Interesting North America Facts

North America is the third largest continent in the world by area and the fourth largest by population. There are seven continents in total: Asia, Africa, Europe, North America, South America, Australia and Antarctica. Together, South America, North America and Oceania make up the ‘New World’. North America is located between two major oceans, the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. The continent is bordered by the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Atlantic Ocean to the east.

The continent of North America is popular with tourists with the United States, Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean Islands being some of the biggest tourist destinations in the world. Some of the most interesting geographical features, manmade structures and the greatest landmarks on Earth can be found on the continent of North America including the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building, the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone Park, the Golden Gate Bridge, the Niagara Falls, Chichen Itza, CN Tower, Panama Canal and Mount Rushmore.

North America has 38 countries and islands and was named after the Western Amerigo Vespucci, an Italian Merchant who published his works under the alias ‘Americus Vespucci’. His philosophies caused controversy, and once discovered by the Europeans, the land became known as America as it was given a female version of Amerigo's pen name.

North America Fact File:
Oceans of North America: Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean *** Area Size of North America: Approximately 24.7 million square km *** Estimated Population of North America: 565,000,000 people *** Largest Country in North America: Canada (also the second largest country in the world) *** Most Populated City in North America: Mexico City *** Countries in North America: Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Canada, Cayman Islands, Coast Rica, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Greenland, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Martinique, Mexico, Montserrat, Navassa Islands, Netherlands Antilles, Nicaragua, Panama, Puerto Rico, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint-Pierre and Miquelon, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, United States of America, US Virgin Islands.

Interesting Facts for Kids: Where is North America located?
North America is located between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans in the Northern and Western Hemispheres. The Arctic Ocean is situated north of the continent, the North Atlantic Ocean borders the east side of South America, the Caribbean Sea is located southeast, and the North Pacific Ocean can be found to its west. Greenland is located to the northeast of North America where it is separated from Iceland by the Denmark Strait. Iceland belongs to the continent of Europe and geographically, Greenland belongs to North America, however, politically speaking, it is associated with Europe, influenced by the fact that Greenland, the largest island in the world, belongs to Denmark. Alaska is located to the northwest of North America where it is separated from mainland Asia by the Bering Strait.

Interesting Facts for Kids: What is the population of North America?
Three of the world’s largest and most prosperous countries belong to the continent of North America: Canada, the United States and Mexico. The continent is home to a population of over 565 million people, including surrounding islands, this figure equates to around 7.5% of the total human population of the entire world.

Interesting Facts for Kids: How big is South America?
The total area size of North America is 24,709,000 sq km (9,540,000 sq miles). The continent extends for more than 8,000 km to within 800 km of both the North Pole and the Equator, and has an east-west extent of 8,000 km. North America occupies around 16.5 percent of the land on Earth and approximately 4.8 percent of its total surface area. The largest country in North America is Canada which occupies a total area of 9.98 million km sq. The continent’s second largest country is the United States which occupies an area of 9.82 million km sq. The third largest country in North America is Greenland at 2.16 million km sq, and the fourth largest is Mexico at 1.96 million km sq. The remaining countries and islands of North America have much smaller area sizes.

Interesting Facts for Kids: The Isthmus of Panama
The Isthmus of Panama is a narrow strip of land that forms the only land connection between the two continents of North America and South America.

North America Facts for Kids

Interesting Facts for Kids: How many countries are there in North America?
There are 38 countries and islands in North America. The following list provides the names of the countries and islands of North America in alphabetical order: Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Canada, Cayman Islands, Coast Rica, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Greenland, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Martinique, Mexico, Montserrat, Navassa Islands, Netherlands Antilles, Nicaragua, Panama, Puerto Rico, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint-Pierre and Miquelon, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, United States of America, US Virgin Islands.

North America Facts for Kids

Interesting Facts for Kids: The economy of North America
North America has great mineral wealth and is rich in natural resources. The continent encompasses vast forest areas, immense quantities of fresh water and some of the world’s most fertile soils. These qualities have allowed North America to become one of the most economically developed regions in the world. The United States has the largest economy of Canada, Mexico and the United States, as well as having the largest economy in the world. Many of the inhabitants of North America, particularly those belonging to Canada and the United States, enjoy a high standard of living. The continent has the highest average income per person of all the continents, and a significantly greater average food intake per person, and a higher per capita consumption of energy.

Interesting Facts for Kids: What are the largest cities in North America?
The largest cities in North America include Mexico City, New York City, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Toronto, Dallas-Fort Worth, Chicago, Houston, Miami, Philadelphia. Among the most major cities of North America are its countries capitals. The capital city of the United States of America is Washington D.C., the capital city of Canada is Ottawa, and the capital city of Mexico is Mexico City.

Interesting Facts for Kids: What are the 50 states of the United States?
The United States composes of fifty states. The names of the fifty states in alphabetic order are: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming.

Interesting Facts for Kids: Tectonic Plates of North America

North America has one of the longest coastlines of the world’s continents. It is noted for having many irregularities, particularly in the north. The geography of North America is very interesting as its land lies on various tectonic plates, namely the North America Plate, on which most of the continent is located, and the Pacific Plate which encompasses part of California on its eastern edge, and the Caribbean Plate. The majority of the West Indies regions and the southernmost section of North America are situated on the Caribbean Plate. San Andreas fault occurs in California where it extends for around 1,200km. The fault line is positioned at the meeting point of the North American and Pacific Plates. The Juan de Fuca Plate, one of the smallest tectonic plates on Earth, is moving under the top part of the western North America Plate. The Cocos Plate borders the North America and Caribbean Plate.

North America Facts for Kids

Interesting Facts for Kids: Geography of North America
The geography of North America varies significantly across its land and comprises of coastal plains, mountains, plateaus, temperate rain forests, boreal forests, steppe, prairie, shrubland, savannas, deserts, tundra, rivers, oceans and seas. North America’s major geographical regions compose of the Great Plains, the Canadian Shield, the Rocky Mountains, the Caribbean, the lowlands and coastal plains of Mexico and Central America connecting to the mountains of the west. There are many mountain ranges located in North America. Volcanic eruptions and earthquakes are not uncommon on this continent, particularly in Central America where earthquakes have caused much devastation resulting in numerous deaths.

Interesting Facts for Kids: The Great Plains of North America
The Great Plains is located east of the Rocky Mountains and west of the tallgrass prairie of the Mississippi River. The Great Plains can be described as an extensive flat land area comprising of grassland, prairie and steppe which include savanna grasslands and shrublands. The Great Plains occupy areas of the United States and Canada; dominating South Dakota, North Dakota, Nebraska and Kansas, and having a presence in Wyoming, Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Montana and Colorado. The plains spread into Alberta, Manitoba and Saskatchewan in Southern Canada.

Interesting Facts for Kids: Canadian Shield Facts
The Canadian Shield is formed of Precambrian igneous rocks and metamorphic rocks, and occupies a total area size of 8 million km sq, occurring across more than half of Canada and stretching into parts of northern United States. Precambrian can be described as being the earliest era in the history of the Earth. Canada is in fact, one of the oldest countries in North America and the entire world, and is also one of the leading global producers as rich reserves of important metals, including gold, iron, nickel, copper, lead, uranium and molybdenum are sourced here. The Canadian Shield is also known as the Laurentian Plateau, it creates the craton that forms the ancient geological core of the continent of North America.

Interesting Facts for Kids: The highest point in North America
The highest point on the continent of North America occurs on Mount McKinley in Alaska, the largest state in the United States. The tallest peak, commonly known by the names of either Mount McKinley or Denali, meaning ‘high one’, forms part of the Alaska mountain range and reaches 6,194m above sea level.

Interesting Facts for Kids: The lowest point in North America
The lowest point of elevation on the continent of North America occurs in Badwater Basin which is located in the Death Valley area of the state of California in the United States. Badwater Basin can be described as a closed drainage basin known as an endorheic basin. This area forms the lowest point of North America at 86m below sea level.