What Is North America?

North America is the third-largest continent (24.7M km² / 9.5M mi²) and fourth-most populous (~579M), lying entirely in the Northern and mostly Western Hemispheres.

Boundaries

• North: Arctic Ocean
• East: Atlantic Ocean
• West: Pacific Ocean
• South: South America (Isthmus of Panama)

Major Countries

Canada, United States, Mexico dominate; plus Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, and Caribbean island nations.

Physical Geography

• Western Cordillera (Rockies, Sierra Nevada, Cascades)
• Great Plains / Interior Lowlands
• Canadian Shield (ancient core)
• Appalachian Highlands (east)
• Major Rivers: Mississippi–Missouri, Mackenzie, Colorado, Rio Grande, St. Lawrence.

Economy & Culture

GDP ~US$25T (US, Mexico, Canada = top 15 globally). Cultural mosaic: Indigenous, European, African, Asian, Latin American roots. Languages: English, Spanish, French, plus hundreds of Indigenous tongues.

From Arctic tundra to tropical reefs, North America spans every biome.