“ The Americas ” redirects here. For the academic journal, see The Americas ( daybook ) Coordinates :
The Americas, which are sometimes jointly called America, [ 3 ] [ 4 ] [ 5 ] are a landmass comprising the totality of North and South America. [ 6 ] [ 7 ] [ 8 ] The Americas make up most of the land in Earth ‘s Western Hemisphere and comprise the New World. [ 3 ]
Reading: Americas – Wikipedia
Along with their associate islands, the Americas cover 8 % of Earth ‘s entire airfoil area and 28.4 % of its farming area. The topography is dominated by the American Cordillera, a long chain of mountains that runs the length of the west coast. The flat easterly side of the Americas is dominated by boastfully river basins, such as the Amazon, St. Lawrence River – Great Lakes basin, Mississippi, and La Plata. Since the Americas extend 14,000 kilometer ( 8,700 mile ) from north to south, the climate and ecology vary widely, from the arctic tundra of Northern Canada, Greenland, and Alaska, to the tropical rain forests in Central America and South America. Humans first settled the Americas from Asia between 42,000 and 17,000 years ago. A second migration of Na-Dene speakers followed later from Asia. The subsequent migration of the Inuit into the neoarctic around 3500 BCE completed what is by and large regarded as the colony by the autochthonal peoples of the Americas. The first known european village in the Americas was by the Norse explorer Leif Erikson. [ 9 ] however, the colonization never became permanent and was former abandoned. The spanish voyages of Christopher Columbus from 1492 to 1504 resulted in permanent liaison with European ( and subsequently, early Old World ) powers, which finally led to the columbian rally and inaugurated a menstruation of exploration, conquest, and colonization whose effects and consequences persist to the present. The spanish presence involved the enslavement of large numbers of the autochthonal population of America. [ 10 ] Diseases introduced from Europe and West Africa devastated the autochthonal peoples, and the european powers colonized the Americas. [ 11 ] Mass emigration from Europe, including large numbers of indenture servants, and import of african slaves largely replaced the autochthonal peoples. decolonization of the Americas began with the american Revolution in the 1770s and largely ended with the Spanish–American War in the recently 1890s. presently, about all of the population of the Americas resides in mugwump countries ; however, the bequest of the colonization and colony by Europeans is that the Americas share many common cultural traits, most notably Christianity and the function of west european languages : chiefly Spanish, English, Portuguese, French, and, to a lesser extent, Dutch. The Americas are home to closely a billion inhabitants, two-thirds of whom rest in the United States, Brazil, and Mexico. It is home to eight megacities ( metropolitan areas with ten million inhabitants or more ) : New York City ( 23.9 million ), Metropolitan sphere of the Valley of Mexico ( 21.2 million ), São Paulo ( 21.2 million ), Los Angeles ( 18.8 million ), Buenos Aires ( 15.6 million ), [ 12 ] Rio de Janeiro ( 13.0 million ), Bogotá ( 10.4 million ), and Lima ( 10.1 million ) .
Etymology and naming
The diagnose “ America ” was first recorded in 1507. A planar globe created by Martin Waldseemüller was the earliest recorded habit of the term. [ 14 ] The mention was besides used ( together with the relate term Amerigen ) in the Cosmographiae Introductio, obviously written by Matthias Ringmann, in reference to South America. [ 15 ] It was applied to both North and South America by Gerardus Mercator in 1538. “ America ” derives from Americus, the Latin version of italian explorer Amerigo Vespucci ‘s first name. The feminine kind America accorded with the womanly names of Asia, Africa, and Europa. [ 16 ] In modern English, North and South America are broadly considered separate continents, and taken together are called the Americas, or more rarely America. [ 17 ] [ 18 ] [ 3 ] When conceived as a unitary continent, the form is broadly the continent of America in the singular. however, without a clarify context, singular America in English normally refers to the United States of America. [ 3 ]
history
pre-columbian era
Honduras The Plaza Occidental in Copán 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 english continents, spanning the time of the original colony in the Upper Paleolithic to European colonization during the early Modern period. The term Pre-Columbian is used particularly much in the context of the big autochthonal civilizations of the Americas, such as those of Mesoamerica ( the Olmec, the Toltec, the Teotihuacano, the Zapotec, the Mixtec, the Aztec, and the Maya ) and the Andes ( Inca, Moche, Muisca, Cañaris ). many pre-columbian civilizations established characteristics and hallmarks which included permanent or urban settlements, agriculture, civil and monumental computer architecture, and complex social hierarchies. Some of these civilizations had farseeing faded by the clock time of the beginning permanent european arrivals ( c. former 15th–early 16th centuries ), and are known only through archaeological investigations. Others were contemporaneous with this period, and are besides 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. lone a few concealed documents remain today, leaving modern historians with glimpses of ancient acculturation and cognition. [ 19 ]
colonization
far information on theories of paleo-american migration : colony of the Americas The first inhabitants migrated into the Americas from Asia. Habitation sites are known in Alaska and the yukon from at least 20,000 years ago, with suggest ages of up to 40,000 years. [ 21 ] [ 22 ] [ 23 ] Beyond that, the specifics of the paleo-american migration to and throughout the Americas, including the dates and routes traveled, are subject to ongoing research and discussion. [ 24 ] far-flung inhabitancy of the Americas occurred during the late arctic maximal, from 16,000 to 13,000 years ago. [ 23 ] [ 25 ]
The traditional theory has been that these early migrants moved into the Beringia land bridge between eastern Siberia and contemporary Alaska around 40,000–17,000 years ago, [ 26 ] when sea levels were significantly lowered during the Quaternary glaciation. [ 24 ] [ 27 ] 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. [ 28 ] Another road proposed is that, either on foot or using primitive boats, they migrated down the Pacific coast to South America. [ 29 ] evidence of the latter would since have been covered by a sea level raise of hundreds of meters following the last ice rink historic period. [ 30 ] Both routes may have been taken, although the genetic evidences suggests a unmarried establish population. [ 31 ] The micro-satellite diversity and distributions specific to South American Indigenous people indicates that certain populations have been isolated since the initial colonization of the region. [ 32 ] A second migration occurred after the initial people of the Americas ; [ 33 ] Na Dene speakers found predominantly in north american groups at varying genic rates with the highest frequency found among the Athabaskans at 42 % derive from this second roll. [ 34 ] Linguists and biologists have reached a similar conclusion based on psychoanalysis of amerindian linguistic process groups and ABO rake group system distributions. [ 33 ] [ 35 ] [ 36 ] [ 37 ] then the people of the Arctic minor instrument custom, a across-the-board cultural entity that developed along the Alaska Peninsula, around Bristol Bay, and on the easterly shores of the Bering Strait c. 2,500 BCE moved into North America. [ 38 ] The Arctic belittled creature custom, a Paleo-Eskimo culture branched off into two cultural variants, including the Pre-Dorset, and the Independence traditions of Greenland. [ 39 ] The descendants of the Pre-Dorset cultural group, the Dorset culture was displaced by the final migrants from the Bering ocean seashore line, the ancestors of modern Inuit, the Thule people, by 1000 Common Era ( CE ). [ 39 ]
Norse colonization
Around the same time as the Inuit migrated into Greenland, Viking settlers began arriving in Greenland in 982 and Vinland shortly thereafter, establishing a colony at L’Anse aux Meadows, near the northernmost tip of Newfoundland. [ 40 ] Contact between the Norse colonies and Europe was maintained, as James Watson Curran points out :
From 985 to 1410, Greenland was in touch with the populace. then silence. In 1492 the Vatican noted that no news of that nation “ at the end of the populace ” had been received for 80 years, and the diocese of the colony was offered to a sealed ecclesiastical if he would go and “ restore Christianity ” there. He did n’t go. [ 41 ]
large-scale european colonization
Although there had been previous trans-oceanic liaison, large-scale european colonization of the Americas began with the first gear ocean trip of Christopher Columbus in 1492. The first spanish colonization in the Americas was La Isabela in northern Hispaniola. This township was abandoned shortly after in favor of Santo Domingo de Guzmán, founded in 1496, the oldest american english city of european foundation garment. This was the base from which the spanish monarchy administered its newly colonies and their expansion. Santo Domingo was discipline to frequent raids by English and french pirates. During most of the eighteenth century, however, privateers from Santo Domingo were the bane of the Antilles, with Dutch, British, French and Danish vessels as their prizes. [ 42 ] On the continent, Panama City on the Pacific coast of Central America, founded on August 15, 1519, played an important function, being the floor for the spanish conquest of South America. Conquistador Lucas Vázquez de Ayllón established San Miguel de Guadalupe, the first european liquidation in what is now the United States, on the Pee Dee River in South Carolina. [ 43 ] During the first half of the sixteenth 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. [ 44 ] France, led by Jacques Cartier and Giovanni da Verrazano, [ 45 ] focused chiefly on North America. english explorations of the Americas were led by Giovanni Caboto [ 46 ] and Sir Walter Raleigh. The Dutch in New Netherland confined their operations to Manhattan Island, Long Island, the Hudson River Valley, and what by and by became New Jersey. The spread of modern diseases brought by Europeans and African slaves killed many of the inhabitants of North America and South America, [ 47 ] [ 48 ] with a general population barge in of native Americans occurring in the mid-16th century, much well ahead of european contact. [ 49 ] One of the most devastate diseases was smallpox. [ 50 ] european immigrants were often separate 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 indenture servants .
Map showing the dates of independence from european powers. Black signifies areas that are subject territories or parts of countries with a capital outside the Americas. decolonization of the Americas began with the american Revolution and the haitian Revolution in the recently 1700s. This was followed by numerous romance 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 final 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 remove of reign over Puerto Rico from Spain to the United States. passive decolonization began with the purchase by the United States 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 district of Newfoundland similarly achieved partial independence under the Balfour Declaration and Statute of Westminster, but was re-absorbed into the United Kingdom in 1934. 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 freelancer 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
Satellite photograph of the Americas on Earth
extent
The Americas make up most of the nation in Earth ‘s Western Hemisphere. [ 51 ] The northernmost point of the Americas is Kaffeklubben Island, which is the most northerly point of country on Earth. [ 52 ] The southernmost target is the islands of Southern Thule, although they are sometimes considered function of Antarctica. [ 53 ] The mainland of the Americas is the world ‘s longest north-to-south landmass. The distance between its two diametric extremities, Murchison Promontory on the Boothia Peninsula in northern Canada and Cape Froward in Chilean Patagonia, is roughly 14,000 km ( 8,700 nautical mile ). [ 54 ] The mainland ‘s most prevailing westerly point is the end of the Seward Peninsula in Alaska ; Attu Island, far 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, [ 54 ] while Nordostrundingen, in Greenland, is the most easterly bespeak of the continental shelf .
geology
South America broke off from the west of the supercontinent Gondwana around 135 million years ago, forming its own continent. [ 55 ] 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 molding 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 kingdom created by continue volcanism. By three million years ago, the continents of North America and South America were linked by the Isthmus of Panama, thereby forming the individual landmass of the Americas. [ 56 ] The great american english Interchange resulted in many species being spread across the Americas, such as the cougar, porcupine, opossums, armadillo and hummingbirds. [ 57 ]
topography
Aconcagua, in Argentina, is the highest peak in the Americas The geography of the western Americas is dominated by the American Cordillera, with the Andes ply along the west slide of South America [ 58 ] and the Rocky Mountains and other north american Cordillera ranges running along the western side of North America. [ 59 ] The 2,300-kilometer-long ( 1,400 myocardial infarction ) Appalachian Mountains run along the east coast of North America from Alabama to Newfoundland. [ 60 ] North of the Appalachians, the Arctic Cordillera runs along the eastern seashore of Canada. [ 61 ] The largest mountain ranges are the Andes and Rocky Mountains. The Sierra Nevada and the Cascade Range reach exchangeable altitudes as the Rocky Mountains, but are importantly smaller. In North America, the greatest number of fourteeners are in the United States, and more specifically in the U.S. submit 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 U.S. state of Alaska is the tall. Between its coastal mountain ranges, North America has vast flat areas. The Interior Plains spread over much of the continent, with low easing. [ 62 ] The canadian Shield covers about 5 million km2 of North America and is broadly quite flat. [ 63 ] Similarly, the northeast of South America is covered by the flat Amazon river basin. [ 64 ] The brazilian Highlands on the east seashore are reasonably polish but show some variations in landform, while farther south the Gran Chaco and Pampas are broad lowlands. [ 65 ]
climate
The climate of the Americas varies significantly from region to area. tropical rain forest climate occurs in the latitudes of the Amazon, American cloud forests, southeast 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 huge majority of tornadoes occur in the United States ‘ Tornado Alley, [ 66 ] ampere 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 crimson effects of hurricanes. These weather systems are formed by the collision of dry, cool air from Canada and wet, affectionate air from the Atlantic .
hydrology
With coastal mountains and inside plains, the Americas have several large river basins that drain the continents. The largest river river basin in North America is that of the Mississippi, covering the second largest watershed on the planet. [ 67 ] The Mississippi-Missouri river system drains most of 31 states of the U.S., most of the Great Plains, and big areas between the Rocky and Appalachian mountains. This river is the fourthly longest in the worldly concern and tenth most mighty 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 destination in the Atlantic Ocean, such as the Hudson River, Saint John River, and Savannah River. A similar example arises with central canadian rivers that drain into Hudson Bay ; the largest being the Churchill River. On the west coast of North America, the chief rivers are the Colorado River, Columbia River, Yukon River, Fraser River, and Sacramento River. The Colorado River drains much of the Southern Rockies and parts of the Basin and Range Province. The river flows approximately 1,450 miles ( 2,330 kilometer ) into the Gulf of California, [ 68 ] 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, 1,243 miles ( 2,000 km ) long, in cardinal western North America and is the most mighty 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 1,980 miles ( 3,190 kilometer ) [ 69 ] 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 Saint-Lawrence River that drains the Great Lakes of Southern Canada into the Atlantic Ocean. The Mackenzie River is the largest in Canada and drains 1,805,200 square kilometers ( 697,000 sq mile ). [ 70 ] The largest river basin in South America is that of the Amazon, which has the highest book stream of any river on Earth. [ 71 ] The irregular largest watershed of South America is that of the Paraná River, which covers about 2.5 million km2. [ 72 ]
ecology
North America and South America began to develop a divided population of flora and fauna around 2.5 million years ago, when continental freewheel brought the two continents into contact via the Isthmus of Panama. Initially, the switch over of biota was roughly equal, with union american genus migrating into South America in about the same proportions as south american genus migrated into North America. This switch over is known as the great american english Interchange. The exchange became askew after approximately a million years, with the full spread of south american genus into North America far more express in setting than the spread on north american english genus into South America. [ 73 ]
Countries and territories
There are 35 autonomous states in the Americas, angstrom well as an autonomous country of Denmark, three oversea departments of France, three abroad collectivities of France, [ 74 ] and one uninhabited district of France, eight abroad territories of the United Kingdom, three constituent countries of the Netherlands, three populace bodies of the Netherlands, two unincorporated territories of the United States, and one uninhabited territory of the United States. [ 75 ]
demography
population
In 2021 the full population of the Americas was about 1.03 billion people, divided as follows : [ eminence 1 ] [ 98 ]
- North America: 596.6 million (includes Central America and the Caribbean)
- South America: 434.3 million
Largest urban centers
There are three urban centers that each defy titles for being the largest population area based on the three independent demographic concepts : [ 99 ]
- 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.[100][101][102][103][104]
- 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.[ 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.[ 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 big scale influence .
- Urban centers within the Americas
Mexico City – Largest metropolitan sphere in the Americas, with a population of 22,300,000 in 2017
São Paulo – Largest city in the Americas, with a population of 12,038,175 ( city ) in 2016
New York City – Largest urban area in the Americas, with a population of 18,351,295 in 2010
ethnology
The population of the Americas is made up of the descendants of four large ethnic groups and their combinations .
The majority of the population live in Latin America, named for its overriding 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 prevailing, and which comprises Canada ( with the exception of francophone Canada rooted in Latin Europe [ France ] —see Québec and Acadia ) and the United States. Both countries are located in North America, with cultures deriving predominantly from Anglo-Saxon and other Germanic roots .
religion
The most prevailing faiths in the Americas are as follows :
- Christianity (86 percent)[113]
- Roman Catholicism: Practiced by 69 percent[114] of the Latin American population (61 percent[114] in Brazil whose Roman Catholic population of 134 million[115] is the greatest of any nation’s), approximately 24 percent of the United States’ population[116] and about 39 percent of Canada’s.[117]
- 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.[118]
- 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.[117]
- 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 [117] of Canadians and 0.6 percent of the U.S. population.[116] Argentina has the largest Muslim population in Latin America with up to 600,000 persons, or 1.5 percent of the population.[119]
- Judaism (practiced by 2 percent of North Americans—approximately 2.5 percent of the U.S. population and 1.2 percent of Canadians[120]—and 0.23 percent of Latin Americans—Argentina has the largest Jewish population in Latin America with 200,000 members)[121]
early faiths include Buddhism ; Hinduism ; Sikhism ; Baháʼí Faith ; a wide variety show of autochthonal religions, many of which can be categorized as animist ; new age religions and many African and African-derived religions. syncretic faiths can besides be found throughout the Americas .
| Country | Christians | Catholics | Protestants | None/Atheists/Agnostics | Others |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Argentina[122] | 86.2% | 76.5% | 9.7% | 11.3% | 2.5% |
| Bolivia | 95.3% | 73.7% | 21.6% | 3.7% | 1.0% |
| Brazil[123] | 86.8% | 64.6% | 22.2% | 8.4% | 4.8% |
| Canada[117] | 62.6% | 38.7% | 23.9% | 28.5% | 8.9% |
| Chile[124] | 76.0% | 60.0% | 16.0% | 21.0% | 3.0% |
| Colombia[125] | 93.9% | 80.3% | 13.6% | 5.2% | 1.7% |
| Costa Rica[126] | 84.3% | 70.5% | 13.8% | 11.3% | 4.3% |
| Dominican Republic[127] | 87.1% | 68.3% | 18.8% | 10.6% | 2.2% |
| Ecuador[128] | 95.6% | 87.8% | 7.7% | 3.5% | 1.0% |
| El Salvador[129] | 75.5% | 45.8% | 29.7% | 24.3% | 1.2% |
| Guatemala[130] | 79.3% | 47.6% | 31.7% | 18.3% | 2.4% |
| Honduras[131] | 83.0% | 47.9% | 35.1% | 14.3% | 2.7% |
| Mexico[132] | 92.2% | 82.7% | 8.7% | 4.9% | 2.9% |
| Nicaragua[133] | 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[134] | 96.7% | 81.3% | 12.5% | 1.9% | 1.4% |
| United States[135] | 79.9% | 25.9% | 54.0% | 15.2% | 5.0% |
| Uruguay[136] | 58.2% | 47.1% | 11.1% | 40.4% | 1.5% |
| Venezuela[137] | 89.0% | 72.0% | 17.0% | 8.0% | 3.0% |
Languages
Languages spoken in the america versatile languages are spoken in the Americas. Some are of european beginning, others are spoken by autochthonal peoples or are the mixture of diverse languages like the different creoles. [ 126 ] The most widely spoken linguistic process in the Americas is spanish. [ 138 ] The dominant speech 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 besides 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 besides spoken. native languages are more big in Latin America than in Anglo-America, with Nahuatl, Quechua, Aymara and Guaraní as the most park. diverse other native languages are spoken with less frequency across both Anglo-America and Latin America. Creole languages early than haitian Creole are besides spoken in parts of Latin America. The dominant terminology of Anglo-America is English. french is besides official in Canada, where it is the prevailing terminology in Quebec and an official language in New Brunswick along with English. It is besides an authoritative linguistic process in Louisiana, and in parts of New Hampshire, Maine, and Vermont. spanish has kept an ongoing bearing in the Southwestern United States, which formed separate of the Viceroyalty of New Spain, specially in California and New Mexico, where a distinct kind of spanish spoken since the seventeenth century has survived. It has more recently become wide spoken in early parts of the United States because of heavy immigration from Latin America. High levels of immigration in general have brought capital linguistic diverseness to Anglo-America, with over 300 languages known to be spoken in the United States alone, but most languages are spoken only in belittled enclaves and by relatively little immigrant groups. The nations of Guyana, Suriname, and Belize are by and large considered [ 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 diachronic differences from both regions ; English is the primary speech of Guyana and Belize, and Dutch is the primary coil linguistic process of Suriname. Most of the non-native languages have, to different degrees, evolved differently from the mother country, but are normally still mutually intelligible. Some have combined, however, which has even resulted in wholly fresh languages, such as Papiamento, which is a combination of Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch ( representing the respective colonizers ), native Arawak, diverse african languages, and, more recently English. The tongue franca Portuñol, a mixture of Portuguese and Spanish, is spoken in the border regions of Brazil and neighboring spanish-speaking countries. [ 139 ] More specifically, Riverense Portuñol is spoken by around 100,000 people in the margin regions of Brazil and Uruguay. Because of immigration, there are many communities where other languages are spoken from all parts of the world, specially in the United States, Brazil, Argentina, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica and Uruguay—very important destinations for immigrants. [ 140 ] [ 141 ] [ 142 ]
terminology
| Subdivisions of the Americas | |
|---|---|
| Map | Legend |
|
North America ( NA )
South America ( SA )
May be included in
either NA or SA |
|
North America ( NA )
May be included in NA
Central America
Caribbean
South America |
|
North America ( NA )
May be included in NA
Middle America ( MA )
Caribbean ( may be
included in MA)
South America ( SA )
May be included
in MA or SA |
|
Anglo-America ( A-A )
May be included in A-A
Latin America ( LA )
May be included in LA |
english
Speakers of English by and large refer to the landmasses of North America and South America as the Americas, the Western Hemisphere, or the New World. [ 4 ] The adjective American may be used to indicate something pertains to the Americas, [ 1 ] but this term is chiefly used in English to indicate something pertaining to the United States. [ 1 ] [ 143 ] [ 144 ] Some non-ambiguous alternatives exist, such as the adjectival Pan-American, [ 145 ] or New Worlder as a demonym for a house physician of the closely related New World. [ 2 ] Use of America in the hemispherical sense is sometimes retained, or can occur when translated from other languages. [ 146 ] 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. [ 147 ] American essayist H.L. Mencken said, “ The Latin-Americans function Norteamericano in courtly writing, but, save in Panama, prefer nicknames in colloquial language. ” [ 148 ] To avoid “ American ” one can use manufacture terms in their languages derived from “ United States ” or flush “ North America ”. [ 144 ] [ 149 ] [ 150 ] In Canada, its southern neighbor is much referred to as “ the United States ”, “ the U.S.A. ”, or ( informally ) “ the States ”, while U.S. citizens are by and large referred to as “ Americans ”. [ 144 ] Most Canadians resent being referred to as “ Americans ”. [ 144 ]
spanish
In spanish, América is a single celibate 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 localization where a person may live. Citizens of the United States of America are normally referred to by the term estadounidense ( roughly literal transformation : “ United Statesian “ ) alternatively of americano or americana which is discouraged, [ 151 ] [ 152 ] and the area ‘s identify itself is officially translated as Estados Unidos de América ( United States of America ), normally abbreviated as Estados Unidos ( EEUU ). [ 152 ] besides, the term norteamericano ( north American ) may refer to a citizen of the United States. This term is primarily used to refer to citizens of the United States, and less normally to those of other north american countries. [ 151 ]
portuguese
In Portuguese, América [ 153 ] is a single continent composed of América do Sul ( South America ), América Central ( Central America ) and América do Norte ( North America ). [ 154 ] It can be ambiguous, as América can be used to refer to the United States of America, but is avoided in print and dinner dress environments. [ 155 ] [ 156 ]
french
In French the word américain may be used for things relating to the Americas ; however, exchangeable to English, it is most much used for things relating to the United States, with the term états-unien sometimes used for clearness. Panaméricain may be used as an adjective to refer to the Americas without ambiguity. [ 157 ] french speakers may use the noun Amérique to refer to the whole landmass as one celibate, or two continents, Amérique du Nord and Amérique du Sud. In french, Amérique is rarely used to refer to the United States, leading to some ambiguity when it is. similar to english use, les Amériques or des Amériques is used to refer unambiguously to the Americas .
dutch
In Dutch, the parole Amerika by and large refers to the United States. [ 158 ] [ 159 ] Although the United States is evenly much 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 normally used Dutch password for the Americas. This frequently leads to ambiguity ; and to stress that something concerns the Americas as a solid, 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 adjectival 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 anesthetic alternative for things relating to elsewhere in the Americas, such as Argentijns for Argentine, etc .
multinational organizations
The pursue is a tilt of multinational organizations in the Americas .
economy
| Rank | Country | GDP (nominal, peak year) millions of USD[160] |
Peak year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  United States |
25,346,805 | 2022 |
| 2 |  Brazil |
2,614,027 | 2011 |
| 3 |  Canada |
2,221,218 | 2022 |
| 4 |  Mexico |
1,322,740 | 2022 |
| 5 |  Argentina |
643,861 | 2017 |
| 6 |  Colombia |
382,094 | 2013 |
| 7 |  Venezuela |
352,540 | 2011 |
| 8 |  Chile |
317,594 | 2022 |
| 9 |  Peru |
240,346 | 2022 |
| 10 |  Puerto Rico |
116,762 | 2022 |
| Rank | Country | GDP (PPP, peak year) millions of USD |
Peak year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States |
25,346,805 | 2022 |
| 2 | Brazil |
3,680,942 | 2022 |
| 3 | Mexico |
2,890,685 | 2022 |
| 4 | Canada |
2,236,928 | 2022 |
| 5 | Argentina |
1,195,581 | 2022 |
| 6 | Colombia |
940,589 | 2022 |
| 7 | Chile |
568,319 | 2022 |
| 8 | Venezuela |
561,817 | 2013 |
| 9 | Peru |
513,715 | 2022 |
| 10 |  Dominican Republic |
254,992 | 2022 |
In exports and imports, in 2020, the United States was the worldly concern ‘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. [ 161 ] [ 162 ] [ 163 ] The agribusiness of the continent is very potent and deviate. Countries such as United States, Brazil, Canada, Mexico and Argentina are among the largest agrarian producers on the planet. In 2019, the continent dominated the world production of soy ( about 90 % of the global entire, with Brazil, the United States, Argentina, Paraguay, Canada and Bolivia among the 10 largest on the planet ), sugarcane ( about 55 % of the world full, with Brazil, Mexico, the United States, and Guatemala among the 10 largest on the satellite ), coffee ( about 55 % of the world sum, 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 satellite ). The continent besides produces about 40 % of populace ‘s orange ( with Brazil, the US and Mexico among the top 10 producers ), approximately 37 % of populace ‘s pineapple ( with Costa Rica, Brazil, Mexico and Colombia among the 10 largest producers ), about 35 % of earth ‘s lemon ( with Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, and the United States among the 10 largest producers ) and about 30 % of world ‘s cotton ( with the US, Brazil, Mexico and Argentina among the top 10 producers ), among several other products. [ 164 ] In livestock, America besides has giant productions. In 2018, the celibate produced around 45 % of the earth ‘s beef ( with the US, Brazil, Argentina, Mexico and Canada among the earth ‘s 10 largest producers ) ; about 36 % of the world ‘s chicken kernel ( with the US, Brazil and Mexico among the earth ‘s 10 largest producers ), and about 28 % of the earth ‘s overawe ‘s milk ( with the US and Brazil among the 10 largest producers in the global ), among other products. [ 164 ] In industrial terms, the World Bank lists the top producing countries each class, based on the total measure of production. According to the 2019 number, the United States has the second gear 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 diligence. valuable in the world ( US $ 173.6 billion ), Canada has the 15th most valuable industry in the world ( US $ 151.7 billion ), Venezuela the thirtieth largest ( US $ 58.2 billion, but depends on the anoint to obtain this sum ), Argentina was the 31st largest ( US $ 57.7 billion ), Colombia the 46th largest ( US $ 35.4 billion ), Peru the fiftieth largest ( $ 28.7 billion ), and Chile the 51st largest ( US $ 28.3 billion ), among others. [ 165 ] In the production of anoint, the continent had 8 of the 30 largest universe producers in 2020 : United States ( 1st ), Canada ( 4th ), Brazil ( 8th ), Mexico ( 14th ), Colombia ( 20th ), Venezuela ( 26th ), Ecuador ( 27th ) and Argentina ( 28th ). [ 166 ] In the production of natural gasoline, the celibate 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 ). [ 167 ] [ 168 ] In the production of coal, the continent had 5 of the 30 largest populace producers in 2018 : United States ( 3rd ), Colombia ( 12th ), Canada ( 13th ), Mexico ( 24th ) and Brazil ( 27th ). [ 169 ] In the production of vehicles, the continent had 5 of the 30 largest populace producers in 2019 : United States ( 2nd ), Mexico ( 7th ), Brazil ( 9th ), Canada ( 12th ) and Argentina ( 28th ). [ 170 ] 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 ). [ 171 ] [ 172 ] In mine, the continent has large productions of gold ( chiefly in the United States, Canada, Peru, Mexico, Brazil and Argentina ) ; [ 173 ] flatware ( chiefly in Mexico, Peru, Chile, Bolivia, Argentina and the USA ) ; [ 174 ] copper ( chiefly in Chile, Peru, USA, Mexico and Brazil ) ; [ 175 ] platinum ( Canada and US ) ; [ 176 ] iron ore ( Brazil, Canada, USA, Peru and Chile ) ; [ 177 ] zinc ( Peru, USA, Mexico, Bolivia, Canada and Brazil ) ; [ 178 ] molybdenum ( Chile, Peru, Mexico, Canada, USA ) ; [ 179 ] lithium ( Chile, Argentina, Brazil and Canada ) ; [ 180 ] lead ( Peru, USA, Mexico and Bolivia ) ; [ 181 ] bauxite ( Brazil, Jamaica, Canada, and USA ) ; [ 182 ] tin ( Peru, Bolivia and Brazil ) ; [ 183 ] manganese ( Brazil and Mexico ) ; [ 184 ] antimony ( Bolivia, Mexico, Guatemala, Canada and Ecuador ) ; [ 185 ] nickel ( Canada, Brazil, Dominican Republic, Cuba and USA ) ; [ 186 ] niobium ( Brazil and Canada ) ; [ 187 ] rhenium ( Chile and USA ) ; [ 188 ] and iodine ( Chile ), [ 189 ] among others. Dominica, Panama and the Dominican Republic have the fastest-growing economy in the Americas according to the International Monetary Fund ( IMF ), [ 190 ] 16, five to seven countries in the southern character of the Americas had weakening economies in decline, compared to only three countries in the northern separate of the Americas. [ 191 ] [ 192 ] Haiti has the lowest GDP per caput in the Americas, although its economy was growing slenderly as of 2016. [ 191 ] [ 192 ]
