Americas

Americas
Martin23230 · CC BY-SA 3.0 · source
Name	Americas
Area km2	42250000
Population	1,050,000,000
Density km2	25
Countries	35
Languages	Spanish, English, Portuguese, French, Dutch, Indigenous languages
Time zones	UTC−10 to UTC+0

Americas The Americas comprise the landmasses of North America and South America, including associated islands and archipelagos, spanning from the Arctic Ocean to the Southern Ocean. The region encompasses major political entities such as United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina and a diversity of peoples associated with Indigenous peoples of the Americas, diasporas from Africa, Europe, and Asia.

Etymology and Definitions

The name derives from the 16th-century cartographer Martin Waldseemüller and the explorer Amerigo Vespucci, appearing alongside portolan charts used by Age of Discovery navigators like Christopher Columbus and Vasco da Gama; maps produced in the era influenced terms adopted by the Treaty of Tordesillas and later by lexicographers such as Samuel Johnson. Geographical usage varies among sources like the United Nations and the International Hydrographic Organization, which distinguish between North America and South America and list island groups including Greenland, Caribbean, Bermuda, and Falkland Islands. Scholarly debates reference works by Alfred Wegener on continental drift and Antonio Snider-Pellegrini on continental nomenclature when defining boundaries between continents and tectonic plates such as the Nazca Plate and the Pacific Plate.

Geography and Geology

Physically the region contains major features: the Rocky Mountains, Appalachian Mountains, Andes, Amazon River, Mississippi River, Great Lakes, and the Atacama Desert; volcanic arcs include the Aleutian Islands and the Antilles Volcanic Arc. Geological history involves the break-up of Pangaea, processes described by plate tectonics scientists and field studies at sites such as the San Andreas Fault and the Peru–Chile Trench; orogeny and glaciation shaped landscapes recognized by researchers from institutions like the Smithsonian Institution and the United States Geological Survey. Climatological patterns involve influences from the Gulf Stream, El Niño–Southern Oscillation, Humboldt Current, and polar systems near Greenland and Antarctica.

History

Human settlement traces link to migrations across the Bering Land Bridge involving populations ancestral to modern Inuit, First Nations, Mesoamerican civilizations and Andean civilizations. Pre-Columbian states include Olmec civilization, Maya civilization, Aztec Empire, Inca Empire, and complex societies studied in archaeological projects at sites like Chavín de Huántar and Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site. European colonization involved powers such as the Spanish Empire, Portuguese Empire, British Empire, French colonial empire, and Dutch Empire, leading to conflicts exemplified by the Seven Years' War, American Revolutionary War, Mexican War of Independence, Latin American wars of independence, and treaties such as the Adams–Onís Treaty. The 19th and 20th centuries saw nation-building, industrialization linked to institutions like Federal Reserve System and Bank of England interactions, regional interventions by United States Department of State and episodes including the Cuban Revolution, Mexican Revolution, and Cold War-era events involving Organization of American States and Cuban Missile Crisis.

Demographics and Culture

Population centers include New York City, São Paulo, Mexico City, Buenos Aires, Lima, and Toronto; demographic shifts reflect migration waves tied to events such as the Atlantic slave trade, Great Migration (African American), and 20th-century labor movements involving Guest worker programs and treaties like the North American Free Trade Agreement. Languages prominently feature Spanish language, Portuguese language, English language, French language, and numerous Indigenous languages of the Americas including Quechua language, Nahuatl language, and Guaraní language. Cultural achievements span literature from Gabriel García Márquez and Toni Morrison to music traditions like samba, reggae, jazz, tango, and festivals such as Carnival (Brazil), while religions include Roman Catholicism in Latin America, Protestantism in the United States, and syncretic practices studied by scholars at institutions like Harvard University and Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México.

Economy and Infrastructure

The regional economy features major markets and institutions such as the United States dollar, Brazilian real, Mexican peso, the New York Stock Exchange, B3 (stock exchange), and trade agreements like USMCA and Mercosur. Key sectors include extractive industries in regions governed by companies like Petrobras and Pemex, agricultural exports from the Midwestern United States and Pampas, and manufacturing hubs in metropolitan areas including Detroit and Santiago, Chile. Transportation networks include the Pan-American Highway, freight corridors crossing the Isthmus of Panama and ports such as Port of Los Angeles, Port of Santos, and Port of New York and New Jersey, with aviation nodes at Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport and São Paulo–Guarulhos International Airport. Financial stability and development initiatives involve organizations like the Inter-American Development Bank and bilateral lenders including World Bank operations.

Politics and International Relations

Political systems range from federal republics like United States and Federative Republic of Brazil to parliamentary systems in Canada and presidential systems in Argentina; regional organizations include the Organization of American States, Community of Latin American and Caribbean States, and trade blocs such as Caribbean Community and Pacific Alliance. Cold War-era geopolitics involved actors like Soviet Union influence and policies enacted during administrations such as Franklin D. Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy; contemporary diplomacy addresses migration accords, narcotics control with agencies like the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, and security partnerships exemplified by North Atlantic Treaty Organization–partner cooperation. Disputes over territory and resources involve cases like Falklands War, Beagle conflict, maritime boundaries adjudicated by the International Court of Justice, and environmental agreements negotiated under frameworks like the Paris Agreement.

Environment and Biodiversity

Ecological zones include Amazon rainforest, Chocó-Darién moist forests, Patagonian steppe, Great Plains (North America), and insular ecosystems such as Galápagos Islands; biodiversity hotspots contain endemic species studied by researchers at Royal Society–affiliated programs and conservation efforts by organizations like World Wildlife Fund and Conservation International. Threats include deforestation in the Amazon Basin, coral bleaching on the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System, invasive species such as Burmese python populations in Florida Everglades National Park, and climate impacts from phenomena like Hurricane Katrina, Hurricane Maria, and El Niño. Protected areas include Yellowstone National Park, Yosemite National Park, Torres del Paine National Park, and Manú National Park with transboundary initiatives coordinated through mechanisms like the Ramsar Convention and multilateral funding by the Global Environment Facility.

Category:Continents