OAmerican continentit is a portion of land bathed by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. These are two continental blocks to the north and south joined by an isthmus (small strip of land located between two seas). Look at the map below:
Physical map of the American continent
With a population of almost 1 billion inhabitants and a land area of 42,549.00 km², America is the second largest continent (after only Asia) and has 14.2% of the world's population. In all, there are 35 independent countries and 16 colonies.
Eventually, this continent is called the “New World”, but that doesn't mean it's really younger than the rest. continents, as this denomination was created after the discovery by the Europeans, and it is, therefore, a Eurocentric vision of the America.
In fact, from a geological point of view, the American continent is considered ancient, as its relief demonstrates evidence that it has been exposed to external agents of transformation (wind, water, rain, climate, among others).
Speaking of relief, the physical structure of America has two great mountain ranges, one located to the north, called the Rocky Mountains, and another located to the south, called Andes mountain range, both located in the western part of the continent and originated by contact between tectonic plates.
In the eastern part of America – both in the North and the South – there are some plateaus. They are: Guyano Plateau (northern South America), Brazilian Central Plateau, Patagonia Plateau (in Argentina), Canadian Shields and the Appalachian Mountains (western United States).
In terms of location, America is in three different hemispheres at the same time: the North, the South and the West, being cut by the Equator line, by the Tropic of Cancer and by the Tropic of Capricorn, being the only continent to be located in all the thermal zones of the Earth.
This continent has several types of regional divisions, of which we can highlight two. One divides it into North, Central and South America, and the other divides it into Latin America and Anglo-Saxon.
THE North America it has only three countries: Canada, the United States and Mexico.
THESouth America it has twelve countries: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay and Venezuela.
THECentral Americahas twenty countries: Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominica, El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Nicaragua, Panama, Dominican Republic, Saint Lucia, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago.
The regionalizations of the American continent
Thus, the Latin America encompasses all the countries of South and Central America together with Mexico, while the Anglo-Saxon America it has only the United States and Canada.
In the economic field, there are large indices of inequality in America. The countries that are part of North America are the only developed ones on the continent, presenting most of its Gross Domestic Product. In addition, some countries such as Brazil, Mexico, Argentina and Uruguay are considered emerging nations. The others are classified as underdeveloped.
By Rodolfo Alves Pena
Graduated in Geography
