in 1608.

Seven Years' War

Main article: Seven Years' War

After Britain won the Seven Years' War, France gave up its lands east of the Mississippi River to Britain in 1763. Spain received lands west of the Mississippi. French settlers moved to areas like Illinois Country and later moved west to places near the Pacific Ocean.

American Revolution

Main articles: American Revolution and American Revolutionary War

In 1776, the thirteen colonies declared their independence from Britain. They formed the United States after winning a long war. France and Spain helped the United States, while Britain had support from soldiers called Hessian military from Germany. The war ended in 1783 with a treaty that recognized the United States as a new country.

Westward expansion

Main article: Westward Expansion Trails

Further information: Lewis and Clark Expedition, Louisiana Purchase, and United States Exploring Expedition

By the late 1700s, Russia had settlements on the northern Pacific Northwest coast. Spain also wanted control of the Pacific coast. Explorers like Lewis and Clark traveled to the west. In 1803, the United States bought a large area called the Louisiana Purchase from France. Mexico gained independence from Spain in 1821. The United States later went to war with Mexico and gained more land. Russia sold its lands in North America, including Alaska, to the United States in 1867.

Canada and Panama Canal

Main articles: Canada and Panama Canal

In 1867, many areas north of the United States joined together to form Canada. The United States wanted to build a waterway through the narrow part of Panama, which was then part of Colombia. With help from local people, Panama became separate from Colombia. The United States then built the Panama Canal, finishing it in 1913. This canal connected the Atlantic and Pacific oceans and made travel by ship much easier.

Geography

Main article: Geography of North America

North America is the third-largest continent. It covers about 24.7 million square kilometers. The land stretches from the Arctic Circle in the north to near the Tropic of Cancer in the south. Many islands are part of North America, such as the Bahamas and the Greater and Lesser Antilles.

The continent has many different kinds of land. You can find flat areas like the Great Plains and tall mountains like the Rocky Mountains. The highest peak is Denali in Alaska. North America also has many bodies of water, such as the Gulf of Mexico and Hudson Bay.

List of states and territories

Main article: List of sovereign states and dependent territories in North America

North America has many countries and territories. Some big countries are Canada, the United States, and Mexico. There are also small islands and areas that belong to other countries, like those linked to France and the United Kingdom. Each place has its own leaders and rules, making North America a varied and interesting part of the world.

Economy

Main article: Economy of North America

See also: List of North American countries by GDP (nominal) and List of North American countries by GDP (PPP)

North America has a very strong economy. The United States has the largest economy. Canada and Mexico also help make the economy strong. The United States is good at technology and services. Canada’s economy grows with mining and making things. Mexico’s economy includes oil, making things, and farming.

Trade agreements help these countries work together. The North American Free Trade Agreement, or NAFTA, helped Canada, the United States, and Mexico trade more easily. In 2018, this agreement changed and is now called the U.S.–Mexico–Canada Agreement (USMCA). Other trade groups, like the Caribbean Community and Common Market (CARICOM) and the Central American Common Market (CACM), also help countries share goods and services.

Transport

Main article: Transportation in North America

North America has many important roads and railroads. The Pan-American Highway is a long road that connects many countries. In the United States, the first transcontinental railroad was finished in 1869. This helped people and goods move across the country much faster.

Communications

A shared telephone system called the North American Numbering Plan connects many countries and territories, including the United States, Canada, Bermuda, and some Caribbean nations.

Demographics

See also: List of North American countries by population and List of North American countries by life expectancy

Canada and the United States are the wealthiest and most developed nations on the continent followed by Mexico, a newly industrialized country. The countries of Central America and the Caribbean have different levels of economic development. Small Caribbean island nations, such as Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, and Antigua and Barbuda, have a higher GDP (PPP) per capita than Mexico because they have fewer people. Panama and Costa Rica have a higher Human Development Index and GDP than other Central American nations. Greenland has many resources, but most are not used. The island depends on fishing, tourism, and money from Denmark. Even so, it is highly developed.

North America has many different groups of people. The three largest groups are Whites, Mestizos, and Blacks. There are also many Indigenous Americans and Asians, along with other smaller groups.

Languages

Main article: Languages of North America

The main languages in North America are English, Spanish, and French. Danish is spoken in Greenland along with Greenlandic, and Dutch is spoken alongside local languages in the Dutch Caribbean. The term Anglo-America refers to the anglophone countries of the Americas: Canada (where English and French are both official) and the U.S., and sometimes Belize and parts of the tropics, especially the Commonwealth Caribbean. Latin America refers to areas where Romance languages, such as Spanish and Portuguese, are spoken. This includes most of Central America (but not always Belize), part of the Caribbean, Mexico, and most of South America, except Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, and the Falkland Islands.

The U.S. has many different groups of people. The French language has been important in North America and is still spoken in some places. Canada is officially bilingual. French is the official language in the province of Quebec, where most people speak it. It is also an official language in New Brunswick alongside English. Other places where French is spoken include Ontario, Manitoba, the French West Indies, Saint-Pierre et Miquelon, and the U.S. state of Louisiana. Haiti is also part of this group, although people there speak both Creole and French. French and French Antillean Creole are also spoken in Saint Lucia and the Commonwealth of Dominica along with English.

Indigenous languages

Many indigenous languages are spoken in North America. In Mexico, about 6 million people speak an indigenous language at home. In the U.S., about 372,000 people speak an indigenous language, and in Canada, about 225,000 people do.

Religions

Main article: Religion in North America

See also: Religions of the world

Christianity is the largest religion in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Many people in these countries identify as Christians. The U.S. has the largest number of Christians in the world. Mexico has the second-largest number of Catholics, after Brazil.

Some people in Canada and the U.S. do not follow any religion. Canada, the U.S., and Mexico also have communities of Jews, Buddhists, and Muslims. The U.S. has the most Jews and Muslims in North America. Mexico has a small number of Muslims.

Christianity is also the main religion in Mexico and Central America. After Spain colonized Mexico, Roman Catholicism became the main religion. Over time, other Christian groups have grown, along with people who do not follow any religion. Christianity is also the main religion in the Caribbean. Other religions in the Caribbean include Hinduism, Islam, Rastafari, and Afro-American religions such as Santería and Vodou.

Population

See also: List of North American countries by population, List of North American cities by population, and List of North American metropolitan areas by population

North America is the fourth most populous continent. The U.S. has the most people, with over 340 million. Mexico is second with about 120 million, and Canada is third with about 40 million. Many Caribbean islands have fewer than a million people, but some, like Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobago, have more than a million. Greenland has a small population of about 56,000, despite its large size.

Big cities are not just in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico; there are large cities in the Caribbean too. The largest cities are Mexico City and New York City, each with more than eight million people. Other large cities include Los Angeles, Toronto, Chicago, Havana, Santo Domingo, and Montreal. Cities in the Sun Belt of the U.S., such as Houston, Phoenix, Miami, Atlanta, and Las Vegas, are growing quickly. This is because of warm weather, people retiring, industries, and immigrants. Cities near the U.S. border, like Tijuana in Mexico, are also growing fast.

Eight of the largest areas around cities are located in the U.S.. These areas have more than five million people each, including the New York City metropolitan area, Los Angeles metropolitan area, Chicago metropolitan area, and the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. Mexico has the largest metropolitan area in North America: Greater Mexico City. Canada’s Toronto metropolitan area also has many people.

Cities close to each other on the Canada–United States border and the Mexico–U.S. border create important areas for trade and culture, like Detroit–Windsor and San Diego–Tijuana.

Further information: Megaregions of the United States

North America has also seen the growth of large areas with many cities close together. The United States has eleven such areas.

^†2011 Census figures

Culture

Main article: Culture of North America

North America has many different cultures. The United States and English-speaking parts of Canada share similar traditions, but French Canada has its own unique culture. The Southwest of the U.S. has strong influences from Spanish-speaking cultures. Mexico and Central America are part of Latin America and have their own traditions.

Canada has both English and French as official languages. The government helps protect its culture. The United States does not have an official language but English is commonly spoken. Many people in the southwestern United States, New York, and Florida celebrate Latino culture.

Sport

Main article: Sport in North America

Sport in North America includes many popular games. The United States and Canada have teams that play baseball, basketball, hockey, and soccer. Together with Mexico, they will host the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Canada considers lacrosse a national sport, and curling is an important winter activity. Boxing is popular in Mexico and the United States. Canada has its own football league.