Geography
What is North America like?
Quick answer
North America is the third-largest continent. It includes Canada, the United States, Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean islands and Greenland.
In one sentence
North America is the continent between the Pacific and Atlantic oceans that stretches from the Arctic in the north to Panama in the south.
Explained
North America covers almost 25 million square kilometres and has some 600 million people. It has 23 countries. The three largest are Canada, the United States and Mexico. South of Mexico lies Central America (Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama), and the Caribbean islands, such as Cuba and Jamaica, are also counted as part of North America. Greenland, a large island belonging to Denmark, is geographically part of it too.
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The continent has an enormous variety of places. In the west the Rocky Mountains run from Canada to the United States, and Denali in Alaska is the highest peak at about 6,190 metres. In the middle are wide plains, and farther north are cold forests and Arctic land. The Great Lakes hold about a fifth of the world's fresh surface water. The Mississippi and Missouri rivers drain much of the central United States. The Caribbean has warm beaches, and hurricanes can affect the region in late summer and autumn.
Canada is the second-largest country in the world by area, yet most Canadians live in a belt close to the southern border. Mexico City is one of the world's biggest cities. Capitals include Ottawa (Canada), Washington, D.C. (United States) and Mexico City (Mexico). Languages include English, Spanish, French and hundreds of Indigenous languages.
North America is joined to South America by the narrow Isthmus of Panama. Learn more about the world's land areas in continents and about capital cities.
Examples
| Country | Capital | Main languages |
|---|---|---|
| Canada | Ottawa | English, French |
| United States | Washington, D.C. | English (and Spanish widely) |
| Mexico | Mexico City | Spanish |
| Cuba | Havana | Spanish |
| Guatemala | Guatemala City | Spanish |
Common mistakes
- "North America is just the USA." The continent has 23 countries.
- "America is a country." The United States of America is one country on a continent.
- "Greenland is in Europe." It is geographically part of North America.
Quick quiz
North America
Check what you know with 4 quick questions.
Question 1 of 4
Which are the three largest countries in North America?
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Related topics
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Continents are the very large areas of land on Earth. In English-speaking schools you usually learn seven, but some countries count six.
Countries
A country is an area of land with its own borders, government and laws. Most lists count 195 countries in the world today.
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