Where Is North America?

North America lies between the Arctic Circle and the Tropic of Cancer within the Northern and Western Hemisphere. It is surrounded by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, the Pacific Ocean to the west and south and by South America and the Caribbean Sea to the southeast. 

It is the third-largest of the world’s continents and also has the second-longest coastline of some 37,000 miles (60,000 km). 

The first human population to reach here was during the last glacial period, via crossing the Bering land bridge 40,000 to 17,000 years ago. It saw the arrival of European settlers during the Age of Discovery and the Early Modern period. Their present-day cultural reflect some interactions between European colonists, indigenous peoples, African slaves, and their descendants.

3 Major Countries in North America

United States

The country of United States of America (USA) consisting of 50 states, a federal district, five major self-governing territories, and various possessions covers that total land area of 3.8 million square miles (9.8 million km2). 

It emerged from the thirteen British colonies established along the East Coast. Although there were many disputes between Great Britain and the colonies led to the American Revolution that began in 1775, and the Declaration of Independence in 1776. War ended in 1783 and the US became the first country to gain independence from a colonial empire.

Later in the 19th century, the country embarked on a vigorous expansion across North America by acquiring new territories, displacing Native American tribes, and gradually admitting new states until it spanned the continent by 1848.

Canada

Canada in the northern part of North America comprises of ten provinces and three territories and extends from the Atlantic to the Pacific and northward into the Arctic Ocean. It is also the second-largest country in the world with a total land area of 9.98 million square kilometers (3.85 million square miles).

Mexico

The country of Mexico lies in the southern portion of North America. It is a federation comprising 31 states plus Mexico City (CDMX), which is the capital city and its most populous city. 

Almost the entire country lies in the North American Plate, with small parts of the Baja California peninsula on the Pacific and Cocos Plates. It has a coastline on the Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of California, as well as the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea.