North America includes Canada, the United States of America (USA), Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean islands. In the north, the Arctic ice gives way to the barren tundra of northern Canada and mountainous Alaska. A chain of mountains runs like a backbone all the way down the western side of the continent. It divides into many ranges. There are hot, dry deserts in southwestern USA and Mexico. In Central America and Caribbean islands there are tropical rainforests.

Peoples

North Americans can trace their ancestors to all parts of the world. The native peoples of America (known as Native Americans in the USA or First Nations in Canada) had the continent to themselves until about 500 years ago. Settlers from Europe first arrived in the 1600s: the Spanish in Mexico and Central America; the British, German and Dutch in what is now the USA; the French in what is now Canada. A steady trickle at first, the immigrants became a flood in the 19th century, as millions—including Irish, Italian and Jewish people—arrived.

Most African Americans and Caribbean islanders are descendants of African people brought to work as slaves on cotton and sugar cane plantations from the 17th to 19th centuries. In Mexico and Central America, the majority of the population have both Spanish (the former colonial rulers) and Native American ancestors, and are known as mestizos.

Canada

Canada is the second largest country in the world after Russia. It is made up of ten provinces and three territories. Much of Canada's vast territory is wilderness: tundra in the Arctic islands, evergreen forests, mountains and lakes. Fields of wheat, sunflowers and rapeseed stretch across the prairie grasslands of central southern Canada. Northern and central parts of Canada have long, cold winters and short, cool summers. Southern regions, where most Canadians live, are warmer. Coastal areas have high rainfall.

Most Canadians work in service industries such as banking, tourism and education. Industries such as mining, logging, fishing and agriculture are still important in Canada.

United States of America

The United States of America (USA or US), often simply known as "America" or "the States", is made up of 50 states. It includes Alaska, which is separated from the rest of the country by Canada, and Hawaii, a group of islands in the Pacific Ocean.

Running down the northeastern side of the USA are the densely forested Appalachian Mountains. To their northwest lie the Great Lakes. To their east lie the coastal lowlands of the eastern seaboard where great cities, such as New York, Boston and Philadelphia are located. The basin of the Mississippi River and its tributaries forms the central part of the USA, called the Midwest. This is a vast expanse of mostly farmland. There are fields of wheat and maize in the north, and cotton and groundnuts in the south.

West of the Mississippi, the prairies—grazing land for cattle—of the Great Plains gradually rise to meet the high Rocky Mountains. Between the Rockies and the mountains of the Pacific coast, a region called the Great Basin, the climate is dry. Desert and scrubland stretch across the southwest. The fertile valleys of the Pacific coast have a warm, wet climate which is ideal for growing fruit and vines. This region is one of the richest and most densely populated parts of the USA.

The USA has a wide range of climates. Alaska, close to the Arctic, has a polar climate, while the southern tip of Florida lies in the tropics. The central and eastern states have very warm summers but cold winters. The southern states have mild winters. Further west it becomes drier, turning to desert in the southwest. The Pacific coast is milder and wetter.

The USA is rich in natural resources such as oil, natural gas, coal and timber. Its manufacturing industries—aerospace, vehicles, food and chemicals—have brought much of its wealth.

Nowadays, around a third of Americans work in service industries such as tourism, banking, education and government. Many of the world’s biggest software and technology companies are based in California's Silicon Valley and the Seattle area in the northwest.

Two mountain ranges, the Sierra Madre Oriental in the east and the Sierra Madre Occidental in the west, run down either side of Mexico. Most people live on the central plateau that lies between them. Here the climate is mild and the land fertile. Along the Gulf Coast in the east, coastal plains merge with the Yucatán Peninsula. Farther south, there is tropical forest. Northern Mexico and the long Baja California peninsula are hot, dry scrublands.

Mexico’s economy relies on oil, mining, tourism and manufacturing. In factories called maquiladoras close to the US border, Mexican workers make electronic and food products and textiles for export to the US.

The southern part of mainland North America is made up of the seven countries of Central America: Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama. Panama forms a neck of land, called an isthmus, that links North America to South America. At its narrowest point, about 60 kilometres (37 miles) wide, the Panama Canal cuts through, linking the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Much of Central America is mountainous with a number of volcanoes. There is a constant threat of eruptions and earthquakes in the region.

Between the mountain ranges lie fertile valleys where livestock are raised and coffee, tobacco, beans, bananas and other crops are cultivated. Most of the population of the Central American countries live here or on the coastal plains.

There are 7000 islands, islets and cays (coral islands) in the Caribbean Sea. The Greater Antilles group is made up of the larger islands of Cuba, Hispaniola (shared between the Dominican Republic and Haiti), Puerto Rico and Jamaica. The Lesser Antilles are an arc of small islands between the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. A third island group is the Lucayan Archipelago, which includes the Bahamas and Turks and Caicos Islands.

All the Caribbean islands (also known as the West Indies) have a wet, tropical climate. They are often struck by hurricanes.

The mixed population is largely made up of Africans who were brought to the Caribbean to work as slaves on the sugar plantations and settlers from Europe and Asia. As well as being popular tourist resorts, the Caribbean nations export produce such as sugar, spices, bananas and coffee.