Северная Америка

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Северная Америка

Область	24,709 млн км 2 (9,54 миллиона квадратных миль) ( 3-е место )
Население	592 296 233 (2021; 4-е место )
Плотность населения	25,7/км 2 (66,4/кв. миль) (2021 г.)
GDP (PPP)	$30.61 trillion (2022 est.; 2nd)
GDP (nominal)	$29.01 trillion (2022 est.; 2nd)
GDP per capita	$57,410 (2022 est.; 2nd)
Religions	Christianity (74.6%) No religion (19.2%) Judaism (1.6%) Islam (1.3%) Buddhism (1.2%) Hinduism (0.8%) Other (1.3%)
Demonym	North American
Countries	23 sovereign states
Dependencies	23 non-sovereign territories
Languages	English, Spanish, French, Dutch, Danish, indigenous languages, and many others
Time zones	UTC−10:00 to UTC+00:00
Largest cities	List of urban areas: Mexico City New York City Los Angeles Chicago Boston Toronto Dallas–Fort Worth San Francisco Bay Area Houston Miami Philadelphia
UN M49 code	003 – North America 019 – Americas 001 – World

A map of North America's physical, political, and population characteristics as of 2018

Северная Америка — это континент в Северном и Западном полушариях . Северная Америка граничит на севере с Северным Ледовитым океаном , на востоке с Атлантическим океаном , на юго-востоке с Южной Америкой и Карибским морем , а на западе и юге с Тихим океаном . В регион входят Багамские острова , Бермудские острова , Канада , Карибский бассейн , Центральная Америка , остров Клиппертон , Гренландия , Мексика , Сен-Пьер и Микелон , острова Теркс и Кайкос и Соединенные Штаты .

North America covers an area of about 24,709,000 square kilometers (9,540,000 square miles), representing approximately 16.5% of the Earth's land area and 4.8% of its total surface area. It is the third-largest continent by size after Asia and Africa, and the fourth-largest continent by population after Asia, Africa, and Europe. As of 2021, North America's population was estimated as over 592 million people in 23 independent states, or about 7.5% of the world's population. In human geography, the terms "North America" and "North American" can refer to Canada, the United States, Mexico, and Greenland or, alternatively, Canada, Greenland and the US (Mexico being classified as part of Latin America) or simply Canada and the US (Greenland being classified as either Arctic or European (due to its political status as a part of Denmark) and Mexico classified as Latin American).

It is unknown with certainty how and when first human populations first reached North America. People were known to live in the Americas at least 20,000 years ago, but various evidence points to possibly earlier dates. The Paleo-Indian period in North America followed the Last Glacial Period, and lasted until about 10,000 years ago when the Archaic period began. The classic stage followed the Archaic period, and lasted from approximately the 6th to 13th centuries. Beginning in 1000 AD, the Norse were the first Europeans to begin exploring and ultimately colonizing areas of North America.

In 1492, the exploratory voyages of Christopher Columbus led to a transatlantic exchange, including migrations of European settlers during the Age of Discovery and the early modern period. Present-day cultural and ethnic patterns reflect interactions between European colonists, indigenous peoples, enslaved Africans, immigrants from Europe, Asia, and descendants of these respective groups.

Europe's colonization in North America led to most North Americans speaking European languages, such as English, Spanish, and French, and the cultures of the region commonly reflect Western traditions. However, relatively small parts of North America in Canada, the United States, Mexico, and Central America have indigenous populations that continue adhering to their respective pre-European colonial cultural and linguistic traditions.

Name

Further information: Naming of the Americas, New Spain, Turtle Island (Native American folklore), and Vinland

A 1621 map of North America

General map of North America in 1908 from The Harmsworth atlas and Gazetter

The Americas were named after the Italian explorer Amerigo Vespucci by German cartographers Martin Waldseemüller and Matthias Ringmann. Vespucci explored South America between 1497 and 1502, and was the first European to suggest that the Americas represented a landmass not then known to the Europeans. In 1507, Waldseemüller published a world map, and placed the word "America" on the continent of present-day South America. The continent north of present-day Mexico was then referred to as Parias. On a 1553 world map published by Petrus Apianus, North America was called "Baccalearum", meaning "realm of the Cod fish", in reference to the abundance of cod fish on the East Coast.

Waldseemüller used the Latin version of Vespucci's name, Americus Vespucius, in its feminine form of "America", following the examples of "Europa", "Asia", and "Africa". Map makers later extended the name America to North America.

In 1538, Gerardus Mercator used the term America on his world map of the entire Western Hemisphere. On his subsequent 1569 map, Mercator called North America "America or New India" (America sive India Nova).

The Spanish Empire called its territories in North and South America "Las Indias", and the name given to the state body that oversaw the region was called the Council of the Indies.

Definitions

A 2005 NASA satellite image of North America

The United Nations and its statistics division recognize North America as including three regions: Northern America, Central America, and the Caribbean. "Northern America" is a distinct term from "North America", excluding Central America, which itself may or may not include Mexico. In the limited context of regional trade agreements, the term is used to reference three nations: Canada, the United States, and Mexico.

France, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Romania, Greece, and the countries of Latin America use a six-continent model, with the Americas viewed as a single continent and North America designating a subcontinent comprising Canada, the United States, Mexico, and Saint Pierre and Miquelon (politically part of France), and often including Greenland and Bermuda.

North America has historically been known by other names, including Spanish North America, New Spain, and América Septentrional, the first official name given to Mexico.

Regions

Further information: List of regions of Canada and List of regions of the United States

North America includes several regions and subregions, each of which have their own respective cultural, economic, and geographic regions. Economic regions include several regions formalized in 20th- and 21st-century trade agreements, including NAFTA between Canada, Mexico, and the United States, and CAFTA between Central America, the Dominican Republic, and the United States.

North America is divided linguistically and culturally into two primary regions, Anglo-America and Latin America. Anglo-America includes most of North America, Belize, and Caribbean islands with English-speaking populations. There are also regions, including Louisiana and Quebec, with large Francophone populations; in Quebec, French is the official language..

The southern portion of North America includes Central America and non-English speaking Caribbean nations. The north of the continent maintains recognized regions as well. In contrast to the common definition of North America, which encompasses the whole North American continent, the term "North America" is sometimes used more narrowly to refer only to four nations, Canada, Greenland, Mexico, and the U.S. The U.S. Census Bureau includes Saint Pierre and Miquelon, but excludes Mexico from its definition.

The term Northern America refers to the northernmost countries and territories of North America: the U.S., Bermuda, Canada, Greenland, and St. Pierre and Miquelon. Although the term does not refer to a unified region, Middle America includes Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean.

North America's largest countries by land area are Canada and the U.S., both of which have well-defined and recognized subregions. In Canada, these include (from east to west) Atlantic Canada, Central Canada, Canadian Prairies, the British Columbia Coast, and Northern Canada. In the U.S., they include New England, the Mid-Atlantic, South Atlantic states, East North Central states, West North Central states, East South Central states, West South Central states, Mountain states, and Pacific states. The Great Lakes region and the Pacific Northwest include areas in both Canada and the U.S.

Countries, dependencies, and other territories

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

Arms	Flag	Country / Territory	Area	Population (2021)	Population density	Capital	Name(s) in official language(s)	ISO 3166-1
		Anguilla (United Kingdom)	91 km2 (35 sq mi)	15,753	164.8/km2 (427/sq mi)	The Valley	Anguilla	AIA
		Antigua and Barbuda	442 km2 (171 sq mi)	93,219	199.1/km2 (516/sq mi)	St. John's	Antigua and Barbuda	ATG
		Aruba (Kingdom of the Netherlands)	180 km2 (69 sq mi)	106,537	594.4/km2 (1,539/sq mi)	Oranjestad	Aruba	ABW
		The Bahamas	13,943 km2 (5,383 sq mi)	407,906	24.5/km2 (63/sq mi)	Nassau	Bahamas	BHS
		Barbados	430 km2 (170 sq mi)	281,200	595.3/km2 (1,542/sq mi)	Bridgetown	Barbados	BRB
		Belize	22,966 km2 (8,867 sq mi)	400,031	13.4/km2 (35/sq mi)	Belmopan	Belize	BLZ
		Bermuda (United Kingdom)	54 km2 (21 sq mi)	64,185	1,203.7/km2 (3,118/sq mi)	Hamilton	Bermuda	BMU
		Bonaire (Kingdom of the Netherlands)	294 km2 (114 sq mi)	12,093	41.1/km2 (106/sq mi)	Kralendijk	Boneiru	BES
		British Virgin Islands (United Kingdom)	151 km2 (58 sq mi)	31,122	152.3/km2 (394/sq mi)	Road Town	British Virgin Islands	VGB
		Canada	9,984,670 km2 (3,855,100 sq mi)	38,155,012	3.7/km2 (9.6/sq mi)	Ottawa	Canada	CAN
		Cayman Islands (United Kingdom)	264 km2 (102 sq mi)	68,136	212.1/km2 (549/sq mi)	George Town	Cayman Islands	CYM
		Clipperton Island (France)	6 km2 (2.3 sq mi)	0	0/km2 (0/sq mi)	—	Île de Clipperton	CPT
		Costa Rica	51,100 km2 (19,700 sq mi)	5,153,957	89.6/km2 (232/sq mi)	San José	Costa Rica	CRI
		Cuba	109,886 km2 (42,427 sq mi)	11,256,372	102.0/km2 (264/sq mi)	Havana	Cuba	CUB
		Curaçao (Kingdom of the Netherlands)	444 km2 (171 sq mi)	190,338	317.1/km2 (821/sq mi)	Willemstad	Kòrsou	CUW
		Dominica	751 km2 (290 sq mi)	72,412	89.2/km2 (231/sq mi)	Roseau	Dominica	DMA
		Dominican Republic	48,671 km2 (18,792 sq mi)	11,117,873	207.3/km2 (537/sq mi)	Santo Domingo	República Dominicana	DOM
		El Salvador	21,041 km2 (8,124 sq mi)	6,314,167	293.0/km2 (759/sq mi)	San Salvador	El Salvador	SLV
		Federal Dependencies of Venezuela (Venezuela)	342 km2 (132 sq mi)	2,155	6.3/km2 (16/sq mi)	Gran Roque	Dependencias Federales de Venezuela	VEN-W
		Greenland (Kingdom of Denmark)	2,166,086 km2 (836,330 sq mi)	56,243	0.026/km2 (0.067/sq mi)	Nuuk	Kalaallit Nunaat/Grønland	GRL
		Grenada	344 km2 (133 sq mi)	124,610	302.3/km2 (783/sq mi)	St. George's	Gwinàd	GRD
		Guadeloupe (France)	1,628 km2 (629 sq mi)	396,051	246.7/km2 (639/sq mi)	Basse-Terre	Gwadloup	GLP
		Guatemala	108,889 km2 (42,042 sq mi)	17,608,483	128.8/km2 (334/sq mi)	Guatemala City	Guatemala	GTM
		Haiti	27,750 km2 (10,710 sq mi)	11,447,569	361.5/km2 (936/sq mi)	Port-au-Prince	Ayiti/Haïti	HTI
		Honduras	112,492 km2 (43,433 sq mi)	10,278,345	66.4/km2 (172/sq mi)	Tegucigalpa	Honduras	HND
		Jamaica	10,991 km2 (4,244 sq mi)	2,827,695	247.4/km2 (641/sq mi)	Kingston	Jumieka	JAM
		Martinique (France)	1,128 km2 (436 sq mi)	368,796	352.6/km2 (913/sq mi)	Fort-de-France	Martinique/Matinik	MTQ
		Mexico	1,964,375 km2 (758,449 sq mi)	126,705,138	57.1/km2 (148/sq mi)	Mexico City	México	MEX
		Montserrat (United Kingdom)	102 km2 (39 sq mi)	4,417	58.8/km2 (152/sq mi)	Plymouth, Brades	Montserrat	MSR
		Nicaragua	130,373 km2 (50,337 sq mi)	6,850,540	44.1/km2 (114/sq mi)	Managua	Nicaragua	NIC
		Nueva Esparta (Venezuela)	1,151 km2 (444 sq mi)	491,610	427.1/km2 (1,106/sq mi)	La Asunción	Nueva Esparta	VEN-O
		Panama	75,417 km2 (29,119 sq mi)	4,351,267	45.8/km2 (119/sq mi)	Panama City	Panamá	PAN
		Puerto Rico (United States)	8,870 km2 (3,420 sq mi)	3,256,028	448.9/km2 (1,163/sq mi)	San Juan	Puerto Rico	PRI
		Saba (Kingdom of the Netherlands)	13 km2 (5 sq mi)	1,537	118.2/km2 (306/sq mi)	The Bottom	Saba	BES
		San Andrés and Providencia (Colombia)	53 km2 (20 sq mi)	77,701	1,468.59/km2 (3,803.6/sq mi)	San Andrés	San Andrés	COL-SAP
		Saint Barthélemy (France)	21 km2 (8.1 sq mi)	7,448	354.7/km2 (919/sq mi)	Gustavia	Saint-Barthélemy	BLM
		Saint Kitts and Nevis	261 km2 (101 sq mi)	47,606	199.2/km2 (516/sq mi)	Basseterre	Saint Kitts and Nevis	KNA
		Saint Lucia	539 km2 (208 sq mi)	179,651	319.1/km2 (826/sq mi)	Castries	Sainte-Lucie	LCA
		Saint Martin (France)	54 km2 (21 sq mi)	29,820	552.2/km2 (1,430/sq mi)	Marigot	Saint-Martin	MAF
		Saint Pierre and Miquelon (France)	242 km2 (93 sq mi)	5,883	24.8/km2 (64/sq mi)	Saint-Pierre	Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon	SPM
		Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	389 km2 (150 sq mi)	104,332	280.2/km2 (726/sq mi)	Kingstown	Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	VCT
		Sint Eustatius (Kingdom of the Netherlands)	21 km2 (8.1 sq mi)	2,739	130.4/km2 (338/sq mi)	Oranjestad	Sint Eustatius	BES
		Sint Maarten (Kingdom of the Netherlands)	34 km2 (13 sq mi)	44,042	1,176.7/km2 (3,048/sq mi)	Philipsburg	Sint Maarten	SXM
		Trinidad and Tobago	5,130 km2 (1,980 sq mi)	1,525,663	261.0/km2 (676/sq mi)	Port of Spain	Trinidad and Tobago	TTO
		Turks and Caicos Islands (United Kingdom)	948 km2 (366 sq mi)	45,114	34.8/km2 (90/sq mi)	Grand Turk (Cockburn Town)	Turks and Caicos Islands	TCA
		United States	9,629,091 km2 (3,717,813 sq mi)	336,997,624	32.7/km2 (85/sq mi)	Washington, D.C.	United States of America	USA
		United States Virgin Islands (United States)	347 km2 (134 sq mi)	100,091	317.0/km2 (821/sq mi)	Charlotte Amalie	US Virgin Islands	VIR
Total			24,500,995 km2 (9,459,887 sq mi)	583,473,912	22.1/km2 (57/sq mi)

Natural characteristics

Geography

Main article: Geography of North America

North America's landforms and land cover depicted in a 2021 map

The Sonoran Desert in Arizona

Moraine Lake in Banff National Park in Alberta

Nuuk, the capital of Greenland

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, in many countries, is considered a single continent with North America a subcontinent. North America is the third-largest continent by area after Asia and Africa.

North America's only land connection to South America is in present-day Panama at the Darien Gap on the Colombia-Panama border, placing almost all of Panama within North America. Alternatively, some geologists physiographically locate its southern limit at the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, Mexico, with Central America extending southeastward to South America from this point. The Caribbean islands, or West Indies, are considered part of North America. 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.

Before the Central American isthmus formed, the region had been underwater. The islands of the West Indies delineate a submerged former land bridge, which had connected North and South America via what are now Florida and Venezuela.

There are several islands off the continent's coasts; principally, the Arctic Archipelago, the Bahamas, Turks and Caicos, the Greater and Lesser Antilles, the Aleutian Islands (some of which are in the Eastern Hemisphere proper), the Alexander Archipelago, the many thousand islands of the British Columbia Coast, and Newfoundland. Greenland, a self-governing Danish island, and the world's largest, is on the same tectonic plate (the North American Plate) and is part of North America geographically. In a geologic sense, Bermuda is not part of the Americas, but an oceanic island that was formed on the fissure of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge over 100 million years ago (mya). The nearest landmass to it is Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. However, Bermuda 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.

The vast majority of North America is on the North American Plate. Parts of western Mexico, including Baja California, and of California, including the cities of San Diego, Los Angeles, and Santa Cruz, lie on the eastern edge of the Pacific Plate, with the two plates meeting along the San Andreas fault. The southernmost portion of the continent and much of the West Indies lie on the Caribbean Plate, whereas 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 subregions): 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 U.S. Geographical Survey (USGS) states that the geographic center of North America is "6 miles [10 km] west of Balta, Pierce County, North Dakota" at about 48°10′N 100°10′W, about 24 kilometers (15 mi) 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 4.6-meter (15 ft) field stone obelisk in Rugby claiming to mark the center. The North American continental pole of inaccessibility is located 1,650 km (1,030 mi) from the nearest coastline, between Allen and Kyle, South Dakota at 43.36°N 101.97°W / 43.36; -101.97 (Pole of Inaccessibility North America).

Geology

Main article: Geology of North America

Geologic history

The principal water divisions in Canada, the United States, and Mexico

Laurentia is an ancient craton which forms the geologic core of North America; it formed between 1.5 and 1.0 billion years ago during the Proterozoic eon. The Canadian Shield is the largest exposure of this craton. From the Late Paleozoic to Early Mesozoic eras, North America was joined with the other modern-day continents as part of the supercontinent Pangaea, with Eurasia to its east. One of the results of the formation of Pangaea was the Appalachian Mountains, which formed some 480 mya, making it among the oldest mountain ranges in the world. When Pangaea began to rift around 200 mya, North America became part of Laurasia, before it separated from Eurasia as its own continent during the mid-Cretaceous period. The Rockies and other western mountain ranges began forming around this time from a period of mountain building called the Laramide orogeny, between 80 and 55 mya. The formation of the Isthmus of Panama that connected the continent to South America arguably occurred approximately 12 to 15 mya, and the Great Lakes (as well as many other northern freshwater lakes and rivers) were carved by receding glaciers about 10,000 years ago.

North America is the source of much of what humanity knows about geologic time periods. The geographic area that would later become the United States has been the source of more varieties of dinosaurs than any other modern country. According to paleontologist Peter Dodson, this is primarily due to stratigraphy, climate and geography, human resources, and history. Much of the Mesozoic Era is represented by exposed outcrops in the many arid regions of the continent. The most significant Late Jurassic dinosaur-bearing fossil deposit in North America is the Morrison Formation of the western U.S.

Canada

Main article: Canada

A geologic map of North America published by the U.S. Geographical Survey

Canada is geographically one of the oldest regions in the world, with more than half of the region consisting of Precambrian rocks that have been above sea level since the beginning of the Palaeozoic era. Canada's mineral resources are diverse and extensive. Across the Canadian Shield and in the north there are large iron, nickel, zinc, copper, gold, lead, molybdenum, and uranium reserves. Large diamond concentrations have been recently developed in the Arctic, making Canada one of the world's largest producers. Throughout the Shield, there are many mining towns extracting these minerals. The largest, and best known, is Sudbury, Ontario. Sudbury is an exception to the normal process of forming minerals in the Shield since there is significant evidence that the Sudbury Basin is an ancient meteorite impact crater. The nearby, but less-known Temagami Magnetic Anomaly has striking similarities to the Sudbury Basin. Its magnetic anomalies are very similar to the Sudbury Basin, and so it could be a second metal-rich impact crater. The Shield is also covered by vast boreal forests that support an important logging industry.

United States

Main article: United States

The lower 48 U.S. states can be divided into roughly five physiographic provinces:

1. The American cordillera
2. The Canadian Shield Northern portion of the upper midwestern U.S.
3. The stable platform
4. The coastal plain
5. The Appalachian orogenic belt

The geology of Alaska is typical of that of the cordillera, while the major islands of Hawaii consist of Neogene volcanics erupted over a hot spot.

A 2003 image of North America's bedrock and terrain

A 2015 map of North America's cratons and basement rocks

Central America

Main article: Central America

Central America rests on the Caribbean Plate.

Central America is geologically active with volcanic eruptions and earthquakes occurring from time to time. In 1976 Guatemala was hit by a major earthquake, killing 23,000 people; Managua, the capital of Nicaragua, was devastated by earthquakes in 1931 and 1972, the last one killing about 5,000 people; three earthquakes devastated El Salvador, one in 1986 and two in 2001; one earthquake devastated northern and central Costa Rica in 2009, killing at least 34 people; in Honduras a powerful earthquake killed seven people in 2009.

Volcanic eruptions are common in the region. In 1968 the Arenal Volcano, in Costa Rica, erupted and killed 87 people. Fertile soils from weathered volcanic lavas have made it possible to sustain dense populations in agriculturally productive highland areas.

Central America has many mountain ranges; the longest are the Sierra Madre de Chiapas, the Cordillera Isabelia, and the Cordillera de Talamanca. Between the mountain ranges lie fertile valleys that are suitable for the people; in fact, most of the population of Honduras, Costa Rica, and Guatemala live in valleys. Valleys are also suitable for the production of coffee, beans, and other crops.

Climate

A Köppen climate classification map of North America

North America is a very large continent that extends from north of the Arctic Circle to south of the Tropic of Cancer. Greenland, along with the Canadian Shield, is tundra with average temperatures ranging from 10 to 20 °C (50 to 68 °F), but central Greenland is composed of a very large ice sheet. This tundra radiates throughout Canada, but its border ends near the Rocky Mountains (but still contains Alaska) and at the end of the Canadian Shield, near the Great Lakes. Climate west of the Cascade Range is described as being temperate weather with average precipitation 20 inches (510 millimeters). Climate in coastal California is described to be Mediterranean, with average temperatures in cities like San Francisco ranging from 57 to 70 °F (14 to 21 °C) over the course of the year.

Stretching from the East Coast to eastern North Dakota, and stretching down to Kansas, is the humid continental climate featuring intense seasons, with a large amount of annual precipitation, with places like New York City averaging 50 in (1,300 mm). Starting at the southern border of the humid continental climate and stretching to the Gulf of Mexico (whilst encompassing the eastern half of Texas) is the humid subtropical climate. This area has the wettest cities in the contiguous U.S., with annual precipitation reaching 67 in (1,700 mm) in Mobile, Alabama. Stretching from the borders of the humid continental and subtropical climates, and going west to the Sierra Nevada, south to the southern tip of Durango, north to the border with tundra climate, the steppe/desert climates are the driest in the United States. Highland climates cut from north to south of the continent, where subtropical or temperate climates occur just below the tropics, as in central Mexico and Guatemala. Tropical climates appear in the island regions and in the subcontinent's bottleneck, found in countries and states bathed by the Caribbean Sea or to the south of the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific Ocean. Precipitation patterns vary across the region, and as such rainforest, monsoon, and savanna types can be found, with rains and high temperatures throughout the year.

Ecology

See also: Fauna of the United States, Flora of the United States, and Wildlife of Canada

Notable North American fauna include the bison, black bear, jaguar, cougar, prairie dog, turkey, pronghorn, raccoon, coyote, and monarch butterfly. Notable plants that were domesticated in North America include tobacco, maize, squash, tomato, sunflower, blueberry, avocado, cotton, chile pepper, and vanilla.

History

Main article: History of North America

Pre-Columbian era

Main article: Pre-Columbian era

A map of subsistence methods in the Americas, including North America, as of 1000 BCE

  Hunter-gatherers

  Simple farming societies

  Complex agricultural societies, including tribal chiefdoms and civilizations

The indigenous peoples of the Americas have many creation myths by which they assert that they have been present on the land since its creation, but there is no evidence that humans evolved there. The specifics of the initial settlement of the Americas by ancient Asians are subject to ongoing research and discussion. The traditional theory has been that hunters entered the Bering Land Bridge between eastern Siberia and present-day Alaska from 27,000 to 14,000 years ago. A growing viewpoint is that the first American inhabitants sailed from Beringia some 13,000 years ago, with widespread habitation of the Americas during the end of the Last Glacial Period, in what is known as the Late Glacial Maximum, around 12,500 years ago. The oldest petroglyphs in North America date from 15,000 to 10,000 years before present. Genetic research and anthropology indicate additional waves of migration from Asia via the Bering Strait during the Early-Middle Holocene.

Prior to the arrival of European explorers and colonists in North America, the natives of North America were divided into many different polities, ranging from small bands of a few families to large empires. They lived in several culture areas, which roughly correspond to geographic and biological zones that defined the representative cultures and lifestyles of the indigenous people who lived there, including the bison hunters of the Great Plains and the farmers of Mesoamerica. Native groups also are classified by their language families, which included Athapascan and Uto-Aztecan languages. Indigenous peoples with similar languages did not always share the same material culture, however, and were not necessarily always allies. Anthropologists speculate that the Inuit of the high Arctic arrived in North America much later than other native groups, 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 habitation on the continent, cultures changed and shifted. One of the oldest yet discovered is the Clovis culture (c. 9550–9050 BCE) in modern New Mexico. Later groups include the Mississippian culture and related Mound building cultures, found in the Mississippi River valley and the Pueblo culture of what is now the Four Corners. 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, squash, and maize. As a result of the development of agriculture in the south, many other cultural advances were made there. The Mayans developed a writing system, built huge pyramids and temples, had a complex calendar, and developed the concept of zero around 400 CE.

The first recorded European references to North America are in Norse sagas where it is referred to as Vinland. The earliest verifiable instance of pre-Columbian trans-oceanic contact by any European culture with the North America mainland has been dated to around 1000 CE. The site, situated at the northernmost extent of the island named Newfoundland, has provided unmistakable evidence of Norse settlement. Norse explorer Leif Erikson (c. 970–1020 CE) is thought to have visited the area. Erikson was the first European to make landfall on the continent (excluding Greenland).

The Mayan culture was still present in southern Mexico and Guatemala when the Spanish conquistadors arrived, but political dominance in the area had shifted to the Aztec Empire, whose capital city Tenochtitlan was located further north in the Valley of Mexico. The Aztecs were conquered in 1521 by Hernán Cortés.

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

A 1702 map of North America showing forts, towns, and (in solid colors) areas occupied by European colonial settlements

During the so-called Age of Discovery, Europeans explored overseas and staked claims to various parts of North America, much of which was already settled by indigenous peoples. Upon Europeans' arrival in the "New World", indigenous peoples had a variety of reactions, including curiosity, trading, cooperation, resignation, and resistance. The indigenous population declined substantially following European arrival, primarily due to the introduction of Eurasian diseases, such as smallpox, to which the indigenous peoples lacked immunity, and because of violent conflicts with Europeans. Indigenous culture changed significantly and their affiliation with political and cultural groups also changed. Several linguistic groups died out, and others changed quite quickly.

On the North America's southeastern coast, Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León, who had accompanied Columbus's second voyage, visited and named in 1513 La Florida. As the colonial period unfolded, Spain, England, and France appropriated and claimed extensive territories in North America eastern and southern coastlines. Spain established permanent settlements on the Caribbean islands of Hispaniola and Cuba in the 1490s, building cities, putting the resident indigenous populations to work, raising crops for Spanish settlers and panning gold to enrich the Spaniards. Much of the indigenous population died due to disease and overwork, spurring the Spaniards on to claim new lands and peoples. An expedition under the command of Spanish settler, Hernán Cortés, sailed westward in 1519 to what turned out to be the mainland in Mexico. With local indigenous allies, the Spanish conquered the Aztec empire in central Mexico in 1521. Spain then established permanent cities in Mexico, Central America, and Spanish South America in the sixteenth century. Once Spaniards conquered the high civilization of the Aztecs and Incas, the Caribbean was a backwater of the Spanish empire.

Other European powers began to intrude on areas claimed by Spain, including the Caribbean islands. France took the western half of Hispaniola and developed Saint-Domingue as a cane sugar producing colony worked by black slave labor. Britain took Barbados and Jamaica, and the Dutch and Danes took islands previously claimed by Spain. Britain did not begin settling on the North American mainland until a hundred years after the first Spanish settlements, since it sought first to control nearby Ireland.

English settlements

Main article: British America

The first permanent English settlement was in Jamestown, Virginia in 1607, followed by additional colonial establishments on the east coast from present-day Georgia in the south to Massachusetts in the north, forming the Thirteen Colonies of British America. The English did not establish settlements north or east of the St. Lawrence Valley in present-day Canada until after the conclusion of the American Revolutionary War. Britain's early settlements in present-day Canada included St. John's, Newfoundland in 1630 and Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1749. The first permanent French settlement was in Quebec City, Quebec in 1608

Seven Years' War

Main article: Seven Years' War

With the British victory in the Seven Years' War, France in 1763 ceded to Britain its claims of North American territories east of the Mississippi River. Spain, in turn, gained rights to the territories west of Mississippi, which then served as a border between Spain and Britain's territorial claims. French colonists settled Illinois Country after several generations of experience on North America, migrating over the Mississippi River to regions where Spain was not present and where they were able to leverage their earlier Louisiana French settlements around the Gulf of Mexico. These early French settlers partnered with midwest indigenous tribes, and their mixed ancestry descendants later followed a westward expansion all the way to the Pacific Ocean on the present-day U.S. West Coast.

American Revolution

Main articles: American Revolution and American Revolutionary War

In 1776, after various attempts to reconcile differences with the British, the Thirteen Colonies in British America sent delegates to the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia, who unanimously adopted the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, written primarily by Thomas Jefferson, a member of the Committee of Five charged by the Second Continental Congress with authoring it. In the Declaration, the thirteen colonies declared their independence from the British monarchy, then governed by King George III, and detailed the factors that contributed to their decision. With the signing and issuance of the Declaration of Independence, the thirteen colonies formalized and escalated the American Revolutionary War, which had begun the year before at the Battles of Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775. Gathered in Philadelphia following the war's outbreak, delegates from the thirteen colonies established the Continental Army from various patriot militias then engaged in resisting the British, and appointed George Washington as the Continental Army's military commander.

As the American Revolutionary War progressed, France and Spain, both then enemies of Britain, began to ultimately see the promise of a potential American victory in the war and began supporting Washington and the American Revolutionary cause. The British Army, in turn, was supported by Hessian military units from present-day Germany.

In 1783, after an eight-year attempt to defeat the American rebellion, King George III acknowledged Britain's defeat in the war, leading to the signing of the Treaty of Paris on September 3, 1783, which solidified the sovereign establishment of the United States.

Westward expansion

Main article: Westward Expansion Trails

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

European colonization of North America and the Territorial evolution of the United States by Gustav Droysen

By the late 18th century, Russia was established on the Pacific Northwest northern coastline, where it was engaged in maritime fur trade and was supported by various indigenous settlements in the region. As a result, the Spanish were showing more interest in controlling the trade on the Pacific coast and mapped most of its coastline. The first Spanish settlements were attempted in Alta California during that period. Numerous overland explorations associated with voyageurs, fur trade, and U.S. led expeditions, including the Lewis and Clark, Frémont and Wilkes expeditions, reached the Pacific.

In 1803, during the presidency of Thomas Jefferson, the third U.S. president, Napoleon Bonaparte sold France's remaining North American territorial claims, which included regions west of the Mississippi River, to the U.S., in the Louisiana Purchase. Spain and the U.S. settled their western boundary dispute in 1819 in the Adams–Onís Treaty. Mexico fought a lengthy war for independence from Spain, winning it for Mexico (which included Central America at the time) in 1821. The U.S. sought further westward expansion and fought the Mexican–American War, gaining a vast territory that first Spain and then Mexico claimed but which they did not effectively control. Much of the area was in fact dominated by indigenous peoples, which did not recognize the claims of Spain, France, or the U.S. Russia sold its North American claims, which included the present-day U.S. state of Alaska, to the U.S. in 1867.

Canada and Panama Canal

Main articles: Canada and Panama Canal

In 1867, colonial settlers north of the United States, unified as the dominion of Canada. The U.S. sought to dig a canal across the Isthmus of Panama in present-day Panama in Central America, then a part of present-day Colombia. The U.S. aided Panamanians in a war that resulted in its separation from Colombia. The U.S. subsequently carved out the Panama Canal Zone, and claimed sovereignty over it. After decades of work, the Panama Canal was completed, which connected the Atlantic and Pacific oceans in 1913 and greatly facilitated global shipping navigation.

Demographics

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

Non-native nations' control and claims over North America, c. 1750 to 2008

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 are at various levels of economic and human development. For example, small Caribbean island-nations, such as Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, and Antigua and Barbuda, have a higher GDP (PPP) per capita than Mexico due to their smaller populations. Panama and Costa Rica have a significantly higher Human Development Index and GDP than the rest of the Central American nations. Additionally, despite Greenland's vast resources in oil and minerals, much of them remain untapped, and the island is economically dependent on fishing, tourism, and subsidies from Denmark. Nevertheless, the island is highly developed.

Demographically, North America is ethnically diverse. Its three main groups are Whites, Mestizos and Blacks. There is a significant minority of Indigenous Americans and Asians among other less numerous groups.

Languages

Main article: Languages of North America

Native languages of the United States, Canada, Greenland, and Northern Mexico

The dominant languages in North America are English, Spanish, and French. Danish is prevalent in Greenland alongside Greenlandic, and Dutch is spoken side by side local languages in the Dutch Caribbean. The term Anglo-America is used to refer to the anglophone countries of the Americas: namely Canada (where English and French are co-official) and the U.S., but also sometimes Belize and parts of the tropics, especially the Commonwealth Caribbean. Latin America refers to the other areas of the Americas (generally south of the U.S.) where the Romance languages, derived from Latin, of Spanish and Portuguese, (but French-speaking countries are not usually included) predominate: the other republics of Central America (but not always Belize), part of the Caribbean (not the Dutch-, English-, or French-speaking areas), Mexico, and most of South America (except Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana [France], and the Falkland Islands [UK]).

The French language has historically played a significant role in North America and now retains a distinctive presence in some regions. Canada is officially bilingual. French is the official language of the province of Quebec, where 95% of the people speak it as either their first or second language, and it is co-official with English in the province of New Brunswick. Other French-speaking locales include the province of Ontario (the official language is English, but there are an estimated 600,000 Franco-Ontarians), the province of Manitoba (co-official as de jure with English), the French West Indies and Saint-Pierre et 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 historical association but Haitians speak both Creole and French. Similarly, French and French Antillean Creole is spoken in Saint Lucia and the Commonwealth of Dominica alongside English.

A significant number of Indigenous languages are spoken in North America, with 372,000 people in the U.S. speaking an indigenous language at home, about 225,000 in Canada and roughly 6 million in Mexico. In the U.S. and Canada, there are approximately 150 surviving indigenous languages of the 300 spoken prior to European contact.

Religions

Main article: Religion in North America

See also: Religions of the world

The percentage of people who identify with a religion in North America, according to 2010–2012 data

Christianity is the largest religion in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. According to a 2012 Pew Research Center survey, 77% of the population considered themselves Christians. Christianity also is the predominant religion in the 23 dependent territories in North America. The U.S. has the largest Christian population in the world, with nearly 247 million Christians (70%), although other countries have higher percentages of Christians among their populations. Mexico has the world's second-largest number of Catholics, surpassed only by Brazil.

According to the same study, the religiously unaffiliated (including agnostics and atheists) make up about 17% of the population of Canada and the U.S. Those with no religious affiliation make up about 24% of Canada's total population.

Canada, the U.S., and Mexico host communities of Jews (6 million or about 1.8%), Buddhists (3.8 million or 1.1%) and Muslims (3.4 million or 1.0%). The largest number of Jews can be found in the U.S. (5.4 million), Canada (375,000) and Mexico (67,476). The U.S. hosts the largest Muslim population in North America with 2.7 million or 0.9%, while Canada hosts about one million Muslims or 3.2% of the population. In Mexico there were 3,700 Muslims in 2010. In 2012, U-T San Diego estimated U.S. practitioners of Buddhism at 1.2 million people, of whom 40% are living in Southern California.

The predominant religion in Mexico and Central America is Christianity (96%). Beginning with the Spanish colonization of Mexico in the 16th century, Roman Catholicism was the only religion permitted by Spanish crown and Catholic church. A vast campaign of religious conversion, the so-called "spiritual conquest", was launched to bring the indigenous peoples into the Christian fold. The Inquisition was established to assure orthodox belief and practice. The Catholic Church remained an important institution, so that even after political independence, Roman Catholicism remained the dominant religion. Since the 1960s, there has been an increase in other Christian groups, particularly Protestantism, as well as other religious organizations, and individuals identifying themselves as having no religion. Christianity is also the predominant religion in the Caribbean (85%). Other religious groups in the region are Hinduism, Islam, Rastafari (in Jamaica), and Afro-American religions such as Santería and Vodou.

Populace

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 American cities

Mexico City

Los Angeles

Toronto

Chicago

New York City

Guadalajara

Life expectancy in North America in 2021

North America is the fourth most populous continent after Asia, Africa, and Europe. Its most populous country is the U.S. with 329.7 million persons. The second-largest country is Mexico with a population of 112.3 million. Canada is the third-most-populous country with 37.0 million. The majority of Caribbean island-nations have national populations under a million, though Cuba, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Puerto Rico (a territory of the U.S.), Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobago each have populations higher than a million. Greenland has a small population of 55,984 for its massive size (2.166 million km² or 836,300 mi²), and therefore, it has the world's lowest population density at 0.026 pop./km² (0.067 pop./mi²).

While the U.S., Canada, and Mexico maintain the largest populations, large city populations are not restricted to those nations. There are also large cities in the Caribbean. The largest cities in North America, by far, are Mexico City and New York City. These cities are the only cities on the continent to exceed eight million, and two of three in the Americas. Next in size are Los Angeles, Toronto, Chicago, Havana, Santo Domingo, and Montreal. Cities in the Sun Belt regions of the U.S., such as those in Southern California and Houston, Phoenix, Miami, Atlanta, and Las Vegas, are experiencing rapid growth. These causes included warm temperatures, retirement of Baby Boomers, large industry, and the influx of immigrants. Cities near the U.S. border, particularly in Mexico, are also experiencing large amounts of growth. Most notable is Tijuana, a city bordering San Diego that receives immigrants from all over Latin America and parts of Europe and Asia. Yet as cities grow in these warmer regions of North America, they are increasingly forced to deal with the major issue of water shortages.

Eight of the top ten metropolitan areas are located in the U.S. These metropolitan areas all have a population of above 5.5 million and include the New York City metropolitan area, Los Angeles metropolitan area, Chicago metropolitan area, and the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. Whilst the majority of the largest metropolitan areas are within the U.S., Mexico is host to the largest metropolitan area by population in North America: Greater Mexico City. Canada also breaks into the top ten largest metropolitan areas with the Toronto metropolitan area having six million people. The proximity of cities to each other on the Canada–United States border and the Mexico–U.S. border has led to the rise of international metropolitan areas. These urban agglomerations are observed at their largest and most productive in Detroit–Windsor and San Diego–Tijuana and experience large commercial, economic, and cultural activity. The metropolitan areas are responsible for millions of dollars of trade dependent on international freight. In Detroit-Windsor the Border Transportation Partnership study in 2004 concluded US$13 billion was dependent on the Detroit–Windsor international border crossing while in San Diego-Tijuana freight at the Otay Mesa Port of Entry was valued at US$20 billion.

Further information: Megaregions of the United States

Северная Америка также стала свидетелем роста мегаполисов . Соединенные Штаты включают одиннадцать мегарегионов.

Десять крупнейших мегаполисов Северной Америки по численности населения по состоянию на 2013 год на основе данных национальной переписи населения США и оценок переписи населения Канады и Мексики.

Район метро	Население	Область	Страна
Мехико	21,163,226 †	7346 км 2 (2836 квадратных миль)	Мексика
Нью-Йорк	19,949,502	17 405 км 2 (6720 квадратных миль)	Соединенные Штаты
Лос-Анджелес	13,131,431	12 562 км 2 (4850 квадратных миль)	Соединенные Штаты
Чикаго	9,537,289	24 814 км 2 (9581 квадратных миль)	Соединенные Штаты
Даллас – Форт-Уэрт	6,810,913	24 059 км 2 (9289 квадратных миль)	Соединенные Штаты
Хьюстон	6,313,158	26 061 км 2 (10 062 квадратных миль)	Соединенные Штаты
Торонто	6,054,191 †	5906 км 2 (2280 квадратных миль)	Канада
Филадельфия	6,034,678	13 256 км 2 (5118 квадратных миль)	Соединенные Штаты
Вашингтон, округ Колумбия	5,949,859	14 412 км 2 (5565 квадратных миль)	Соединенные Штаты
Майами	5,828,191	15 896 км 2 (6137 квадратных миль)	Соединенные Штаты

^† Данные переписи 2011 года

Экономика

Основная статья: Экономика Северной Америки

См. Также: Список стран Северной Америки по ВВП (номинальному) и Список стран Северной Америки по ВВП (ППС).

Президент Мексики Энрике Пенья Ньето , президент США Дональд Трамп и премьер-министр Канады Джастин Трюдо подписывают Соглашение между США, Мексикой и Канадой во время саммита G20 в Буэнос-Айресе в 2018 году.

Соответствующее богатство регионов мира (в триллионах долларов США) по состоянию на 2018 год.

Классифицировать	Страна или территория	ВВП (ППС, пиковый год) миллионы долларов США	Пиковый год
1	Соединенные Штаты	28,781,083	2024
2	Мексика	3,434,224	2024
3	Канада	2,472,227	2024
4	Доминиканская Республика	293,365	2024
5	Куба	254,865	2015
6	Гватемала	213,276	2024
7	Панама	202,013	2024
8	Коста-Рика	152,141	2024
9	Пуэрто-Рико	136,921	2024
10	Сальвадор	80,151	2024

Классифицировать	Страна или территория	ВВП (номинальный, пиковый год) миллионы долларов США	Пиковый год
1	Соединенные Штаты	28,781,083	2024
2	Канада	2,242,182	2024
3	Мексика	2,017,025	2024
4	Куба	545,218	2021
5	Доминиканская Республика	127,356	2024
6	Пуэрто-Рико	117,763	2024
7	Гватемала	110,035	2024
8	Коста-Рика	96,058	2024
9	Панама	87,347	2024
10	Гондурас	37,355	2024

ВВП Северной Америки на душу населения был оценен Международным валютным фондом (МВФ) в октябре 2016 года в 41 830 долларов США, что делает ее самым богатым континентом в мире. за ней следует Океания .

Канада, Мексика и США имеют значительные и многогранные экономические системы. США имеют крупнейшую экономику в мире. , в 2016 году валовой внутренний продукт (ППС) США на душу населения оценивался в 57 466 долларов США По данным Всемирного банка , и это самая технологически развитая экономика из трех. Сектор услуг США составляет 77% ВВП страны (по оценкам на 2010 год), промышленность — 22%, а сельское хозяйство — 1,2%. Экономика США также является самой быстрорастущей экономикой в ​​Северной Америке и Америке в целом. с самым высоким ВВП на душу населения в Америке.

Канада демонстрирует значительный рост в секторах услуг, горнодобывающей промышленности и обрабатывающей промышленности. ВВП Канады на душу населения (ППС) оценивался в 44 656 долларов США, и в 2014 году она была 11-м по величине ВВП (номинальным). Сектор услуг Канады составляет 78% ВВП страны (по оценкам на 2010 год), промышленность - 20%, а сельское хозяйство - 2%. Мексика имеет ВВП на душу населения (ППС) в размере 16 111 долларов США и по состоянию на 2014 год является 15-м по величине ВВП (номинальным) в мире. Будучи новой индустриальной страной , В Мексике имеются как современные, так и устаревшие промышленные и сельскохозяйственные объекты и предприятия. Его основными источниками дохода являются нефть, промышленный экспорт, промышленные товары, электроника, тяжелая промышленность, автомобили, строительство, продукты питания, банковские и финансовые услуги.

Экономика Северной Америки четко определена и структурирована по трем основным экономическим направлениям. Эти зоны находятся в рамках Североамериканского соглашения о свободной торговле (НАФТА), Карибского сообщества и общего рынка (КАРИКОМ) и Центральноамериканского общего рынка (CACM). Из этих торговых блоков США принимают участие в двух. Помимо более крупных торговых блоков, существует Соглашение о свободной торговле между Канадой и Коста-Рикой среди множества других отношений свободной торговли , часто между более крупными и развитыми странами и странами Центральной Америки и Карибского бассейна.

НАФТА сформировало один из четырех крупнейших торговых блоков в мире. Его реализация в 1994 году была направлена ​​на экономическую гомогенизацию с надеждой на устранение барьеров в торговле и иностранных инвестициях между Канадой, США и Мексикой. Хотя Канада и США уже установили крупнейшие двусторонние торговые отношения (и до сих пор поддерживают их) в мире, а торговые отношения между Канадой и США уже позволяли торговать без национальных налогов и тарифов. НАФТА позволило Мексике испытать аналогичную беспошлинную торговлю. Соглашение о свободной торговле позволило отменить тарифы, которые ранее действовали в торговле между США и Мексикой. Объем торговли ежегодно неуклонно растет, и в 2010 году наземная торговля между тремя странами НАФТА достигла рекордного исторического роста на 24,3% или 791 миллиард долларов США. ВВП торгового блока НАФТА (ППС) является крупнейшим в мире и составляет 17,617 триллиона долларов США. Частично это объясняется тем фактом, что экономика США является крупнейшей национальной экономикой в ​​мире; В 2010 году номинальный ВВП страны составил около 14,7 триллионов долларов. Страны НАФТА также являются одними из крупнейших торговых партнеров друг друга. США являются крупнейшим торговым партнёром Канады и Мексики. в то время как Канада и Мексика являются третьими по величине торговыми партнерами друг друга. В 2018 году НАФТА было заменено Соглашением США, Мексики и Канады .

Карибский торговый блок (КАРИКОМ) заключил соглашение в 1973 году, когда его подписали 15 стран Карибского бассейна. По состоянию на 2000 год объем торговли КАРИКОМ составлял 96 миллиардов долларов США. КАРИКОМ также разрешило создание общего паспорта для ассоциированных стран. В последнее десятилетие торговый блок сосредоточил свое внимание в основном на соглашениях о свободной торговле, и в рамках Управления торговых переговоров КАРИКОМ соглашения о свободной торговле были подписаны и вступили в силу.

Интеграция экономик Центральной Америки произошла в результате подписания соглашения об Общем рынке Центральной Америки в 1961 году; это была первая попытка вовлечь страны этого региона в более тесное финансовое сотрудничество. Реализация в 2006 году Центральноамериканского соглашения о свободной торговле (CAFTA) оставила будущее CACM неясным. Соглашение о свободной торговле в Центральной Америке было подписано пятью странами Центральной Америки, Доминиканской Республикой и США. Целью CAFTA является создание зоны свободной торговли, аналогичной зоне НАФТА. Помимо США, Канада также имеет отношения с торговыми блоками Центральной Америки.

Эти страны также принимают участие в межконтинентальных торговых блоках. Мексика участвует в Соглашении о свободной торговле G3 с Колумбией и Венесуэлой и имеет торговое соглашение с ЕС. США предложили и поддерживают торговые соглашения в рамках Трансатлантической зоны свободной торговли между собой и Европейским Союзом ; зона свободной торговли между США и Ближним Востоком между многочисленными странами Ближнего Востока и самой страной; и Транстихоокеанское стратегическое экономическое партнерство между странами Юго-Восточной Азии, Австралией и Новой Зеландией.

Транспорт

Основная статья: Транспорт в Северной Америке

Карта класса I Северной Америки 2006 года. железнодорожной сети

Маршрут Панамериканского шоссе в Америке представляет собой часть сети дорог длиной почти 48 000 км (30 000 миль), которая проходит через материковые страны. Никакой определенной длины Панамериканского шоссе не существует, поскольку правительства США и Канады никогда официально не определяли какие-либо конкретные маршруты как часть Панамериканского шоссе, а в Мексике официально имеется множество ответвлений, ведущих к границе с США. Однако общая длина участка от Мексики до северной оконечности шоссе составляет примерно 26 000 км (16 000 миль).

Первая трансконтинентальная железная дорога в США была построена в 1860-х годах и связала железнодорожную сеть востока США с Калифорнией на побережье Тихого океана . Завершенный 10 мая 1869 года на знаменитом мероприятии «Золотой шип» на Промонтори-Саммите, штат Юта , он создал общенациональную механизированную транспортную сеть, которая произвела революцию в населении и экономике американского Запада , катализируя переход от вагонных поездов предыдущих десятилетий к современной транспортной системе. . Несмотря на то, что это достижение, она достигла статуса первой трансконтинентальной железной дороги, соединив множество железных дорог восточной части США с Тихим океаном, и не была крупнейшей железнодорожной системой в мире. Канады К 1867 году Великая магистральная железная дорога уже накопила более 2055 км (1277 миль) путей, соединив Онтарио с канадскими атлантическими провинциями на западе до Порт-Гурона, штат Мичиган , через Сарнию, Онтарио .

Коммуникации

Общая телефонная система, известная как Североамериканский план нумерации (NANP), представляет собой интегрированный план телефонной нумерации 24 стран и территорий: США и их территорий , Канады, Бермудских островов и 17 стран Карибского бассейна. В последние месяцы интернет-услуга Starlink расширилась и теперь охватывает ряд рынков Северной Америки.

Культура

Бейсбол известен как национальное развлечение в США, в него также играют в Канаде и многих странах Латинской Америки.

Культуры Северной Америки разнообразны. США и английская Канада имеют много культурных сходств, в то время как французская Канада имеет культуру, отличную от англоязычной Канады, которая охраняется законом. Поскольку США были сформированы из частей, ранее входивших в состав Испанской империи, а затем независимой Мексики, продолжалась значительная и продолжающаяся иммиграция испаноговорящих людей с юга от границы США и Мексики. На юго-западе США существует множество латиноамериканских культурных традиций и значительное двуязычие. Мексика и Центральная Америка являются частью Латинской Америки и в культурном отношении отличаются от англоязычной и франкоязычной Северной Америки. Тем не менее, они разделяют с Соединенными Штатами создание правительств после обретения независимости, которые представляют собой федеративные представительные республики с письменными конституциями, датируемыми моментом их основания как наций. Канада является федеративной парламентской демократией и конституционной монархией.

Канады Конституция датируется 1867 годом, вместе с конфедерацией, согласно Закону о Британской Северной Америке, но только в 1982 году Канада получила право вносить поправки в свою собственную конституцию. Франкоязычное наследие Канады было закреплено законом с тех пор, как британский парламент принял Закон о Квебеке 1774 года. В отличие от преимущественно протестантских англо-поселенцев в Северной Америке, франкоязычные канадцы были католиками, и Законом о Квебеке им была гарантирована свобода исповедовать свою религию, восстановлена право католической церкви взимать десятину для своей поддержки и в большинстве случаев установило французское гражданское право.

Отличительные черты французского языка и культуры закреплены в канадском законодательстве, поэтому и английский, и французский языки являются официальными языками. В США нет официального языка, но национальным языком является английский.

Канадское правительство приняло меры по защите канадской культуры , ограничив неканадский контент в радиовещании, создав Канадскую комиссию по радио и телекоммуникациям для мониторинга канадского контента. В Квебеке правительство провинции учредило Квебекское управление французского языка , которое англоязычные люди часто называют «языковой полицией», которое требует использования французской терминологии и вывесок на французском языке. С 1968 года однопалатный законодательный орган называется Национальной ассамблеей Квебека . День Сен-Жан-Батиста , 24 июня, является национальным праздником Квебека и отмечается франкоязычными канадцами по всей Канаде. В Квебеке школьная система была разделена на католическую и протестантскую, так называемые конфессиональные школы. Англоязычное образование в Квебеке все больше подрывается.

Латиноамериканская культура сильна на юго-западе США, а также во Флориде, куда приезжают латиноамериканцы из многих стран полушария. Северная Мексика, особенно в городах Монтеррей , Тихуана, Сьюдад-Хуарес и Мехикали , находится под сильным влиянием культуры и образа жизни США. Монтеррей, современный город со значительной промышленной группой, считается наиболее американизированным городом. в Мексике. Северная Мексика, запад США и Альберта , Канада, разделяют ковбойскую культуру.

Англоязычные государства Карибского бассейна стали свидетелями и участниками упадка Британской империи и ее влияния на регион, а также замены ее экономическим влиянием Северной Америки в англоязычных странах Карибского бассейна. Отчасти это связано с относительно небольшим населением англоязычных стран Карибского бассейна, а также с тем, что во многих из них сейчас за границей живет больше людей , чем тех, кто остается дома.

Гренландия пережила множество волн иммиграции из Северной Канады , например, из народа Туле . Таким образом, Гренландия имеет некоторые культурные связи с коренными народами Канады. Гренландия также считается скандинавской страной и имеет прочные связи с Данией из-за многовековой колонизации Данией .

Популярная культура – ​​спорт

Смотрите также: Спорт в Северной Америке

В США и Канаде есть крупные спортивные команды, которые соревнуются друг с другом, включая бейсбол, баскетбол, хоккей и футбол/футбол. Канада, Мексика и США примут чемпионат мира по футболу 2026 года .

В следующей таблице показаны наиболее известные спортивные лиги Северной Америки в порядке среднего дохода. В Канаде есть отдельная Канадская футбольная лига, отделенная от команд США.

Индейская игра лакросс считается национальным видом спорта в Канаде. Керлинг — важный зимний вид спорта в Канаде, и Зимние Олимпийские игры включают его в список. Английский вид спорта - крикет популярен в некоторых частях англоязычной Канады и очень популярен в некоторых частях бывшей Британской империи, но в Канаде считается второстепенным видом спорта. Бокс также является основным видом спорта в некоторых странах, таких как Мексика, Панама и Пуэрто-Рико, и считается одним из основных индивидуальных видов спорта в США.

Лига	Спорт	Начальный страна	Основан	Команды	Доход долларов США (млрд)	Средний посещаемость
Национальная футбольная лига (НФЛ)	американский футбол	Соединенные Штаты	1920	32	$9.0	67,604
Высшая лига бейсбола (MLB)	Бейсбол	Соединенные Штаты Канада	1869	30	$8.0	30,458
Национальная баскетбольная ассоциация (НБА)	Баскетбол	Соединенные Штаты Канада	1946	30	$5.0	17,347
Национальная хоккейная лига (НХЛ)	Хоккей с шайбой	Соединенные Штаты Канада	1917	32	$3.3	17,720
Лига МХ	Футбол (футбол)	Мексика	1943	18	$0.6	25,557
Высшая лига футбола (MLS)	Футбол (футбол)	Соединенные Штаты Канада	1994	28	$0.5	21,574
Канадская футбольная лига (КФЛ)	Канадский футбол	Канада	1958	9	$0.3	23,890

См. также

• Флаги Северной Америки
• Список городов Северной Америки
• Правила поведения за столом в Северной Америке
• Северо-Американский Союз

Дальнейшее чтение

• Гулд, Э.; Мапп, П.; Пестана, CG (2022). Кембриджская история Америки и мира: Том 1, 1500–1820 гг . Издательство Кембриджского университета . ISBN  978-1-108-31781-8 .
• Макилрайт, Т.Ф.; Мюллер, ЕК; Конзен, член парламента; ДеВорси, Л.; Эрл, К.; Грим, Р.Э.; Гроувс, Пенсильвания; Гельке, Дж. К.; Харрис, К.; Харрис, Р. (2001). Северная Америка: историческая география меняющегося континента . Роуман и Литтлфилд . ISBN  978-1-4616-3960-2 . LCCN   2020740684 .
• Берндл, К.; Национальное географическое общество (США) (2005 г.). Национальная географическая визуальная история мира . Национальное географическое общество . ISBN  978-0-7922-3695-5 . LCCN   2005541553 .
• Экстелл, Дж. (1988). После Колумба: Очерки этноистории колониальной Северной Америки . Издательство Оксфордского университета. ISBN  978-0-19-802206-0 . LCCN   87034886 .
• Кехо, AB (2016). Северная Америка до европейского вторжения . Тейлор и Фрэнсис . ISBN  978-1-317-49544-4 . LCCN   2016054024 .
• Хейнс, MR; Стеккель, Р.Х. (2000). История населения Северной Америки . Издательство Кембриджского университета. ISBN  978-0-521-49666-7 . LCCN   99023284 .
• Крюер, М. (2022). Время анархии: власть коренных народов и кризис колониализма в ранней Америке . Издательство Гарвардского университета . ISBN  978-0-674-26956-9 .
• Экстелл, Дж. (1981). Европеец и индеец: Очерки этноистории колониальной Северной Америки . Издательство Оксфордского университета . ISBN  978-0-19-502904-8 . LCCN   lc80025084 .

Внешние ссылки

• Веб-ресурсы Северной Америки , предоставленные GovPubs в библиотеках Университета Колорадо в Боулдере.
• Северная Америка в Британской энциклопедии
• Северная Америка: человеческая география. Архивировано 29 сентября 2023 года в Wayback Machine Национального географического общества.
• Европейская колонизация Северной Америки. Архивировано 28 сентября 2023 года в Wayback Machine Национального географического общества.
• Северная Америка в Керли
• "Северная Америка" . Британская энциклопедия . Том. 19 (11-е изд.). 1911. стр. 760–765.
• Мировой справочник Колумбии в Интернете. Архивировано 1 сентября 2006 г. в Wayback Machine Columbia University Press.
• «Колониальная Северная Америка в Гарвардской библиотеке» . Кембридж (Массачусетс): Гарвардская библиотека . 2015. LCCN   2019234716 . Архивировано из оригинала 25 марта 2023 года . Проверено 25 марта 2023 г.
• Интерактивная SVG-версия анимации «Контроль некоренных американцев над Северной Америкой, 1750–2008 гг.»