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North America

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: North American Geography

   World map showing North America
   Enlarge
   World map showing North America
   A satellite composite image of North America. Clickable map
   Enlarge
   A satellite composite image of North America. Clickable map

   North America is a continent in the Earth's northern hemisphere and
   almost fully in the 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, connected to North
   America by the isthmus of Panama. It covers an area of about 24,490,000
   km² (9,450,000 sq mi), or about 4.8% of the planet's surface. As of
   October 2006, its population was estimated at over 514,600,000. It is
   the third-largest continent in area, after Asia and Africa, and is
   fourth in population after Asia, Africa, and Europe.

Etymology

   North and South America are widely accepted as having been named after
   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.

   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.

Geography and extent

   North America occupies the northern portion of the landmass generally
   referred to as the New World, the Western hemisphere, the Americas, or
   simply America. North America's only land connection is to South
   America at the narrow Isthmus of Panama. (Geopolitically, all of
   Panama—including the segment east of the Panama Canal in the isthmus—is
   often considered a part of North America alone.) According to some
   authorities, North America begins not at the Isthmus of Panama but at
   the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, Mexico with the intervening region called
   Central America (or Middle America if the Caribbean is included) and
   resting 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.

   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) but is not considered to be part of
   the continent. Bermuda is not part of the Americas, but is an oceanic
   island formed on the fissure of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. 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

   Sedimentary, volcanic, plutonic, metamorphic rock types of North
   America.
   Enlarge
   Sedimentary, volcanic, plutonic, metamorphic rock types of North
   America.

   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 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 centre
   of North America is “6 miles west of Balta, Pierce County, North
   Dakota” at approximately 48° 10′North, 100° 10′West, 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 centre 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 centre.

   North America bedrock and terrain.

   North American cratons and basement rocks.

   Tectonic elements of North America

   North American craton.

Human geography

   The most spoken languages in North America are English, Spanish and
   French. The term Anglo-America is occasionally used to refer to Belize,
   the United States, the anglophone parts of the Caribbean and Canada,
   and Guyana (the only English-speaking nation of South America), and are
   included in the Anglosphere. The remaining Central American nations,
   Mexico, and the Spanish-speaking Caribbean and the other South American
   countries where Romance languages prevail (namely Spanish, Portuguese
   and French), are referred to as Latin America. This latter term has
   entered into common parlance, although the term "Anglo-America" remains
   largely unknown to most people.

   The French language has historically played a significant role in North
   America and remains a distinctive presence in some regions. Canada has
   two official languages; French is the official language of the province
   of Quebec, and, along with English, one of the two official languages
   of the province of New Brunswick. Other French-speaking locales
   include: Dominica, Saint Lucia, the French West Indies and Saint-Pierre
   and Miquelon. Haiti is included with this group based on past
   historical association but Haitians speak Creole and not French.
   Although this 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 shared 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
   African-Americans. There is a significant minority of Amerindians and
   Chinese among other less numerous groups.

Countries and territories

   Political highlights of North America
   Enlarge
   Political highlights of North America

   North America is often divided into subregions but no universally
   accepted divisions exist. "Central America" comprises the southern
   portion of the continent, but its northern terminus varies between
   sources. The United Nations includes Mexico in Central America, while
   most other definitions of the region do not (e.g., the European Union
   excludes Belize and Mexico from the area). The term Middle America is
   sometimes used to refer to Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean
   collectively.

   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.

   The Caribbean is used to refer to the islands in the Gulf of Mexico and
   the Caribbean Sea.

   Name of region and
   territory, with flag Area
   (km²) Population
   (1 July 2005 est.) Population density
   (per km²) Capital
   Anguilla Anguilla (UK) 102 13,254 129.9 The Valley
   Antigua and Barbuda Antigua and Barbuda 443 68,722 155.1 St. John's
   Aruba Aruba (Netherlands) 193 71,566 370.8 Oranjestad
   The Bahamas Bahamas 13,940 301,790 21.6 Nassau
   Barbados Barbados 431 279,254 647.9 Bridgetown
   Belize Belize 22,966 279,457 12.2 Belmopan
   Bermuda Bermuda (UK) 53 65,365 1,233.3 Hamilton
   British Virgin Islands British Virgin Islands (UK) 153 22,643 148.0
   Road Town
   Canada Canada 9,984,670 32,805,041 3.3 Ottawa
   Cayman Islands Cayman Islands (UK) 262 44,270 169.0 George Town
   Costa Rica Costa Rica 51,100 4,016,173 78.6 San José
   Cuba Cuba 110,860 11,346,670 102.4 Havana
   Dominica Dominica 754 69,029 91.6 Roseau
   Dominican Republic Dominican Republic 48,730 8,950,034 183.7 Santo
   Domingo
   El Salvador El Salvador 21,040 6,704,932 318.7 San Salvador
   Greenland Greenland (Denmark) 2,166,086 56,375 0.026 Nuuk
   Grenada Grenada 344 89,502 260.2 St. George's
   Guadeloupe Guadeloupe (France) 1,780 448,713 252.1 Basse-Terre
   Guatemala Guatemala 108,890 14,655,189 134.6 Guatemala City
   Haiti Haiti 27,750 8,121,622 292.7 Port-au-Prince
   Honduras Honduras 112,090 6,975,204 62.2 Tegucigalpa
   Jamaica Jamaica 10,991 2,731,832 248.6 Kingston
   Martinique Martinique (France) 1,100 432,900 393.5 Fort-de-France
   Mexico Mexico 1,972,550 106,202,903 53.8 Mexico City
   Montserrat Montserrat (UK) 102 9,341 91.6 Plymouth; Brades
   United States Navassa Island (USA) 5 — — —
   Netherlands Antilles Netherlands Antilles (Netherlands) 960 219,958
   229.1 Willemstad
   Nicaragua Nicaragua 129,494 5,465,100 42.2 Managua
   Panama Panama 52,853 2,498,717 47.3 Panama City
   Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (USA) 9,104 3,916,632 430.2 San Juan
   Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Kitts and Nevis 261 38,958 149.3 Basseterre
   Saint Lucia Saint Lucia 616 166,312 270.0 Castries
   Saint-Pierre and Miquelon Saint-Pierre and Miquelon (France) 242 7,012
   29.0 Saint-Pierre
   Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 389
   117,534 302.1 Kingstown
   Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago 5,128 1,088,644 212.3 Port of
   Spain
   Turks and Caicos Islands Turks and Caicos Islands (UK) 430 20,556 47.8
   Cockburn Town
   United States United States 9,629,091 300,165,500 30.7 Washington, D.C.
   U.S. Virgin Islands U.S. Virgin Islands (USA) 352 108,708 308.8
   Charlotte Amalie
   Total 24,486,305 518,575,412 21.0

   Notes:
    1. ^ ^a ^b ^c Depending on definitions, Aruba, Netherlands Antilles,
       Panama, and Trinidad and Tobago have territory in one or both of
       North and South America.
    2. ^ Physiographically, the southeastern portion of Mexico (east of
       the Isthmus of Tehuantepec) is considered a part of Central
       America. Geopolitically, Mexico is frequently not reckoned in
       Central America.
    3. ^ Due to ongoing activity of the Soufriere Hills volcano beginning
       1995, much of Plymouth, Montserrat's de jure capital, was destroyed
       and government offices relocated to Brades.
    4. ^ Panama is generally considered a transcontinental country in
       Central America (UN region) and South America; population and area
       figures are for North American portion only, west of the Panama
       Canal.
    5. ^ Includes the US state of Hawaii, which is distant from the North
       American landmass in the Pacific Ocean and is, thus, commonly
       included with the other territories of Oceania.

Usage of the term

   "North America" may mean different things to different people in the
   world according to the context:
     * In Latin America, Iberia and some other parts of Europe, the
       Americas are often considered a single continent. Under such
       circumstances, North America is considered a subcontinent
       containing only Canada, U.S. and Mexico.

   Sources:
   - Fowler's Modern English Usage. ( ISBN 0198610211) New York: Oxford
   University Press, p. 48.

   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_America"
   This reference article is mainly selected from the English Wikipedia
   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
   of authors and sources) and is available under the GNU Free
   Documentation License. See also our Disclaimer.
