North America Map

About North America Map

This political map of North America highlights countries, international boundaries, and capitals. The three largest countries in North America—Canada, the United States of America, and Mexico—are depicted along with the Central American countries of Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama. All of the island countries and territories of the Caribbean are mapped and labeled, including Cuba, Jamaica, Haiti, Dominican Republic, The Bahamas and more.

Countries are coloured and named on the North America map, and cities represented by symbols such as Washington D.C in the United States, Ottawa in Canada and Mexico City in Mexico, etc. Many major cities and geographical points are also labeled and can be found on the reference map. The colour coding of countries by country makes it easy to distinguish between countries and see where they are in relation to each other.

In addition to the continental outline, the map of North America includes country boundaries as well as the Tropic of Cancer. North America is depicted partially surrounded by the Arctic Ocean to the North, and by the Atlantic Ocean to the East and the Pacific Ocean to the West. The Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea are also included.

All island groups are clearly shown, including Bermuda, Greenland, and other smaller territories. The full North America map includes Alaska in the upper northwest corner and Hawaii is shown in an inset at the lower right corner.

List of Sovereign Countries in the Continent of North America

List of Non-sovereign Dependent Territories in North America

Other Areas in North America

About North America

North America is the world’s third largest continent with an area of approximately 24 700 000 km2 (9 535 000 sq mi), i.e. 16.5 % of the area of the Earth. It is found almost entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and in the Western Hemisphere. North America is 5800 km long and up to 5700 km wide. The northernmost point on Earth, the Arctic Circle, is found here and the southernmost point is in the tropical part of Central America and the Caribbean. The continent borders the Arctic Ocean in the north and the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans in the east and west respectively. There are about 600 000 000 inhabitants of North America and they belong to many cultures, speak different languages and have different economies.

Countries and Political Divisions

The Region known as North America consists of 23 countries, several territories, island groups, overseas departments and overseas collectives that are under the jurisdiction of another country. However, when most people refer to North America, they are referring to the 3 larger countries of the continent, namely the United States and Canada and Mexico. The countries of Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama are known as Central America. The many countries and regions known as the Caribbean can be found to the south of America. Greenland, the world’s largest island, is an autonomous territory in association with the Kingdom of Denmark.

Physical Geography and Natural Features

There are many significant physical features in North America. The Rocky Mountains is the longest mountain range in the world. It extends from western Canada to western Mexico. The eastern United States have the less rugged Appalachian Mountains. South of the US-Mexico border are the high central Sierra Madre ranges and several shorter ranges. The Mississippi-Missouri River is the longest river system in the world. It extends 6,270 kilometers from Lake Itasca in central Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico. The second-longest is Mexico’s Rio Grande. The St. Lawrence River, which forms part of the northern border between the US and Canada, connects the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean. The Great Lakes are the largest amount of freshwater in the world. Four of the five Great Lakes—Superior, Michigan, Huron, and Ontario—border the US, while the fifth, Erie, borders the US and Canada. The lakes are an important transportation route and a major source of trade for North America.

Climate and Biodiversity

North America has many different climates ranging from the cold polar climate of northern Canada and Greenland to the warm tropical climate of southern Mexico and the Caribbean. In between are temperate regions which encompass tundra, boreal forests, temperate woodlands, temperate grasslands, desert, and tropical rainforest. Many mammal species are found in these different habitats from the icy tundra where the Polar bear roams to the warm sandy dunes of the Great Plains where the bison live to the dense jungle of Central America where the jaguar resides. Many National Parks and protected areas are found throughout North America that preserve natural habitats and wildlife.

Economy and Global Influence

North America is the world's most economically powerful region. The United States is the world's foremost industrial power, and its neighbor and economic ally, Canada, is a very developed and highly industrialized country. Mexico, too, is rapidly developing as an economic power. Many of the world's most economically vital cities are in North America, including New York and Los Angeles in the United States, and Toronto, Canada's financial hub. Mexico City is the capital city of Mexico and the country's center of government and the seat of its wealthy. North America is also the hub of the world's most internal trade, having more trade with other countries in North America than with any other region of the world. In addition to this, the region is engaged in free trade agreements with countries all over the world, in large part through the North American Free Trade Agreement, or NAFTA.

Culture, Languages, and Heritage

North America is a melting pot of cultures, and it is home to a dynamic and changing Cultural scene. The heritage of the continent’s Indigenous peoples, European explorers, African slaves and Asian immigrants is all visible today in museums, art galleries, performing arts venues and heritage sites. Many of the indigenous languages of North America are still spoken today, but the predominant language is English, followed by Spanish and French. In terms of cultural expression, North America is famous for jazz and country music in the USA and folk in Canada, and Mexican food and French patisserie are two of the cuisines you can find in the food scenes of Canada’s Quebec. Other areas of cultural expression, such as art, architecture, literature, film and festivals are also celebrated in North America.

Importance in the Modern World

North America is one of the nine regions which make up the world and encompasses the US, Canada and Mexico. This is one of the major economic and political powers on the globe and innovation and technology are in the region’s blood. The world’s best universities and research centres are located right here and the region is addressing global challenges such as climate change, free trade and security issues. The closest North America is related to is Latin America but as a region it is still felt to be centre stage in the global economy and geopolitics, especially given its proximity to the rest of the world.