Americas
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The Americas, sometimes collectively called America,<ref name="oxfordc"/><ref name="Burchfield"/><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> are a landmass comprising the totality of North America and South America.<ref name=":0">Webster's New World College Dictionary, 2010 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>"continent n. 5. a." (1989) Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd edition. Oxford University Press; "continent1 n." (2006) The Concise Oxford English Dictionary, 11th edition revised. (Ed.) Catherine Soanes and Angus Stevenson. Oxford University Press; "continent1 n." (2005) The New Oxford American Dictionary, 2nd edition. (Ed.) Erin McKean. Oxford University Press; "continent [2, n] 4 a" (1996) Webster's Third New International Dictionary, Unabridged. ProQuest Information and Learning; "continent" (2007) Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved January 14, 2007, from Encyclopædia Britannica Online.</ref> When viewed as a single continent, the Americas or America is the 2nd largest continent by area after Asia, and is the 3rd largest continent by population. The Americas make up most of the land in Earth's Western Hemisphere and comprise the New World.<ref name="oxfordc"/>
Along with their associated islands, the Americas cover 8% of Earth's total surface area and 28.4% of its land area. The topography is dominated by the American Cordillera, a long chain of mountains that runs the length of the west coast. The flatter eastern side of the Americas is dominated by large river basins, such as the Amazon, St. Lawrence River–Great Lakes, Mississippi, and La Plata basins. Since the Americas extend Template:Cvt from north to south, the climate and ecology vary widely, from the arctic tundra of Northern Canada, Greenland, and Alaska, to the tropical rainforests in Central America and South America.
Humans first settled the Americas from Asia between 20,000 and 16,000 years ago. A second migration of Na-Dene speakers followed later from Asia. The subsequent migration of the Inuit into the neoarctic Template:Circa completed what is generally regarded as the settlement by the Indigenous peoples of the Americas. The first known European settlement in the Americas was by the Norse explorer Leif Erikson.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> However, the colonization never became permanent and was later abandoned. The Spanish voyages of Christopher Columbus from 1492 to 1504 resulted in permanent contact with European (and subsequently, other Old World) powers, which eventually led to the Columbian exchange and inaugurated a period of exploration, conquest, and colonization whose effects and consequences persist to the present.
The Spanish presence involved the enslavement of large numbers of the indigenous population of America.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Diseases introduced from Europe and West Africa devastated the indigenous peoples, and the European powers colonized the Americas.<ref name="Taylor 2001">Template:Cite book</ref> Mass emigration from Europe, including large numbers of indentured servants, and importation of African slaves largely replaced the indigenous peoples in much of the Americas. Decolonization of the Americas began with the American Revolution in the 1770s and largely ended with the Spanish–American War in the late 1890s. Currently, almost all of the population of the Americas resides in independent countries; however, the legacy of the colonization and settlement by Europeans is that the Americas share many common cultural traits, most notably Christianity and the use of West European languages: primarily Spanish, English, Portuguese, French, and, to a lesser extent, Dutch.
The Americas are home to more than a billion inhabitants, two-thirds of whom reside in the United States, Brazil, and Mexico. It is home to eight megacities (metropolitan areas with 10 million inhabitants or more): Greater Mexico City (21.2 million), São Paulo (21.2 million), New York City (19.7 million), Los Angeles (18.8 million), Buenos Aires (15.6 million),<ref name="indecpop">Template:Cite web</ref> Rio de Janeiro (13.0 million), Bogotá (10.4 million), and Lima (10.1 million).
Etymology and naming
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The name "America" was first recorded in 1507. A two-dimensional globe created by Martin Waldseemüller was the earliest recorded use of the term.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The name was also used (together with the related term Amerigen) in the Cosmographiae Introductio, apparently written by Matthias Ringmann, in reference to South America.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> It was applied to both North and South America by Gerardus Mercator in 1538. "America" derives from Template:Lang, the Latin version of Italian explorer Amerigo Vespucci's first name.
The feminine form America was originally used to refer to the newly discovered continent, which is why it was accorded with the feminine names of the other continents: Asia, Africa, and Europa.<ref name=Smiths>Toby Lester, "Putting America on the Map", Smithsonian, 40:9 (December 2009)</ref>
Since the 1950s,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> however, North America and South America have generally been considered by English speakers as separate continents, and taken together are called the Americas, or more rarely America.<ref>See for example: america – Definition from the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. Retrieved on January 27, 2008; "dictionary.reference.com america". Dictionary.com. The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, 2004. Accessed: January 27, 2008.</ref><ref>Marjorie Fee and Janice MacAlpine, Oxford Guide to Canadian English Usage (2008) page 36 says "In Canada, American is used almost exclusively in reference to the United States and its citizens." Others, including The New Zealand Oxford Dictionary, The Canadian Oxford Dictionary, The Australian Oxford Dictionary and The Concise Oxford English Dictionary all specify both the Americas and the United States in their definition of "American".</ref><ref name="oxfordc">"America." The Oxford Companion to the English Language (Template:ISBN). McArthur, Tom, ed., 1992. New York: Oxford University Press, p. 33: "[16c: from the feminine of Americus, the Latinized first name of the explorer Amerigo Vespucci (1454–1512). The name America first appeared on a map in 1507 by the German cartographer Martin Waldseemüller, referring to the area now called Brazil]. Since the 16c, a name of the western hemisphere, often in the plural Americas and more or less synonymous with the New World. Since the 18c, a name of the United States of America. The second sense is now primary in English: ... However, the term is open to uncertainties: ..."</ref> When conceived as a unitary continent, the form is generally the continent of America in the singular. However, without a clarifying context, singular America in English commonly refers to the United States of America.<ref name=oxfordc />
Terminology
[edit]Template:Subdivisions of the Americas Template:Further
History
[edit]Template:Main The region was initially termed America or New India on the Mercator maps.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
English
[edit]Speakers of English generally refer to the landmasses of North America and South America as the Americas, the Western Hemisphere, or the New World.<ref name="Burchfield">Burchfield, R. W. 2004. Fowler's Modern English Usage. (Template:ISBN) Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press; p. 48.</ref> The adjective American may be used to indicate something pertaining to the Americas,<ref name="OEDAMERICAN">Template:OED</ref> but this term is primarily used in English to indicate something pertaining to the United States.<ref name="OEDAMERICAN" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="oxfcdn" /> Some non-ambiguous alternatives exist, such as the adjective Pan-American,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> or New Worlder as a demonym for a resident of the closely related New World.<ref name="OED|New Worlder">Template:OED</ref> Use of America in the hemispherical sense is sometimes retained, or can occur when translated from other languages.<ref>Reader's Digest Oxford Complete Wordfinder. 1993. (Template:ISBN) New York, US: Reader's Digest Association; p. 45.</ref> For example, the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC) in Paris maintains a single continental association for "America", represented by one of the five Olympic rings.<ref>The Olympic symbols. Template:Webarchive International Olympic Committee. 2002. Lausanne: Olympic Museum and Studies Centre. The five rings of the Olympic flag represent the five inhabited, participating continents: (Africa, America, Asia, Europe, and Oceania Template:Webarchive).Template:Cite web</ref>
American essayist H. L. Mencken said, "The Latin-Americans use Norteamericano in formal writing, but, save in Panama, prefer nicknames in colloquial speech."<ref name="Mencken">Template:Cite journal quote at p 243.</ref> To avoid "American" one can use constructed terms in their languages derived from "United States" or even "North America".<ref name="oxfcdn">"America." Oxford Guide to Canadian English Usage. (Template:ISBN) Fee, Margery and McAlpine, J., ed., 1997. Toronto: Oxford University Press; p. 36.</ref><ref>"American." The Oxford Companion to the English Language (Template:ISBN); McArthur, Tom, ed., 1992. New York: Oxford University Press, p. 35.</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In Canada, its southern neighbor is often referred to as "the United States", "the U.S.A.", or (informally) "the States", while U.S. citizens are generally referred to as "Americans".<ref name="oxfcdn" /> Most Canadians resent being referred to as "Americans".<ref name="oxfcdn" />
Spanish
[edit]In Spanish, América is a single continent composed of the subcontinents of América del Sur and América del Norte, the land bridge of América Central, and the islands of the Antillas. Americano or americana in Spanish refers to a person from América in a similar way that in which europeo or europea refers to a person from Europa. The terms sudamericano/a, centroamericano/a, antillano/a and norteamericano/a can be used to more specifically refer to the location where a person may live.
Citizens of the United States of America are normally referred to by the term estadounidense (rough literal translation: "United Statesian") instead of americano or americana which is discouraged,<ref name=norteamerica>Template:Cite book</ref><ref name=estadosunidos /> and the country's name itself is officially translated as Estados Unidos de América (United States of America), commonly abbreviated as Estados Unidos (EEUU).<ref name=estadosunidos>Template:Cite book "debe evitarse el empleo de americano para referirse exclusivamente a los habitantes de los Estados Unidos" ("the use of the term americano referring exclusively to the United States inhabitants must be avoided")</ref> Also, the term norteamericano (North American) may refer to a citizen of the United States, though in formal writing it is less common since it is used for the inhabitants of North America.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Portuguese
[edit]In Portuguese, América<ref name=AmericaPortBE>Template:Cite web</ref> is a single continent composed of América do Sul (South America), América Central (Central America) and América do Norte (North America).<ref name=AmericaME>Template:Cite web</ref> It can be ambiguous, as América can be used to refer to the United States of America, but is avoided in print and formal environments.<ref name=EstadosUnidosIt>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=EstadosUnidosESPN>Template:Cite web</ref> The demonym 'American' (americano) is commonly used in Portuguese to refer to people from the United States, although the term 'estadounidense' also formaly exists and is preferred by those who wish to distinguish it from the continental demonym.
French
[edit]In French, the word américain may be used for things relating to the Americas; however, similar to English, it is most often used for things relating to the United States, with the term états-unien sometimes used for clarity. Panaméricain may be used as an adjective to refer to the Americas without ambiguity.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> French speakers may use the noun Amérique to refer to the whole landmass as one continent, or two continents, Amérique du Nord and Amérique du Sud. In French, Amérique is seldom used to refer to the United States, leading to some ambiguity when it is. Similar to English usage, les Amériques or des Amériques is used to refer unambiguously to the Americas.
Dutch
[edit]In Dutch, the word Amerika mostly refers to the United States.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Although the United States is equally often referred to as de Verenigde Staten ("the United States") or de VS ("the US"), Amerika relatively rarely refers to the Americas, but it is the only commonly used Dutch word for the Americas. This often leads to ambiguity; and to stress that something concerns the Americas as a whole, Dutch uses a combination, namely Noord- en Zuid-Amerika (North and South America).
Latin America and Central America are generally referred to as Latijns Amerika and Midden-Amerika respectively.
The adjective Amerikaans is most often used for things or people relating to the United States. There are no alternative words to distinguish between things relating to the United States or to the Americas. Dutch uses the local alternative for things relating to elsewhere in the Americas, such as Argentijns for Argentine, etc.
History
[edit]Pre-Columbian era
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The pre-Columbian era incorporates all period subdivisions in the history and prehistory of the Americas before the appearance of significant European influences on the American continents, spanning the time of the original settlement in the Upper Paleolithic to European colonization during the Early Modern period. The term Pre-Columbian is used especially often in the context of the great indigenous civilizations of the Americas, such as those of Mesoamerica (Olmec, Toltec, Teotihuacano, Zapotec, Mixtec, Aztec, Maya) and the Andean civilizations (Inca, Moche, Chavín, Muisca, Cañari).
Many pre-Columbian civilizations established characteristics and hallmarks which included permanent or urban settlements, agriculture, civic and monumental architecture, and complex societal hierarchies. Some of these civilizations had long faded by the time of the first permanent European arrivals (Template:Circa–early 16th centuries), and are known only through archeological investigations. Others were contemporary with this period, and are also known from historical accounts of the time. A few, such as the Maya, had their own written records. However, most Europeans of the time viewed such texts as pagan, and much was destroyed in Christian pyres. Only a few hidden documents remain today, leaving modern historians with glimpses of ancient culture and knowledge.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Settlement
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The first inhabitants migrated into the Americas from Asia. Habitation sites are known in Alaska and Yukon from at least 20,000 years ago, with suggested ages of up to 40,000 years.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="kind">Template:Cite web</ref> Beyond that, the specifics of the Paleo-Indian migration to and throughout the Americas, including the dates and routes traveled, are subject to ongoing research and discussion.<ref name="national">Template:Cite web</ref> Widespread habitation of the Americas occurred after the Late Glacial Maximum, from 16,000 to 13,000 years ago.<ref name="kind" /><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
The traditional theory has been that these early migrants moved into the Beringia land bridge between eastern Siberia and present-day Alaska around 40,000–17,000 years ago,<ref name="SpencerWells2">Template:Cite book</ref> when sea levels were significantly lowered during the Quaternary glaciation.<ref name="national" /><ref name="Smithsonian">Template:Cite web</ref> These people are believed to have followed herds of now-extinct pleistocene megafauna along ice-free corridors that stretched between the Laurentide and Cordilleran ice sheets.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Another route proposed is that, either on foot or using primitive boats, they migrated down the Pacific coast to South America.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Evidence of the latter would since have been covered by a sea level rise of hundreds of meters following the last ice age.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Both routes may have been taken, although the genetic evidences suggests a single founding population.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> The micro-satellite diversity and distributions specific to South American Indigenous peoples indicates that certain populations have been isolated since the initial colonization of the region.<ref name="subclades">Template:Cite web</ref>
A second migration occurred after the initial peopling of the Americas;<ref name="Meltzer2009">Template:Cite book</ref> Na Dene speakers, found predominantly in North American groups at varying genetic rates, with the highest frequency found among the Athabaskans at 42%, derive from this second wave.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Linguists and biologists have reached a similar conclusion based on analysis of Amerindian language groups and ABO blood group system distributions.<ref name="Meltzer2009" /><ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Then the people of the Arctic small tool tradition, a broad cultural entity that developed along the Alaska Peninsula, around Bristol Bay, and on the eastern shores of the Bering Strait Template:Circa, moved into North America.<ref name="Fagan">Template:Cite book</ref> The Arctic small tool tradition, a Paleo-Eskimo culture, branched off into two cultural variants, including the Pre-Dorset and the Independence traditions of Greenland.<ref name="YoungBjerregaard2008" /> The descendants of the Pre-Dorset cultural group, the Dorset culture, were displaced by the final migrants from the Bering sea coast line, the Thule people (the ancestors of modern Inuit), by 1000 CE.<ref name="YoungBjerregaard2008">Template:Cite book</ref>
Norse colonization
[edit]Around the same time as the Inuit migrated into Greenland, Viking settlers began arriving in Greenland in 982 and Vinland shortly thereafter, establishing a settlement at L'Anse aux Meadows, near the northernmost tip of Newfoundland.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Contact between the Norse colonies and Europe was maintained, as James Watson Curran states:Template:Blockquote
Large-scale European colonization
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Although there had been previous trans-oceanic contact, large-scale European colonization of the Americas began with the first voyage of Christopher Columbus in 1492. The first Spanish settlement in the Americas was La Isabela in northern Hispaniola. This town was abandoned shortly after in favor of Santo Domingo de Guzmán, founded in 1496, the oldest American city of European foundation. This was the base from which the Spanish monarchy administered its new colonies and their expansion. Santo Domingo was subject to frequent raids by English and French pirates.
On the continent, Panama City on the Pacific coast of Central America, founded on August 15, 1519, played an important role, being the base for the Spanish conquest of South America. Conquistador Lucas Vázquez de Ayllón established San Miguel de Guadalupe, the first European settlement in what is now the United States, on the Pee Dee River in South Carolina.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> During the first half of the 16th century, Spanish colonists conducted raids throughout the Caribbean Basin, bringing captives from Central America, northern South America, and Florida back to Hispaniola and other Spanish settlements.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
France, led by Jacques Cartier and Giovanni da Verrazzano,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> focused primarily on North America. English explorations of the Americas were led by Giovanni Caboto<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and Sir Walter Raleigh. The Dutch in New Netherland confined their operations to Manhattan Island, Long Island, the Hudson River Valley, and what later became New Jersey. The spread of new diseases brought by Europeans and African slaves killed many of the inhabitants of North America and South America,<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> with a general population crash of Native Americans occurring in the mid-16th century, often well ahead of European contact.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> One of the most devastating diseases was smallpox.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
European immigrants were often part of state-sponsored attempts to found colonies in the Americas. Migration continued as people moved to the Americas fleeing religious persecution or seeking economic opportunities. Millions of individuals were forcibly transported to the Americas as slaves, prisoners or indentured servants.
Decolonization of the Americas began with the American Revolution and the Haitian Revolution in the late 1700s. This was followed by numerous Latin American wars of independence in the early 1800s. Between 1811 and 1825, Paraguay, Argentina, Chile, Gran Colombia, the United Provinces of Central America, Mexico, Brazil, Peru, and Bolivia gained independence from Spain and Portugal in armed revolutions. After the Dominican Republic won independence from Haiti, it was re-annexed by Spain in 1861, but reclaimed its independence in 1865 at the conclusion of the Dominican Restoration War. The last violent episode of decolonization was the Cuban War of Independence which became the Spanish–American War, which resulted in the independence of Cuba in 1898, and the transfer of sovereignty over Puerto Rico from Spain to the United States.
Peaceful decolonization began with the United States's purchase of Louisiana from France in 1803, Florida from Spain in 1819, of Alaska from Russia in 1867, and the Danish West Indies from Denmark in 1916. Canada became independent of the United Kingdom, starting with the Balfour Declaration of 1926, Statute of Westminster 1931, and ending with the patriation of the Canadian Constitution in 1982. The Dominion of Newfoundland similarly achieved independence under the Balfour Declaration and Statute of Westminster, but relinquished self-rule in 1934.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> It was subsequently confederated with Canada in 1949.
The remaining European colonies in the Caribbean began to achieve peaceful independence well after World War II. Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago became independent in 1962, and Guyana and Barbados both achieved independence in 1966. In the 1970s, the Bahamas, Grenada, Dominica, St. Lucia, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines all became independent of the United Kingdom, and Suriname became independent of the Netherlands. Belize, Antigua and Barbuda, and Saint Kitts and Nevis achieved independence from the United Kingdom in the 1980s.
Geography
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Extent
[edit]The Americas make up most of the land in Earth's Western Hemisphere.<ref>
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- Template:Cite book</ref> The northernmost point of the Americas is Kaffeklubben Island, which is the most northerly point of land on Earth.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The southernmost undisputed point is Águila Islet, although the Antarctic islands of Southern Thule are sometimes taken into account.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The mainland of the Americas is the world's longest north-to-south landmass. The distance between its two polar extremities, Murchison Promontory on the Boothia Peninsula in northern Canada and Cape Froward in Chilean Patagonia, is roughly Template:Cvt.<ref name="worldbook">Template:Cite encyclopedia</ref> The mainland's most westerly point is the end of the Seward Peninsula in Alaska; Attu Island, further off the Alaskan coast to the west, is considered the westernmost point of the Americas. Ponta do Seixas in northeastern Brazil forms the easternmost extremity of the mainland,<ref name="worldbook" /> while Nordostrundingen, in Greenland, is the most easterly point of the continental shelf.
Geology
[edit]South America broke off from the west of the supercontinent Gondwana around 135 million years ago, forming its own continent.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Around 15 million years ago, the collision of the Caribbean Plate and the Pacific Plate resulted in the emergence of a series of volcanoes along the border that created a number of islands. The gaps in the archipelago of Central America filled in with material eroded off North America and South America, plus new land created by continued volcanism. By three million years ago, the continents of North America and South America were linked by the Isthmus of Panama, thereby forming the single landmass of the Americas.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The Great American Interchange resulted in many species being spread across the Americas, such as the cougar, porcupine, opossums, armadillos, and hummingbirds.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Topography
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The geography of the western Americas is dominated by the American Cordillera, with the Andes running along the west coast of South America<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and the Rocky Mountains and other North American Cordillera ranges running along the western side of North America.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The Template:Convert Appalachian Mountains run along the east coast of North America from Alabama to Newfoundland.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> North of the Appalachians, the Arctic Cordillera runs along the eastern coast of Canada.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The largest mountain ranges are the Andes and Rocky Mountains. The Sierra Nevada and the Cascade Range reach similar altitudes as the Rocky Mountains, but are significantly smaller. In North America, the greatest number of fourteeners are in the United States, and more specifically in the US state of Colorado. The highest peaks of the Americas are located in the Andes, with Aconcagua of Argentina being the highest; in North America Denali (Mount McKinley) in the US state of Alaska is the tallest.
Between its coastal mountain ranges, North America has vast flat areas. The Interior Plains spread over much of the continent, with low relief.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The Canadian Shield covers almost 5 million km2 of North America and is generally quite flat.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Similarly, the north-east of South America is covered by the flat Amazon basin.<ref>Template:Cite web </ref> The Brazilian Highlands on the east coast are fairly smooth but show some variations in landform, while farther south the Gran Chaco and Pampas are broad lowlands.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Climate
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The climate of the Americas varies significantly from region to region. Tropical rainforest climate occurs in the latitudes of the Amazon, American cloud forests, southeastern Florida and Darién Gap. In the Rocky Mountains and Andes, dry and continental climates are observed. Often the higher altitudes of these mountains are snow-capped.
Southeastern North America is well known for its occurrence of tornadoes and hurricanes, of which the vast majority of tornadoes occur in the United States' Tornado Alley,<ref name="Science News 1">Template:Cite magazine</ref> as well as in the southerly Dixie Alley in the North American late-winter and early spring seasons. Often parts of the Caribbean are exposed to the violent effects of hurricanes. These weather systems are formed by the collision of dry, cool air from Canada and wet, warm air from the Atlantic.
Hydrology
[edit]With coastal mountains and interior plains, the Americas have several large river basins that drain the continents. The largest river basin in North America is that of the Mississippi, covering the second-largest watershed on the planet.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The Mississippi–Missouri river system drains most of 31 states of the United States, most of the Great Plains, and large areas between the Rocky and Appalachian mountains. The Mississippi–Missouri is the fourth-longest river system and has the tenth-greatest discharge in the world.
In North America, to the east of the Appalachian Mountains, there are no major rivers but rather a series of rivers and streams that flow east with their terminus in the Atlantic Ocean, such as the Hudson, Saint John, and Savannah rivers. A similar instance arises with central Canadian rivers that drain into Hudson Bay; the largest being the Churchill River. On the west coast of North America, the main rivers are the Colorado, Columbia, Yukon, Fraser, and Sacramento rivers.
The Colorado River drains much of the Southern Rockies and parts of the Basin and Range Province. The river flows approximately Template:Convert into the Gulf of California,<ref name=largest>Template:Cite web</ref> during which over time it has carved out natural phenomena such as the Grand Canyon and created phenomena such as the Salton Sea. The Columbia is a large river, Template:Convert long, in central western North America and is the most powerful river on the West Coast of the Americas. In the far northwest of North America, the Yukon drains much of the Alaskan peninsula and flows Template:Convert<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> from parts of Yukon and the Northwest Territory to the Pacific. Draining to the Arctic Ocean of Canada, the Mackenzie River drains waters from the Arctic Great Lakes of Arctic Canada, as opposed to the St Lawrence River that drains the Great Lakes of southern Canada into the Atlantic Ocean. The Mackenzie River is the largest in Canada and drains Template:Convert.<ref>Template:Cite encyclopedia</ref>
The largest river basin in South America is that of the Amazon, which has the highest volume flow of any river on Earth.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The second largest watershed of South America is that of the Paraná River, which covers about Template:Convert.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Ecology
[edit]North America and South America began to develop a shared population of flora and fauna around 2.5 million years ago, when continental drift brought the two continents into contact via the Isthmus of Panama. Initially, the exchange of biota was roughly equal, with North American genera migrating into South America in about the same proportions as South American genera migrated into North America. This exchange is known as the Great American Interchange. The exchange became lopsided after roughly a million years, with the total spread of South American genera into North America far more limited in scope than the spread of North American genera into South America.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
Countries and territories
[edit]There are 35 sovereign states in the Americas, as well as an autonomous country of Denmark, three overseas departments of France, three overseas collectivities of France,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and one uninhabited territory of France, eight overseas territories of the United Kingdom, three constituent countries of the Netherlands, three public bodies of the Netherlands, two unincorporated territories of the United States, and one uninhabited territory of the United States.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Economy
[edit]Template:Main Template:See also Template:See also Template:See also
| Rank | Country | GDP (nominal, peak year) millions of USD<ref name="IMF Data">Template:Cite web</ref> |
Peak year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Template:Nowrap | 30,507,217 | 2025 |
| 2 | Template:Flag<ref>World Bank's GDP (Nominal) Data for Brazil</ref> | 2,616,156 | 2011 |
| 3 | Template:Flag | 2,241,253 | 2024 |
| 4 | Template:Flag | 1,852,723 | 2024 |
| 5 | Template:Flag | 683,533 | 2025 |
| 6 | Template:Flag<ref>World Bank's GDP (Nominal) data for Cuba</ref> | 545,218 | 2021 |
| 7 | Template:Flag<ref>World Bank's GDP (Nominal) Data for Venezuela</ref> | 482,359 | 2014 |
| 8 | Template:Flag | 427,766 | 2025 |
| 9 | Template:Flag | 343,823 | 2025 |
| 10 | Template:Flag | 303,293 | 2025 |
| Rank | Country | GDP (PPP, peak year) millions of USD |
Peak year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Template:Nowrap | 30,507,217 | 2025 |
| 2 | Template:Flag | 4,958,122 | 2025 |
| 3 | Template:Flag | 3,395,916 | 2025 |
| 4 | Template:Flag | 2,730,110 | 2025 |
| 5 | Template:Flag | 1,493,423 | 2025 |
| 6 | Template:Flag | 1,190,795 | 2025 |
| 7 | Template:Flag | 710,195 | 2025 |
| 8 | Template:Flag | 643,052 | 2025 |
| 9 | Template:Flag | 561,498 | 2013 |
| 10 | Template:Flag | 336,082 | 2025 |
In exports and imports, in 2020, the United States was the world's second largest exporter (US$1.64 trillion) and the largest importer (US$2.56 trillion). Mexico was the tenth largest exporter and importer. Canada was the twelfth largest exporter and importer. Brazil was the 24th largest exporter and the 28th largest importer. Chile was the 45th largest exporter and the 47th largest importer. Argentina was the 46th largest exporter and the 52nd largest importer. Colombia was the 54th largest exporter and the 51st largest importer; among others.<ref>Trade Map - List of exporters for the selected product in 2018 (All products), Trademap.org</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The agriculture of the continent is very strong and varied. Countries such as United States, Brazil, Canada, Mexico, and Argentina are among the largest agricultural producers on the planet. In 2019, the continent dominated the world production of soy (almost 90% of the world total, with Brazil, the United States, Argentina, Paraguay, Canada and Bolivia among the 10 largest on the planet), sugarcane (about 55% of the world total, with Brazil, Mexico, the United States, and Guatemala among the 10 largest on the planet), coffee (about 55% of the world total, with Brazil, Colombia, Honduras, Peru, and Guatemala among the 10 largest on the planet) and maize (about 48% of the world total, with the United States, Brazil, Argentina, and Mexico among the 10 largest on the planet). The continent also produces almost 40% of world's orange (with Brazil, the United States, and Mexico among the top 10 producers), about 37% of world's pineapple (with Costa Rica, Brazil, Mexico, and Colombia among the 10 largest producers), about 35% of world's lemon (with Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, and the United States among the 10 largest producers) and about 30% of world's cotton (with the United States, Brazil, Mexico and Argentina among the top 10 producers), among several other products.<ref name="auto">Template:Cite web</ref>
In livestock, America also has giant productions. In 2018, the continent produced around 45% of the world's beef (with the United States, Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, and Canada among the world's 10 largest producers); about 36% of the world's chicken meat (with the United States, Brazil, and Mexico among the world's 10 largest producers), and about 28% of the world's cow's milk (with the United States and Brazil among the 10 largest producers in the world), among other products.<ref name="auto"/>
In industrial terms, the World Bank lists the top producing countries each year, based on the total value of production. According to the 2019 list, the United States has the second most valuable industry in the world (US$2.3 trillion), Mexico has the 12th most valuable industry in the world (US$217.8 billion), Brazil has the 13th most valuable industry in the world (US$173.6 billion), Canada has the 15th most valuable industry in the world (US$151.7 billion), Venezuela the 30th largest (US$58.2 billion, but depends on the oil to obtain this amount), Argentina was the 31st largest (US$57.7 billion), Colombia the 46th largest (US$35.4 billion), Peru the 50th largest ($28.7 billion), and Chile the 51st largest (US$28.3 billion), among others.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In the production of oil, the continent had 8 of the 30 largest world producers in 2020: United States (1st), Canada (4th), Brazil (8th), Mexico (14th), Colombia (20th), Venezuela (26th), Ecuador (27th), and Argentina (28th).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In the production of natural gas, the continent had 8 of the 32 largest world producers in 2015: United States (1st), Canada (5th), Argentina (18th), Trinidad and Tobago (20th), Mexico (21st), Venezuela (28th), Bolivia (31st), and Brazil (32nd).<ref>IEA. Key World Energy Statistics 2014. Natural Gas. Template:Webarchive, Iea.org, Access date - 01/17/2021</ref><ref>Template:Cite webTemplate:Dead linkTemplate:Cbignore</ref>
In the production of coal, the continent had 5 of the 30 largest world producers in 2018: United States (3rd), Colombia (12th), Canada (13th), Mexico (24th), and Brazil (27th).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In the production of vehicles, the continent had 5 of the 30 largest world producers in 2019: United States (2nd), Mexico (7th), Brazil (9th), Canada (12th), and Argentina (28th).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In the production of steel, the continent had 5 of the 31 largest world producers in 2019: United States (4th), Brazil (9th), Mexico (15th), Canada (18th), and Argentina (31st).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In mining, the continent has large productions of gold (mainly in the United States, Canada, Peru, Mexico, Brazil, and Argentina);<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> silver (mainly in Mexico, Peru, Chile, Bolivia, Argentina, and the United States);<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> copper (mainly in Chile, Peru, the United States, Mexico, and Brazil);<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> platinum (Canada and the United States);<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> iron ore (Brazil, Canada, the United States, Peru, and Chile);<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> zinc (Peru, the United States, Mexico, Bolivia, Canada, and Brazil);<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> molybdenum (Chile, Peru, Mexico, Canada, and the United States);<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> lithium (Chile, Argentina, Brazil, and Canada);<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> lead (Peru, the United States, Mexico, and Bolivia);<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> bauxite (Brazil, Jamaica, Canada, and the United States);<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> tin (Peru, Bolivia, and Brazil);<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> manganese (Brazil and Mexico);<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> antimony (Bolivia, Mexico, Guatemala, Canada, and Ecuador);<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> nickel (Canada, Brazil, Dominican Republic, Cuba, and the United States);<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> niobium (Brazil and Canada);<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> rhenium (Chile and the United States);<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and iodine (Chile),<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> among others.
Dominica, Panama, and the Dominican Republic have the fastest-growing economy in the Americas according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF),<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> 16, five to seven countries in the southern part of the Americas had weakening economies in decline, compared to only three countries in the northern part of the Americas.<ref name=IMFNorthAmericaGDP>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=IMFUNASURGDP>Template:Cite web</ref> Haiti has the lowest GDP per capita in the Americas, although its economy was growing slightly Template:As of.<ref name="IMFNorthAmericaGDP" /><ref name=IMFUNASURGDP/>
Demographics
[edit]Population
[edit]In 2021 the total population of the Americas was about 1.03 billion people, divided as follows:
- North America: 596.6 million (includes Central America and the Caribbean)
- South America: 434.3 million
Largest urban centers
[edit]There are three urban centers that each hold titles for being the largest population area based on the three main demographic concepts:<ref name=wider>Template:Cite web</ref>
- A city proper is the locality with legally fixed boundaries and an administratively recognized urban status that is usually characterized by some form of local government.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite bookTemplate:Dead link</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
- An urban area is characterized by higher population density and vast human features in comparison to areas surrounding it. Urban areas may be cities, towns or conurbations, but the term is not commonly extended to rural settlements such as villages and hamlets. Urban areas are created and further developed by the process of urbanization and do not include large swaths of rural land, as do metropolitan areas.Template:Citation needed
- Unlike an urban area, a metropolitan area includes not only the urban area, but also satellite cities plus intervening rural land that is socio-economically connected to the urban core city, typically by employment ties through commuting, with the urban core city being the primary labor market.Template:Citation needed
In accordance with these definitions, the three largest population centers in the Americas are: Mexico City, anchor to the largest metropolitan area in the Americas; New York City, anchor to the largest urban area in the Americas; and São Paulo, the largest city proper in the Americas. All three cities maintain Alpha classification and large scale influence.
- Urban centers within the Americas
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Mexico City – largest metropolitan area in the Americas, with a population of 22,300,000 in 2017
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São Paulo – largest city in the Americas, with a population of 12,038,175 (city) in 2016
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New York City – largest urban area in the Americas, with a population of 18,351,295 in 2010
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| Country | City | City Population | Metro Area Population |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mexico | Mexico City | 8,864,000 | 22,300,000<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| Brazil | São Paulo | 12,038,175 | 21,742,939<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| United States | New York City | 8,405,837<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> | 19,949,502<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| Argentina | Buenos Aires | 2,891,082<ref name=indecpop/> | 15,594,428<ref name=indecpop/> |
| United States | Los Angeles | 3,928,864<ref>1 Million Milestone US Census Bureau</ref> | 13,131,431<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
Ethnology
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The population of the Americas is made up of the descendants of four large ethnic groups and their combinations.
- The Indigenous peoples of the Americas, being Amerindians and Inuit-Yupik-Unangan.
- Those of European ancestry, mainly Spanish, English, Irish, Portuguese, German, Italian, French, and Dutch.
- Those of African ancestry, mainly of West African descent.
- Asians, that is, those of East Asian, Southeast Asian, and South Asian ancestry.
- Mestizos (Métis people in Canada), those of mixed European and Amerindian ancestry.
- Mulattoes, people of mixed African and European ancestry.
- Zambos (Spanish) or Cafuzos (Portuguese), those of mixed African and Indigenous ancestry.
The majority of the population lives in Latin America, named for its predominant cultures, rooted in Latin Europe (including the two dominant languages, Spanish and Portuguese, both Romance languages), more specifically in the Iberian nations of Portugal and Spain (hence the use of the term Ibero-America as a synonym). Latin America is typically contrasted with Anglo-America, where English, a Germanic language, is prevalent, and which comprises Canada (with the exception of Francophone Canada rooted in Latin Europe [France]—see Quebec and Acadia) and the United States. Both countries are located in North America, with cultures deriving predominantly from British and other Germanic roots.
Black population
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The transatlantic slave trade brought millions of Africans to the territories of the Americas under the colonial rule of European powers. In South America, Portugal played a significant role in the trafficking of enslaved Africans, with estimates suggesting that around 40% of all Africans forcibly brought to the Americas were taken to Brazil alone, to work primarily in sugar cane plantations, mining, and agricultural endeavors.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> In North America, the British Empire was heavily involved in the transatlantic slave trade, with the establishment of colonies such as Virginia, where enslaved Africans were primarily used as labor in tobacco plantations and later in other agricultural and domestic sectors. This system perpetuated for centuries, shaping the socio-economic landscape of all nations of the hemisphere.
After the Haitian Revolution led by Jean-Jacques Dessalines, which started in 1791 and was the only successful slave revolt in history, the world's first black republic was established. It started with the massacre of the white population, between 3,000 and 5,000 white men and women of all ages were killed. Dessalines declared: Template:Text and translation
Religion
[edit]The most prevalent faiths in the Americas are as follows:
- Christianity (86 percent)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- Roman Catholicism: Practiced by 69 percent<ref name=pewlat>Template:Cite web</ref> of the Latin American population (61 percent<ref name=pewlat /> in Brazil whose Roman Catholic population of 134 million<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> is the greatest of any nation's), approximately 24 percent of the United States' population<ref name="CIAWFB">Template:Cite web</ref> and about 39 percent of Canada's.<ref name="religion2011d">Template:Cite web</ref>
- Protestantism: Practiced mostly in the United States, where half of the population are Protestant, Canada, with slightly more than a quarter of the population, and Greenland; there is a growing contingent of Evangelical and Pentecostal movements in predominantly Catholic Latin America.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- Eastern Orthodoxy: Found mostly in the United States (1 percent) and Canada; this Christian group is growing faster than many other Christian groups in Canada and now represents roughly 3 percent of the Canadian population.<ref name="religion2011d" />
- Non-denominational Christians and other Christians (some 1,000 different Christian denominations and sects practiced in the Americas).
- Irreligion: About 12 percent, including atheists and agnostics, as well as those who profess some form of spirituality but do not identify themselves as members of any organized religion.
- Islam: Together, Muslims constitute about 1 percent of the North American population and 0.3 percent of all Latin Americans. It is practiced by 3 percent<ref name="religion2011d" /> of Canadians and 0.6 percent of the U.S. population.<ref name="CIAWFB" /> Argentina has the largest Muslim population in Latin America with up to 600,000 persons, or 1.5 percent of the population.<ref name=stateirf>Template:Cite web</ref>
- Judaism: Practiced by 2 percent of North Americans—approximately 2.5 percent of the U.S. population and 1.2 percent of Canadians<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>—as well as 0.23 percent of Latin Americans. Argentina has the largest Jewish population in Latin America with 200,000 members.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Other faiths include Buddhism; Hinduism; Sikhism; Baháʼí Faith; a wide variety of indigenous religions, many of which can be categorized as animistic; new age religions and many African and African-derived religions. Syncretic faiths can also be found throughout the Americas. Template:Clear
| Country | Christians | Catholics | Protestants | None/Atheists/Agnostics | Others |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Argentina<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | 86.2% | 76.5% | 9.7% | 11.3% | 2.5% |
| Bolivia | 95.3% | 73.7% | 21.6% | 3.7% | 1.0% |
| Brazil<ref name="Igbe Brasil 2010">Template:Cite web</ref> | 86.8% | 64.6% | 22.2% | 8.4% | 4.8% |
| Canada<ref name="religion2011d"/> | 62.6% | 38.7% | 23.9% | 28.5% | 8.9% |
| Chile<ref name="plazapublica.cl">Template:Cite web</ref> | 76.0% | 60.0% | 16.0% | 21.0% | 3.0% |
| Colombia<ref name="Latin America Public Opinion Project">Template:Cite web</ref> | 93.9% | 80.3% | 13.6% | 5.2% | 1.7% |
| Costa Rica<ref name="latbar">Template:Cite web</ref> | 84.3% | 70.5% | 13.8% | 11.3% | 4.3% |
| Dominican Republic<ref name=religiousfreedomreport>Template:Cite web</ref> | 87.1% | 68.3% | 18.8% | 10.6% | 2.2% |
| Ecuador<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | 95.6% | 87.8% | 7.7% | 3.5% | 1.0% |
| El Salvador<ref name="CID-Gallup">Template:Cite web</ref> | 75.5% | 45.8% | 29.7% | 24.3% | 1.2% |
| Guatemala<ref name="CID-GALLUP 2010">Public Opinion Polls on Religious Affiliation in Guatemala Template:Webarchive. Prolades.com</ref> | 79.3% | 47.6% | 31.7% | 18.3% | 2.4% |
| Honduras<ref>Template:Cite web US. State</ref> | 83.0% | 47.9% | 35.1% | 14.3% | 2.7% |
| Mexico<ref>inegi.org.mx Religiones 2010.pdf Template:Webarchive</ref> | 92.2% | 82.7% | 8.7% | 4.9% | 2.9% |
| Nicaragua<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | 81.1% | 54.3% | 26.8% | 16.8% | 2.1% |
| Panama | 90.0% | 75.0% | 15.0% | 7.0% | 3.0% |
| Paraguay | 96.8% | 90.4% | 6.4% | 1.4% | 1.8% |
| Peru<ref>Dirección Técnica de Demografía y Estudios Sociales y Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo del INEI, Web.archive.org</ref> | 96.7% | 81.3% | 12.5% | 1.9% | 1.4% |
| United States<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | 79.9% | 25.9% | 54.0% | 15.2% | 5.0% |
| Uruguay<ref name=enha_rel>Template:Cite web</ref> | 58.2% | 47.1% | 11.1% | 40.4% | 1.5% |
| Venezuela<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | 89.0% | 72.0% | 17.0% | 8.0% | 3.0% |
Languages
[edit]
Various languages are spoken in the Americas. Some are of European origin, others are spoken by indigenous peoples or are the mixture of various languages like the different creoles.<ref name="latbar"/>
The most widely spoken first language in the Americas is Spanish, followed by English and Portuguese.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The dominant language of Latin America is Spanish, though the most populous nation in Latin America, Brazil, speaks Portuguese. Small enclaves of French-, Dutch- and English-speaking regions also exist in Latin America, notably in French Guiana, Suriname, and Belize and Guyana respectively. Haitian Creole is dominant in the nation of Haiti, where French is also spoken. Native languages are more prominent in Latin America than in Anglo-America, with Nahuatl, Quechua, Aymara, and Guaraní as the most common. Various other native languages are spoken with less frequency across both Anglo-America and Latin America. Creole languages other than Haitian Creole are also spoken in parts of Latin America.
The dominant language of Anglo-America is English. French is also official in Canada, where it is the predominant language in Quebec and an official language in New Brunswick along with English. It is also an important language in Louisiana, and in parts of New Hampshire, Maine, and Vermont. Spanish has kept an ongoing presence in the Southwestern United States, which formed part of the Viceroyalty of New Spain, especially in California and New Mexico, where a distinct variety of Spanish spoken since the 17th century has survived. It has more recently become widely spoken in other parts of the United States because of heavy immigration from Latin America. High levels of immigration in general have brought great linguistic diversity to Anglo-America, with over 300 languages known to be spoken in the United States alone, but most languages are spoken only in small enclaves and by relatively small immigrant groups.
The nations of Guyana, Suriname, and Belize are generally consideredTemplate:By whom not to fall into either Anglo-America or Latin America because of their language differences from Latin America, geographic differences from Anglo-America, and cultural and historical differences from both regions; English is the primary language of Guyana and Belize, and Dutch is the primary language of Suriname.
Most of the non-native languages have, to different degrees, evolved differently from the mother country, but are usually still mutually intelligible. Some have combined, however, which has even resulted in completely new languages, such as Papiamento, which is a combination of Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch (representing the respective colonizers), native Arawak, various African languages, and, more recently English. The lingua franca Portuñol, a mixture of Portuguese and Spanish, is spoken in the border regions of Brazil and neighboring Spanish-speaking countries.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> More specifically, Riverense Portuñol is spoken by around 100,000 people in the border regions of Brazil and Uruguay. Because of immigration, there are many communities where other languages are spoken from all parts of the world, especially in the United States, Brazil, Argentina, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, and Uruguay—very important destinations for immigrants.<ref>Juan Bialet Massé en su informe sobre "El estado de las clases obreras en el interior del país" Template:Webarchive</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Culture
[edit]Sports
[edit]Template:See also Baseball is one of the most popular sports in the Americas, having spread through the hemisphere after the growth of US influence in the late 19th century. It overtook cricket, a fellow bat-and-ball sport spread by earlier British influence, in most places outside of the Commonwealth Caribbean. Other American sports, such as basketball, have grown throughout the region over time.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Multinational organizations
[edit]The following is a list of multinational organizations in the Americas.
- Alliance for Progress
- American Capital of Culture
- Andean Community of Nations
- Association of Caribbean States
- Bank of the South
- Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas
- Caribbean Community
- CARICOM Single Market and Economy
- Central American Common Market
- Central American Parliament
- Community of Latin American and Caribbean States
- Contadora Group
- Free Trade Area of the Americas
- Latin American Free Trade Agreement
- Latin American Parliament or Parlatino
- Mercosur or Mercosul
- North Atlantic Treaty Organization
- Organization of American States
- Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States
- Organization of Ibero-American States
- Pacific Alliance
- Pan American Sports Organization
- Regional Security System
- Rio Group
- School of the Americas
- Summit of the Americas
- Union of South American Nations
- United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement
- YOA Orchestra of the Americas
See also
[edit]Template:Portal Template:Div col
- Amerrisque Mountains
- Abya Yala – indigenous name for the North and South American continents
- British North America
- Columbia (name)
- Ethnic groups in Central America
- French America
- Indigenous Peoples' Day
- La Merika
- List of conflicts in the Americas
- List of former sovereign states
- List of oldest buildings in the Americas
- Monarchies in the Americas
- New Sweden
- Pan-Americanism
- Pan-American Highway
- Pan American Games
- Personification of the Americas
- Southern Cone
Notes
[edit]References
[edit]Further reading
[edit]- "Americas". The Columbia Gazetteer of the World Online. New York: Columbia University Press, 2006.
- "Americas". Encyclopædia Britannica, 15th ed. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 1986. Template:ISBN
- Burchfield, R. W. Fowler's Modern English Usage. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004. Template:ISBN
- Fee, Margery, and J. McAlpine. Oxford Guide to Canadian English Usage. Toronto: Oxford University Press, 1997. Template:ISBN
- Template:Cite journal
- Pearsall, Judy, and Bill Trumble, ed. Oxford English Reference Dictionary, 2nd ed. (rev.). Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2002. Template:ISBN
- Rosenberg, Matt (9 April 2018). "How to Define North, South, Latin, and Anglo America". ThoughtCo.
External links
[edit]Template:Commons Template:Wiktionary Template:Wikiquote
- United Nations population data by latest available Census: 2008–2009
- Organization of American States
- Council on Hemispheric Affairs
- Template:Cite NIE
Template:Americas topic Template:Navboxes Template:Regions of the world Template:Continents of the world Template:Authority control Template:Coord