North America

North America

Area	24,709,000 km2 (9,540,000 sq mi) (3rd)
Population	592,296,233 (2021; 4th)
Population density	25.7/km2 (66.4/sq mi) (2021)[a]
GDP (PPP)	$30.61 trillion (2022 est.; 2nd)[1]
GDP (nominal)	$29.01 trillion (2022 est.; 2nd)[2]
GDP per capita	$57,410 (2022 est.; 2nd)[3]
Religions	Christianity (74.6%)[4] No religion (19.2%)[4] Judaism (1.6%)[4] Islam (1.3%)[4] Buddhism (1.2%)[4] Hinduism (0.8%)[4] Other (1.3%)[4]
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:[5] 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 – Earth

North America is a continent^[b] in the Northern and Western Hemispheres.^[c] North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Caribbean Sea, and to the west and south by the Pacific Ocean. The region includes Bermuda, Canada, the Caribbean, Central America, Greenland, Mexico, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, and the United States.

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 2013^[update], North America's population was estimated at nearly 579 million people in 23 independent states, or about 7.5% of the world's population. In human geography and in the English-speaking world outside the United States, particularly in Canada, the terms "North America" and "North American" are typically defined as including just Canada and the United States.^{[7][8][9][10][11]}

It is unknown how and when first human populations reached North America. At present, people were known to live in the Americas at least 20,000 years ago^[12] but various evidence points to possibly earlier dates.^[13][14] 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, African slaves, 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.

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