What is North America?

North America is a continent ^[1] in the Earth's northern hemisphere and (chiefly) western hemisphere. It is bordered on the north by the Arctic Ocean, on the east by the North Atlantic Ocean, on the southeast by the Caribbean Sea, and on the south and west by the North Pacific Ocean; South America lies to the southeast. It covers an area of about 24,490,000 square kilometers (9,450,000 sq mi), about 4.8 percent of the planet's surface or about 16.4% of its land area. As of October 2006, its population was estimated at over 514,600,000. It is the third-largest continent in area, following Asia and Africa, and is fourth in population after Asia, Africa, and Europe. North America and South America are collectively known as the Americas.

Etymology

North and South America are popularly accepted as having been named after Italian explorer Amerigo Vespucci by the German cartographer Martin Waldseemüller. Vespucci was the first European to suggest that the Americas were not the East Indies, but a new world previously undiscovered by Europeans. Vespucci was the first to discover South America and the Amerique mountains of Central America, which connected his discoveries to those of Christopher Columbus. The etymology is further complicated by the need of cartographers to come up with a name that paralleled the feminine names of the other continents (e.g. Europa, Asia, Africa etc.). The convention is to use the surname for naming discoveries except in the case of royalty and so a derivation from "Amerigo Vespucci" may be problematic.

The second and less generally accepted theory is that the continents are named after an English merchant named Richard Amerike from Bristol, who is believed to have financed John Cabot's voyage of discovery from England to Newfoundland in 1497. A minutely explored belief that has been advanced is that America was named for a Spanish sailor bearing the ancient Visigothic name of 'Amairick'. Another is that the name is rooted in an American Indian language.^[2]

History

Main article: History of North America

Scientists have several theories as to the origins of the early human population of the North America. The indigenous peoples of North America themselves have many creation stories, by which they assert that they have been present on the land since its creation.

Before contact with Europeans the natives of North America were divided into many different polities, from small bands of a few families to large empires. They lived in several "culture areas", which roughly correspond to geographic and biological zones and give a good indication of the main lifeway or occupation of the people who lived there (e.g. the Bison hunters of the Great Plains, or the farmers of Mesoamerica). Native groups can also be classified by their language family (e.g. Athapascan or Uto-Aztecan). It is important to note that peoples with similar languages did not always share the same material culture, nor were they always allies.

Scientists believe that the Inuit people of the high Arctic came to North America much later than other native groups, as evidenced by the disappearance of Dorset culture artifacts from the archaeological record, and their replacement by the Thule people.

During the thousands of years of native inhabitation on the continent, cultures changed and shifted. Archaeologists often name different cultural groups they discover after the site where they are first found. One of the oldest cultures yet found is the Clovis culture of modern New Mexico. A more recent example is the group of related cultures called the Mound builders (e.g. the Fort Walton Culture), found in the Mississippi river valley. They flourished from 3000 BC to the 1500s AD.

The more southern cultural groups of North America were responsible for the domestication of many common crops now used around the world, such as tomatoes and squash. Perhaps most importantly they domesticated one of the world's major staples, maize (corn).

As a result of the development of agriculture in the south, many important cultural advances were made there. For example, the Maya civilization developed a writing system, built huge pyramids, had a complex calendar, and developed the concept of zero 500 years before anyone in the Old World. The Mayan culture was still present when the Spanish arrived in Central America, but political dominance in the area had shifted to the Aztec Empire further north.

Upon the arrival of the Europeans in the "New World", native peoples found their culture changed drastically. As such, their affiliation with political and cultural groups changed as well, several linguistic groups went extinct, and others changed quite quickly. The name and cultures that Europeans recorded for the natives were not necessarily the same as the ones they had used a few generations before, or the ones in use today.

Geography and extent

Further information: Geography of North America

North America occupies the northern portion of the landmass generally referred to as the New World, the Western Hemisphere, the Americas, or simply America (which is sometimes considered a single continent^[3][4][5] and North America a subcontinent).^[6] North America's only land connection is to South America at the Colombia-Panama border according to most authorities, or at the Panama Canal by some and even at the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, Mexico by a few who separate Central America (or Middle America if the Caribbean is included) which rests mostly on the Caribbean Plate. Before the Central American isthmus was raised, the region had been underwater. The islands of the West Indies delineate a submerged former land bridge, which had connected North America and South America via Florida and Venezuela.

The continental coastline is long and irregular. The Gulf of Mexico is the largest body of water indenting the continent, followed by Hudson Bay. Others include the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and the Gulf of California.

There are numerous islands off the continent’s coasts: principally, the Arctic Archipelago, the Greater and Lesser Antilles, the Alexander Archipelago, and the Aleutian Islands. Greenland, a Danish self-governing island and the world's largest, is on the same tectonic plate (the North American Plate) and is part of North America geographically. Bermuda is not part of the Americas, but is an oceanic island which was formed on the fissure of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge over 100 million years ago. The nearest landmass to it is Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, and it is often thought of as part of North America, especially given its historical, political and cultural ties to Virginia and other parts of the continent.

Physical geography

The vast majority of North America is on the North American Plate. Parts of California and western Mexico form the partial edge of the Pacific Plate, with the two plates meeting along the San Andreas fault. The southern-most portion of the continent and much of the West Indies lie on the Caribbean Plate, while the Juan de Fuca and Cocos Plates border the North American Plate on its western frontier.

The continent can be divided into four great regions (each of which contains many sub-regions): the Great Plains stretching from the Gulf of Mexico to the Canadian Arctic; the geologically young, mountainous west, including the Rocky Mountains, the Great Basin, California and Alaska; the raised but relatively flat plateau of the Canadian Shield in the northeast; and the varied eastern region, which includes the Appalachian Mountains, the coastal plain along the Atlantic seaboard, and the Florida peninsula. Mexico, with its long plateaus and cordilleras, falls largely in the western region, although the eastern coastal plain does extend south along the Gulf.

The western mountains are split in the middle, into the main range of the Rockies and the coast ranges in California, Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia with the Great Basin—a lower area containing smaller ranges and low-lying deserts—in between. The highest peak is Denali in Alaska.

The United States Geographical Survey states that the geographic center of North America is "6 miles west of Balta, Pierce County, North Dakota" at approximately , approximately 15 miles (25 km) from Rugby, North Dakota. The USGS further states that “No marked or monumented point has been established by any government agency as the geographic center of either the 50 States, the conterminous United States, or the North American continent.” Nonetheless, there is a 15 foot (4.5 m) field stone obelisk in Rugby claiming to mark the center.

North America bedrock and terrain.

North American cratons and basement rocks.

North American craton.

Human geography

The prevalent languages in North America are English, Spanish, and French. The term Anglo-America is used to refer to the anglophone countries of the Americas: namely the United States and Canada (where English and French are co-official), but also sometimes Belize and parts of the Caribbean. Latin America refers to the other areas of the Americas (generally south of the U.S.) where Romance languages derived from Latin predominate: the other republics of Central America, Mexico, much of the Caribbean, and most of South America.

The French language has historically played a significant role in North America and remains a distinctive presence in some regions. Canada is officially bilingual; French is the official language of the Canadian province of Quebec and is co-official with English in the province of New Brunswick. Other French-speaking locales include the French West Indies and Saint-Pierre and Miquelon, as well as the U.S. state of Louisiana, where French is also an official language. Haiti is included with this group based on past historical association but Haitians speak Creole and French. Although the former language is derived from French, it is not French.

Socially and culturally, North America presents a well-defined entity. Canada and the United States have a similar culture and similar traditions as a result of both countries being former British colonies. A common cultural and economic market has developed between the two nations because of the strong economic and historical ties. Spanish-speaking North America shares a common past as former Spanish colonies. In Central American countries and Mexico where civilizations like the Maya developed, indigenous people preserve traditions across modern boundaries. Central American and Spanish-speaking Caribbean nations have historically had more in common due to geographical proximity and the fact that, after winning independence from Spain, Mexico never took part in an effort to build a Central American Union.

Economically, Canada and the United States are the wealthiest and most developed nations in the continent; the countries of Central America and the Caribbean are much less developed, while Mexico—a newly industrialized country—lies between these two extremes. The most important trade blocs are the Caribbean Community and Common Market (CARICOM), the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), and the recently signed Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA)—the last of these being an example of the economic integration sought by the nations of this subregion as a way to improve their financial status.

Demographically, North America is a racially and ethnically diverse continent. Its three main ethnic groups are Whites, Mestizos and Blacks (chiefly African-Americans and Afro-Caribbeans). There is a significant minority of Amerindians and Chinese among other less numerous groups.

Countries and territories

North America is often divided into subregions but no universally accepted divisions exist. Central America comprises the southern region of the continent, but its northern terminus varies between sources. Geophysically, the region starts at the Isthmus of Tehuantepec in Mexico (namely the Mexican states of Campeche, Chiapas, Tabasco, Quintana Roo, and Yucatán^[7]). The United Nations geoscheme includes Mexico in Central America; conversely, the European Union excludes both Mexico and Belize from the area. Geopolitically, Mexico is frequently not reckoned in Central America.^[8]

Northern America is used to refer to the northern countries and territories of North America: Canada, the United States, Greenland, Bermuda, and St. Pierre and Miquelon. They are often considered distinct from the southern portion of the Americas, which largely comprise Latin America. The term Middle America is sometimes used to collectively refer to Mexico, the nations of Central America, and the Caribbean.

Country or territory with flag	Area (km²)	Population (1 July 2005 est.)	Population density (per km²)	Capital
Anguilla (UK)	.102	.13,254	129.9	The Valley
Antigua and Barbuda	.443	.68,722	155.1	St. John's
Aruba (Netherlands)[9]	.193	.71,566	370.8	Oranjestad
Bahamas	.13,940	.301,790	21.6	Nassau
Barbados	.431	.279,254	647.9	Bridgetown
Belize	.22,966	.279,457	12.2	Belmopan
Bermuda (UK)	.53	.65,365	1233.3	Hamilton
British Virgin Islands (UK)	.153	.22,643	148.0	Road Town
Canada	.9,984,670	.32,805,041	3.3	Ottawa
Cayman Islands (UK)	.262	.44,270	169.0	George Town
Costa Rica	.51,100	.4,016,173	78.6	San José
Cuba	.110,860	.11,346,670	102.4	Havana
Dominica	.754	.69,029	91.6	Roseau
Dominican Republic	.48,730	.8,950,034	183.7	Santo Domingo
El Salvador	.21,040	.6,704,932	318.7	San Salvador
Greenland (Denmark)	.2,166,086	.56,375	0.026	Nuuk
Grenada	.344	.89,502	260.2	St. George's
Guadeloupe (France)	.1,780	.448,713	252.1	Basse-Terre
Guatemala	.108,890	.14,655,189	134.6	Guatemala City
Haiti	.27,750	.8,121,622	292.7	Port-au-Prince
Honduras	.112,090	.6,975,204	62.2	Tegucigalpa
Jamaica	.10,991	.2,731,832	248.6	Kingston
Martinique (France)	.1,100	.432,900	393.5	Fort-de-France
Mexico	.1,972,550	.106,202,903	53.8	Mexico City
Montserrat (UK)	.102	.9,341	91.6	Plymouth; Brades[10]
Navassa Island (USA)	.5	.0	0	?
Netherlands Antilles (Netherlands)<ref name="two" />	.960	.219,958	229.1	Willemstad
Nicaragua	.129,494	.5,465,100	42.2	Managua
Panama[11]	.52,853	.2,498,717	47.3	Panama City
Puerto Rico (USA)	.9,104	.3,916,632	430.2	San Juan
Saint Barthélemy (France)	.21	.6,852	326	Gustavia
Saint Kitts and Nevis	.261	.38,958	149.3	Basseterre
Saint Lucia	.616	.166,312	270.0	Castries
Saint Martin (France)	.53.2	.33,102	622	Marigot
Saint Pierre and Miquelon (France)	.242	.7,012	29.0	Saint-Pierre
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	.389	.117,534	302.1	Kingstown
Trinidad and Tobago<ref name="two" />	.5,128	.1,088,644	212.3	Port of Spain
Turks and Caicos Islands (UK)	.430	.20,556	47.8	Cockburn Town
United States of America[12]	.9,629,091	.300,165,500	30.7	Washington, D.C.
U.S. Virgin Islands (USA)	.352	.108,708	308.8	Charlotte Amalie
Total	.24,486,305	.518,575,412	21.0

See Also: List of North American countries by population

Usage

The term North America may mean different things to different people in the world according to the context. Usage other than that of the entire continent includes:

• In English, North America is often used to refer to the United States and Canada exclusively.^[13] Alternatively, usage may include Mexico^[14] (as with North American Free Trade Agreement) and other entities.^[15]
• In Latin America, Iberia, and some other parts of Europe, North America usually designates a subcontinent (subcontinente in Spanish) of the Americas containing Canada, the U.S., and Mexico, and often Greenland, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, and Bermuda.^[16]

See also

• Americas (terminology)
• History of North America
• Discoverer of the Americas
• Economy of North America
• European colonization of the Americas
• Transportation in North America
• Nearctic

Notes and references

•  • [ e] Countries of North America
Several nations listed here straddle both North and South America or can also be considered Caribbean
Sovereign states	Antigua and Barbuda Bahamas Barbados Belize Canada Costa Rica Cuba Dominica Dominican Republic El Salvador Grenada Guatemala Haiti Honduras Jamaica Mexico Nicaragua Panama St. Kitts and Nevis St. Lucia St. Vincent and the Grenadines Trinidad and Tobago United States
Dependencies	Denmark Greenland France Guadeloupe Martinique Saint Barthelemy Saint Martin Saint Pierre and Miquelon Netherlands Aruba Netherlands Antilles United Kingdom Anguilla Bermuda British Virgin Islands Cayman Islands Montserrat Turks and Caicos Islands United States Puerto Rico U.S. Virgin Islands

•  • [ e] Continents of the world

Africa-Eurasia America Eurasia Oceania Africa Antarctica Asia Australia Europe N. America S. America Geological supercontinents Gondwana Laurasia Pangaea Pannotia Proto-Gondwana Proto-Laurasia Rodinia Columbia Kenorland Ur Vaalbara Historical continents Arctica Asiamerica Atlantica Avalonia Baltica Cimmeria Congo craton Euramerica Kalahari Desert Kazakhstania Laurentia Siberia South China Ur Submerged continents Kerguelen Plateau Zealandia     Mythical and theorised continents     Atlantis Lemuria Mu Terra Australis Possible future continents Pangaea Ultima Amasia

•  • [ e] Regions of the world
Africa Central Eastern Northern Southern Western Americas Anglo Caribbean Central Latin Middle North Northern South Asia Central Eastern Northern Southern Southeastern Southwestern / Western Europe Central Eastern Northern Southern Western	Oceania Australasia Melanesia Micronesia Polynesia Other   Asia Pacific Caucasus Far East Indian subcontinent Middle East   Polar Arctic Antarctic Oceans World Arctic Atlantic Indian Pacific Southern
See also