The North America is a Sous-continent or the northern part of the America, according to the point of view.

It is located at the is Pacific Ocean, with the western of the Atlantic Ocean, with the southern of the Arctic Ocean and with the Northern of the Central America.

Geopolitical division

In the north of the continent the North America is who gathers the following countries:

The Central America and the the Antilles are occasionally included in North America

Population

Heritage of the various waves of immigration which marked its history, North America presents three well differentiated ethno-cultural groups.

The first in north, is the Anglo-Saxon unit, composed of Canada and the United States. The Amerindians are always present there, but in a negligible proportion. The majority of the population is there of European origin (without neglecting the contributions of recent immigration, the Afro-Americans and the Hispanic ones). The most used language remains English although a strong French minority in Canada remains (Quebec, New Brunswick and are of Ontario).

The second in the south, where the majority of the population is mongrel there, is the resultant of the marriages between Spanish and Amerindian colonists. The part of the Amerindians is there much larger (Mexico).

One can despite everything underline the prevalence of the European languages, of Christendom (protesting and catholic), the whole métissé with the Amerindian and African cultures to a certain extent.

History

History précolombienne

See also: North-Amerindians, Theories of the first settlement of America

European exploration

According to the last developments of the historical research, the first Europeans to reach North America are the Viking S (whose celebrates it Érik the Red). About the year 1000, Scandinavians come from the Greenland try a colonization of Newfoundland (archaeological vestiges of Handle-with-Meadows).

Chronologie :

  • before 1400, several establishments Breton Basques and along the river the St. Lawrence testify to the first commercial links between North America and Europe.
  • Towards 1480, the fishermen of Bristol-board could attend Newfoundland.
  • 1497 : The explorer Venetien Giovanni Cabotto (John Pooch) with the service of king d' Angleterre discovers Newfoundland.
  • 1507 : The German cartographer Martin Waldseemuller baptizes the Nouveau World Americi Terra ( America ), derived from the first name of the explorer Amerigo Vespucci.
  • 1512 : the Spaniard Juan Sandpapers of León share of Puerto Rico to explore the coasts of Florida Cap Canaveral until perhaps Pensacola.
  • 1524 : Giovanni da Verrazano missionné by the king of France, arrives at the Cape Fear (current North Carolina). It goes up the Atlantic coast towards north and discovers the site of future the New York.

European colonization

See the articles : History of News-France, Louisiana (News-France), Colonial history of the United States of America, News-Spain.

Geography

Relief

The provision of the North-American relief is longitudinal: the area breaks up into differentiated units which follow one another of is in west: the oriental party is dominated by littoral plains narrow with north (Canada and New England and broader in the south (Florida). Behind these flat spaces assembly lines relatively low, of old formation and eroded are: the the Appalachian Mountains hardly exceed the 2000 meters of altitude. The plate of the Laurentides constitutes the essence of the peninsula of Labrador. While going towards the west, one meets spaces relatively flat and relatively low, strewn with lakes (lake of the Bear, Lac of the Slaves, Lac Winnipeg and the Big lakes). More in the south, the valley of the the Mississippi represents the backbone of the center of North America. Then, the area of the Grandes Plains then Piedmont of the Rocheuses follow one another at increasingly high altitudes. The West of North America is a succession of more or less parallel chains which constitute an obstacle with circulation. This mountainous unit, broader in the United States than in Canada, is intersected with high plateaus and trough faults. Last spaces before the Pacific Ocean are characterized by a great activity seismic Volcan ic and : it is about an important portion of the Ceinture of fire of the Pacific.

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