Last modified on September 27, 2022, at 04:42

North America

Political boundaries of North America
Shaded relief of North America

North America is the continental land mass of the Western Hemisphere consisting of Bermuda, Canada, the United States of America, Greenland and Saint Pierre and Miquelon. It may also include Mexico, the seven countries of Central America, and many of the islands of the Caribbean Sea. North America is bounded on the north by the Arctic Ocean, the east by the Atlantic Ocean, the south by the Caribbean Sea and South America, and the Pacific Ocean to the west.

The name America derives from Italian explorer and navigator Amerigo Vespucci.

Note: the term "North American" in some contexts refers only to the US and Canada (see norteamericano).

Land

North America has an area of 9.2 million square miles, ranking it third in size among the seven continents. Between Nordost Rundingen in Greenland to Attu Island, Alaska, it spans across 176° of longitude, with the bulk of the landmass north of 30° latitude.

North America's coastline is irregular and indented with bays, the largest of which are Hudson Bay in Canada, the Gulf of Mexico, the Gulf of Alaska, and the Sea of Cortez between the peninsula Baja California and the Mexican mainland. Large islands are immediately offshore in northern Canada, including Victoria, Ellesmere, Baffin, and Greenland, the world's largest island.

See latest Earthquakees.

Topography

North America is considered to be divided into five major regions:

Climate

Only the eastern two-thirds of the United States and southern Canada have climate conditions in which all four seasons are present. Northern Canada, Alaska, and Greenland contain arctic and sub-arctic climates characterized by very brief summers and extremely cold winters; snow and ice are present much of the year, and in the area north of the Arctic Circle much of the land bears permafrost under the soil.

Drainage

Flora

Fauna

Resources

Arable land

People

Ethnic groups

Languages

Religion

Education

Health

Demography

Economy and Commerce

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