The Americas aka the New World. Both of these names are valid. Here, you’ll find both North America and South America, which makes up most of the western hemisphere.
North American continental mass also contains Central America, a narrow piece of land that connects the two Americas. Together, both the American Continents and their islands make up 28.4% of Earth’s land area, and 8% of its area overall.
Eastern America is home to many large river basins. These include the Amazon, the St. Lawrence River, the Great Lakes basin, the Mississippi River, and La Plata.
Whereas Western America a distant span of mountain ranges that run along the west coast. You see this both in South America (Andes) and in the North (Sierra Nevada, Rocky Mountains, etc).
Geographical Beauty
Antelope Canyon, Arizona, United States
Stretching over 8,700 miles from both north to south, it is no surprise that the area experiences a variety of temperatures and ecology.
Volcanoes and Rain forests of Central America
From freezing temperatures in the Arctic tundra of Northern Canada and Alaska to the dense, tropical rain forests in Central and South America.
Mount Denali, Alaska
A Very Brief History
In a period beginning 17,000-42,000 years ago, human settlement began in America. These settlers were from Asia and were also followed by a second migration of Na-Dene speakers.
Around 3500 BCE, an Inuit migration to the neo-Arctic region completed the American indigenous settlement.
An Inuit tent in the northern territories, Canada
The famous voyages of Christopher Columbus occurred in 1492 to 1502. These voyages led to the Columbian exchange between Old World powers and the Americas.
Columbus’ statue
Sadly, goods were not all that was exchanged. Diseases hailing from both Europe and Africa wiped out entire tribes of indigenous peoples, leaving the land open to European colonization. These new residents included indentured servants, slaves imported from Africa, and also a mass migration of European citizens.
American Revolution in 1776 began the decolonization of America
Today, the New World is many independent countries. Currently, almost all of the population of the Americas resides in independent countries; however, some common traits remain, including a tendency towards Christianity, and the use of English, Spanish, French, and Portuguese as the primary lingua franca.
Countries of the Americas
North America
There are 23 countries that make the North American continent. Below is the alphabetical list of countries includes both the Caribbean region and Central America:
- Antigua and Barbuda
- Bahamas
- Barbados
- Belize
- Canada
- Costa Rica
- Cuba
- Dominica
- Dominican Republic
- El Salvador
- Grenada
- Guatemala
- Haiti
- Honduras
- Jamaica
- Mexico
- Nicaragua
- Panama
- Saint Kitts and Nevis
- Saint Lucia
- Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
- Trinidad and Tobago
- United States of America
Dependent territories of North America
Listed in alphabetical order:
- Anguilla (UK)
- Aruba (Netherlands)
- Bermuda (UK)
- Bonaire (Netherlands)
- British Virgin Islands (UK)
- Cayman Islands (UK)
- Clipperton Island (France)
- Curacao (Netherlands)
- Greenland (Denmark)
- Guadeloupe (France)
- Martinique (France)
- Montserrat (UK)
- Navassa Island (USA)
- Puerto Rico (USA)
- Saba (Netherlands)
- Saint Barthelemy (France)
- Saint Martin (France)
- Saint Pierre and Miquelon (France)
- Sint Eustatius (Netherlands)
- Sint Maarten (Netherlands)
- Turks and Caicos Islands (UK)
- US Virgin Islands (USA)
South America
There are 12 countries that make the South American continent. Below is the alphabetical list of countries of South America:
- Argentina
- Bolivia
- Brazil
- Chile
- Colombia
- Ecuador
- Guyana
- Paraguay
- Peru
- Suriname
- Uruguay
- Venezuela
Dependent territories of South America
Listed in alphabetical order:
- Falkland Islands (UK)
- French Guiana (France)
- South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (UK)
People of the Americas
Over 1 billion residents live in this region, with over 65% of the population in its three most populous countries, the United States, Brazil, and Mexico.
New York City, Sao Paulo, Mexico City, Buenos Aires, and Toronto are some of the biggest cities in the Americas (with the highest populations).
Read Next
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- Top 100 Places People Most Want to Travel
- World’s Largest Cities
- Mythical Places
- Famous Archaeological Sites
- US World Heritage Sites
- World’s Largest Megacities
October 11, 2016 7:01 pm
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