World map showing the Americas

CIA political map of the Americas in an equal-area projection

The Americas are the lands of the Western hemisphere or New World, consisting of the continents of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions. The Americas cover 8.3% of the Earth's total surface area (28.4% of its land area) and contain about 14% of the human population (about 900 million people). The Americas may alternatively be referred to as America;^[1][2] however, America may be ambiguous, as it can refer either to the entire landmass or to the United States of America. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (2759x1404, 54 KB) Extracted from CIA World Factbook PDF world map, then rasterized and colored. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (2759x1404, 54 KB) Extracted from CIA World Factbook PDF world map, then rasterized and colored. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 397 × 599 pixel Image in higher resolution (1094 × 1650 pixel, file size: 289 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Americas – North and South America: CIA, original political map from Perry-Castañeda Library Map Collection; University of Texas Library Online File links... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 397 × 599 pixel Image in higher resolution (1094 × 1650 pixel, file size: 289 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Americas – North and South America: CIA, original political map from Perry-Castañeda Library Map Collection; University of Texas Library Online File links... Map of the Earth using a Lambert azimuthal equal-area projection The Lambert azimuthal equal-area projection, or Lambert azimuthal projection, is an equal-area map projection. ... The Mercator projection shows courses of constant bearing as straight lines. ... The geographical western hemisphere of Earth, highlighted in yellow. ... Frontispiece of Peter Martyr dAnghieras De orbe novo (On the New World). Carte dAmérique, Guillaume Delisle, 1722. ... Animated, colour-coded map showing the various continents. ... North American redirects here. ... South America South America is a continent crossed by the equator, with most of its area in the Southern Hemisphere. ... Look up Region in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... This article is about Earth as a planet. ... The current estimated world human population is 6,427,631,117. ... The word America has several meanings: Geographical and political The Americas: North, Central, and South America. ...

History

Main article: History of the Americas

Territories in the Americas colonized or claimed by a European great power in 1750. ... The history of the Americas is the collective history of North and South America, including Central America and the Caribbean. ... British colonization of the Americas (including colonization under the Kingdom of England before the 1707 Acts of Union created the Kingdom of Great Britain) began in the late 16th century, before reaching its peak after colonies were established throughout the Americas, and a protectorate was established in Hawaii. ... The Duchy of Courland was the smallest nation to colonize the Americas with a short-lived colony in Tobago during the 1654–1659, and again 1660–1689. ... Denmark had a colonial empire from the 18th century until the 20th. ... During the 17th century, Dutch traders established trade posts and plantations throughout the Americas; actual colonization, with Dutch settling in the new lands was not as common as with settlements of other European nations. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... In this map of German colonies, yellow marks Klein-Venedig and red the Prussia colonies, some of them in the Caribbean. ... Portugal was the leading country in the European exploration of the world in the 15th century. ... Russian colonization of the Americas proceeded in several places. ... Scottish colonization of the Americas consisted of a number of failed or abandoned settlements in North America, a colony at Darien, Panama and a number of wholly or largely Scottish settlements made as part of Great Britain. ... The Spanish colonization of the Americas was Spains conquest, settlement, and rule over much of the western hemisphere from 1492-1898. ... The Swedish colonization of the Americas consisted of a 17th century settlement on the Delaware River in Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Maryland, and possessions in the Caribbean during the 18th and 19th century. ... The Vikings, or Norsemen, explored and settled areas of the North Atlantic, including the northeast fringes of North America, beginning in the 10th century. ... Decolonization of the Americas refers to the process by which the countries in North America and South America gained their independence. ... The history of the Americas is the collective history of North and South America, including Central America and the Caribbean. ...

Formation

South America broke off from the west of the supercontinent Gondwanaland around 135 million years ago (Ma), forming its own continent.^[3] Starting around 15 Ma, the collision of the Caribbean Plate and the Pacific Plate resulted in a series of volcanoes along the border that created a number of islands. The gaps in the archipelago of Central America filled in with material eroded off North America and South America, plus new land created by continued volcanism. By 3 Ma, the continents of North America and South America were linked by the Isthmus of Panama, thereby forming the single landmass of the Americas.^[4] In geology, a supercontinent is a land mass comprising more than one continental core, or craton. ... This article is about the ancient supercontinent of Gondwana. ... Mega-annum, usually abbreviated as Ma, is a unit of time equal to one million years. ... Detail of tectonic plates from: Tectonic plates of the world. ...  The Pacific plate, shown in pale yellow The Pacific Plate is an oceanic tectonic plate beneath the Pacific Ocean. ... For other uses, see Central America (disambiguation). ... The Isthmus of Panama. ...

Settlement

See also: Pre-Columbian trans-oceanic contact

Archaeological finds establish the widespread presence of the Clovis culture in North America and South America around 10000 BCE.^[5] Whether this is the first migration of humans into North America and South America is disputed, with alternative theories holding that humans arrived in North America and South America as early as 40000 BCE. Pre-Columbian trans-oceanic contacts were interactions between the indigenous peoples of the Americas and peoples of other continents – Europe, Africa, Asia, or Oceania – before the arrival of Christopher Columbus in 1492. ... The Clovis culture (sometimes referred to as the Llano culture[1]) is a prehistoric Paleoindian culture that first appears in the archaeological record of North America around 11,500 rcbp radiocarbon years ago, at the end of the last glacial period. ... There are several popular models of migration to the New World proposed by the anthropological community. ...

The Inuit migrated into the Arctic section of North America in another wave of migration, arriving around 1000 CE.^[6] Around the same time as the Inuit migrated into North America, Viking settlers began arriving in Greenland in 982 and Vinland shortly thereafter.^[7] The Viking settlers quickly abandoned Vinland, and disappeared from Greenland by 1500.^[8] For other uses, see Inuit (disambiguation). ... For the ships, see USS Arctic, SS Arctic, MV Arctic The red line indicates the 10°C isotherm in July, sometimes used to define the Arctic region border Artificially coloured topographical map of the Arctic region The Arctic is the region around the Earths North Pole, opposite the Antarctic... The Vikings, or Norsemen, explored and settled areas of the North Atlantic, including the northeast fringes of North America, beginning in the 10th century. ... For the historical novel by George Mackay Brown, which depicts Leifr Eiríkssons voyage, see Vinland (novel). ...

Large-scale European colonization of the Americas began shortly after the voyages of Christopher Columbus in 1492. The spread of new diseases brought by Europeans and Africans killed most of the inhabitants of North America and South America,^[9][10] with a general population crash of Native Americans occurring in the mid-sixteenth century, often well ahead of European contact.^[11] Native peoples and European colonizers came into widespread conflict, resulting in what David Stannard has called a genocide of the indigenous populations.^[12] Early European immigrants were often part of state-sponsored attempts to found colonies in the Americas. Migration continued as people moved to the Americas fleeing religious persecution or seeking economic opportunities. Many individuals were forcibly transported to the Americas as slaves, prisoners or indentured servants. Territories in the Americas colonized or claimed by a European great power in 1750. ... Christopher Columbus (1451 – May 20, 1506) was a navigator, colonizer, and explorer and one of the first Europeans to explore the Americas after the Vikings. ... Natives of North America. ... David Edward Stannard is a writer and professor of American stidies at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. ... Genocide is the mass killing of a group of people, as defined by Article 2 of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (CPPCG) as any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or... Religious persecution is systematic mistreatment of an individual or group due to their religious affiliation. ... Wiktionary has related dictionary definitions, such as: slave Slave may refer to: Slavery, where people are owned by others, and live to serve their owners without pay Slave (BDSM), a form of sexual and consenual submission Slave clock, in technology, a clock or timer that synchrnonizes to a master clock... An indentured servant is a laborer under contract of an employer for some period of time, usually three to seven years, in exchange for their transportation, food, drink, clothing, lodging and other necessities. ...

Naming

World Map of Waldseemüller which first named America (in the map over Paraguay). Germany, 1507

The earliest known use of the name America for this particular landmass dates from April 25, 1507. It appears on a globe and a large map created by the German cartographer Martin Waldseemüller in Saint-Dié-des-Vosges. The last known surviving copy of the Waldseemüller map was recently acquired by the US Library of Congress for $US 10 million.^[13] An accompanying book, Cosmographiae Introductio, explains that the name was derived from the Latinized version of the explorer Amerigo Vespucci's name, Americus Vespucius, in its feminine form, America, as the other continents all have Latin feminine names.^[14] Image File history File links Download high resolution version (2250x1254, 2337 KB) Summary Bildbeschreibung: Universalis cosmographia secundum Ptholomaei traditionem et Americi Vespucii alioru[m]que lustrationes. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (2250x1254, 2337 KB) Summary Bildbeschreibung: Universalis cosmographia secundum Ptholomaei traditionem et Americi Vespucii alioru[m]que lustrationes. ... is the 115th day of the year (116th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1507 was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. ... Cartography is the study of map making and cartographers are map makers. ... Martin Waldseemüller (19th century painting). ... Saint-Dié-des-Vosges, commonly referred to as Saint-Dié, is a commune of northeastern France. ... Construction of the Thomas Jefferson Building, from July 8, 1888 to May 15, 1894. ... Cosmographiae introductio was a book published in 1507 to accompany Martin Waldseemüllers map of the world and wall-map, which was the first appearance of the name America. It is widely held to have been written by Matthias Ringmann although some historians attribute it to Waldseemüller himself. ... For other uses, see Latins and Latin (disambiguation). ... Amerigo Vespucci (Américo Vespucio in Spanish) (March 8, 1454 - February 22, 1512) was an Italian merchant, explorer and cartographer. ...

Vespucci's role in the naming issue, like his exploratory activity, is unclear. Some sources say that he was unaware of the widespread use of his name to refer to the new landmass. Waldseemüller may have been misled by the Soderini Letter, now thought to be a forgery, which reports that the New World is populated by giants, cannibals, and sexually insatiable females and implies it was discovered first by Vespucci.^[15] Christopher Columbus, who had first brought the region's existence to the attention of Renaissance era voyagers, had died in 1506 (believing, to the end, that he had discovered and colonized part of India) and could not protest Waldseemüller's decision. This article is about the European Renaissance of the 14th-17th centuries. ...

Map of America by Jonghe, c. 1770.

A few alternative theories regarding the landmass's naming have been proposed, but none of them has achieved any widespread acceptance. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1830x1840, 1843 KB) Please see the file description page for further information. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1830x1840, 1843 KB) Please see the file description page for further information. ...

One alternative, first advanced by Jules Marcou in 1875 and later recounted by novelist Jan Carew, is that the name America derives from the district of Amerrique in Nicaragua.^[16] The gold-rich district of Amerrique was purportedly visited by both Vespucci and Columbus, for whom the name became synonymous with gold. According to Marcou, Vespucci later applied the name to the New World, and even changed the spelling of his own name from Alberigo to Amerigo to reflect the importance of the discovery. Jules Marcou (April 20, 1824 - April 17, 1898), an eminent Swiss-American geologist, was born at Salins, in the départment of Jura, in France. ... Jan Rynveld Carew is a novelist, playwright, poet and educator. ...

Another theory, first proposed by a Bristol antiquary and naturalist, Alfred Hudd, in 1908 was that America is derived from Richard Amerike (Richard ap Meryke), a Welsh merchant from Bristol, who is believed to have financed John Cabot's voyage of discovery from England to Newfoundland in 1497 as found in some documents from Westminster Abbey a few decades ago. Supposedly, Bristol fishermen had been visiting the coast of North America for at least a century before Columbus' voyage and Waldseemüller's maps are alleged to incorporate information from the early English journeys to North America. The theory holds that a variant of Amerike's name appeared on an early English map (of which, however, no copies survive) and that this was the true inspiration for Waldseemüller. This article is about the English city. ... An antiquarian is one concerned with antiquities or things of the past. ... Table of natural history, 1728 Cyclopaedia Natural history is an umbrella term for what are now often viewed as several distinct scientific disciplines of integrative organismal biology. ... Richard Amerike (Ameryk or ap Meryk) (c. ... Giovanni Caboto (c. ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... Newfoundland —   IPA: [nuw fÉ™n lænd] (French: , Irish: ) is a large island off the east coast of North America, and the most populous part of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. ... The Collegiate Church of St Peter, Westminster, which is almost always referred to by its original name of Westminster Abbey, is a mainly Gothic church, on the scale of a cathedral (and indeed often mistaken for one), in Westminster, London, just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. ...

Geography

Further information: Geography of North America and Geography of South America

Global view centred on North America North America is the third largest continent (1990 est. ... Map of South America. ...

Extent

The northernmost point of the Americas is Kaffeklubben Island, which is the northernmost point of land on Earth.^[17] The southernmost point is the islands of Southern Thule, although they are sometimes considered part of Antarctica.^[18] The easternmost point is Nordostrundingen. The westernmost point is Attu Island. Kaffeklubben Island or Coffee Club Island is a small island lying off the north eastern tip of Greenland, and is considered to be the most northerly point of land on earth. ... Part of the British Crown Dependency of South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands Orthographic projection centred on the South Sandwich Islands South Sandwich Islands Southern Thule is a collection of the three southernmost islands in the South Sandwich Islands: Bellingshausen, Cook, and Thule (Morrell). ... Nordostrundingen or Nordøstrundingen, is the easternmost point in North America, on the island of Greenland. ... Attu Island Attu is the westernmost and largest island in the Near Islands group of the Aleutian Islands of Alaska, making it the westernmost point of land relative to Alaska and the United States. ...

Topography

Aconcagua, the highest mountain in the Americas

The western geography of the Americas is dominated by the American cordillera, with the Andes running along the west coast of South America^[19] and the Rocky Mountains and other Pacific Coast Ranges running the western side of North America.^[20] The 2300 km long Appalachian Mountains run along the east coast of North America from Alabama to Newfoundland.^[21] North of the Appalachians, the Arctic Cordillera runs along the eastern coast of Canada.^[22] Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1024x768, 331 KB) Aconcagua, Argentina, January, 2005, by Sergio Schmiegelow File links The following pages link to this file: Aconcagua Gallery of mountains ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1024x768, 331 KB) Aconcagua, Argentina, January, 2005, by Sergio Schmiegelow File links The following pages link to this file: Aconcagua Gallery of mountains ... For other uses, see Aconcagua (disambiguation). ... The American cordillera consists of an essentially continuous sequence of mountain ranges that form the western backbone of both North America and South America. ... This article is about the mountain range in South America. ... For individual mountains named Rocky Mountain, see Rocky Mountain (disambiguation). ... The Pacific Coast Ranges are the series of mountain ranges that stretch along the west coast of North America from Alaska to northern and central Mexico. ... The Appalachian Mountains are a vast system of mountains in eastern North America. ... This article is about the U.S. State. ... Newfoundland —   IPA: [nuw fÉ™n lænd] (French: , Irish: ) is a large island off the east coast of North America, and the most populous part of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. ... Template:Geobox Mountain Range PIRRI WAZ NOT HERE AND DOESNT HAVE PS3 The Arctic Cordillera, sometimes called the Arctic Rockies, are a vast deeply dissected mountain range in northeastern North America. ...

Between its coastal mountain ranges, North America has vast flat areas. The Interior Plains spread over much of the continent with low relief.^[23] The Canadian Shield covers almost 5 million km² of North America and is generally quite flat.^[24] Similarly, the north-east of South America is covered by the flat Amazon Basin.^[25] The Brazilian Highlands on the east coast are fairly smooth but show some variations in landform, while further south the Gran Chaco and Pampas are broad lowlands.^[26] The Interior Plains are highlighted in red. ... Canadian Shield Canadian Shield Landform. ... Amazon River basin The Amazon Basin is the part of South America drained by the Amazon River and its tributaries. ... The Brazilian Highlands (or Planalto Brasileiro) are an extensive geographical region, covering most of the eastern, southern and central portions of Brazil, in all approximately half of the countrys land area, or some 4,000,000 km² (1,544,000 sq mi). ... Landscape in the Gran Chaco, Paraguay The Gran Chaco (Quechua chaqu, hunting land), dubbed by some as the last South American frontier, is a sparsely populated, hot and semi-arid lowland region of the Río de la Plata basin, divided between Bolivia, Paraguay, Argentina and a small portion in... The pampas (from Quechua for plain) are the fertile lowlands that extend across c. ... In physical geography, a lowland is any broad expanse of land with a general low level. ...

Hydrology

With coastal mountains and interior plains, the Americas have several large river basins that drain the continents. The largest river basin in South America is that of the Amazon, which has the highest volume flow of any river on Earth.^[27] The largest river basin in North America is that of the Mississippi, covering the second largest watershed on the planet.^[28] The second largest watershed of South America is that of the Paraná River, which covers about 2.5 million km².^[29] For the term related to television programmes, see watershed (television). ... Amazon River basin The Amazon Basin is the part of South America drained by the Amazon River and its tributaries. ... For the river in Canada, see Mississippi River (Ontario). ... Drainage basin. ... The sun rising over the Paraná River, from the north-east of Rosario, Argentina. ...

Demography

Population

São Paulo is the most populous city in the Americas

Mexico City is the second most populous city in the Americas

New York City is the third most populous city in the Americas

The total population of the Americas is 858,000,000 people per the United Nations' Population and Vital Statistics Report, and is divided as follows: Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 523 pixelsFull resolution (830 × 543 pixel, file size: 358 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 523 pixelsFull resolution (830 × 543 pixel, file size: 358 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ... This article is about the city. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixel Image in higher resolution (1280 × 960 pixel, file size: 184 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Mexico City Mexico... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixel Image in higher resolution (1280 × 960 pixel, file size: 184 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Mexico City Mexico... Nickname: Location of Mexico City Coordinates: , Country Federal entity Boroughs The 16 delegaciones Founded c. ... New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ...

• North America: 2001 with 495 million and in 2002 with 501 million (includes Central America and Hawaii)
• South America: 2001 with 352 million and in 2002 with 357 million

See also: For other uses, see Central America (disambiguation). ... This article is about the U.S. State. ...

• UN population data by latest available Census: 2007
• List of American countries by population

This is a list of countries and dependencies of the Americas by population. ...

Ethnology

The population of the Americas is made up of the descendants of eight large ethnic groups and their combinations.

• 1. The Indigenous peoples of the Americas, being Amerindians, Inuit, and Aleuts.
• 2. Europeans, mainly Spanish, British, Irish, Italian, Portuguese, French, Polish, German, Dutch, and Danish people.
• 3. Mestizos, those of mixed European and Amerindian ancestry.
• 4. Those of Black African ancestry.
• 5. Mulattoes, people of mixed Black African and European ancestry.
• 6. Zambos (Spanish) or Cafusos (Portuguese), those of mixed Black African and Amerindian ancestry.
• 7. Asians, that is, those of Central, Eastern, South, and Southeast Asian ancestry.
• 8. Those from the Middle East (Middle Easterners).
• 9. Amerasian, those of mixed, usually European, and Asian ancestry.

The majority of the population live in Latin America, named for its dominant languages, Spanish and Portuguese, both of which are descended from Latin. Latin America is typically contrasted with Anglo-America, where English (a Germanic language) prevails; namely, Canada (with the exception of francophone Canada: see Québec and Acadia) and the United States, both in North America, have predominantly British roots and are quite different in terms of linguistic, cultural, and economic situation from other countries in the Americas. For other uses, see Native Americans (disambiguation). ... Native Americans (also Indians, Aboriginal Peoples, American Indians, First Nations, Alaskan Natives, or Indigenous Peoples of America) are the indigenous inhabitants of The Americas prior to the European colonization, and their modern descendants. ... For other uses, see Inuit (disambiguation). ... Languages English, Russian, Aleut Religions Christianity, Shamanism Related ethnic groups Inuit, Yupik The Aleuts (self-denomination: , Unangan or Unanga) are the indigenous people of the Aleutian Islands of Alaska, United States and Kamchatka Krai, Russia. ... For other uses, see Europe (disambiguation). ... You may also be looking for the plural of the word pole. ... Languages Danish Religions Predominantly Lutheran; small minorities of other faiths; secular Related ethnic groups Norwegians, Swedes, Icelanders, Faroese and, to a lesser extent, English and all Germanic ethnic groups The term Dane may refer to: People with a Danish ancestral or ethnic identity, whether living in Denmark, emigrants, or the... Mestizo is a Spanish term that was formerly used in the Spanish Empire and continues to be used today in Latin America to refer to people of mixed European (Spaniard) and Amerindian ancestry living in the region of Latin America. ... This article is about the color black; for other uses, see Black (disambiguation). ... Mulatto (Spanish mulato, small mule, person of mixed race, mulatto, from mulo, mule, from Old Spanish, from Latin mÅ«lus. ... A representation of Zambos in Pintura de Castas during the Latin American colonial period. ... Representation of Zambos during the Latin American colonial period Zambo (Cafuzo in Brazil, Garifuna in Central America and the Caribbean, Lobo in Mexico) is a term of Latin American origin describing peoples of mixed African and Amerindian racial descent. ... Asian people[1] is a demonym for people from Asia. ... Map of Central Asia showing three sets of possible boundaries for the region Central Asia located as a region of the world Central Asia is a region of Asia from the Caspian Sea in the west to central China in the east, and from southern Russia in the north to... East Asia is a subregion of Asia. ... Map of South Asia (see note on Kashmir). ... Location of Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is a subregion of Asia. ... A map showing countries commonly considered to be part of the Middle East The Middle East is a region comprising the lands around the southern and eastern parts of the Mediterranean Sea, a territory that extends from the eastern Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Latin America consists of the countries of South America and some of North America (including Central America and some the islands of the Caribbean) whose inhabitants mostly speak Romance languages, although Native American languages are also spoken. ... Latin was the language originally spoken in the region around Rome called Latium. ... The term Anglo-America is used to describe those parts of North America in which English is the main language. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... Proto-Indo-European Indo-European studies The Germanic languages form one of the branches of the Indo-European (IE) language family, spoken by the Germanic peoples who settled in northern Europe along the borders of the Roman Empire. ... During the 1960s, a terrorist group known as the Front de libération du Québec (FLQ) launched a decade of bombings, robberies and attacks on government offices. ... Flag History  - Established 1604  - English conquest 1713 Acadia (1754) Acadia (in the French language lAcadie) was the name given to a colonial territory in northeastern North America that included parts of eastern Quebec, the Maritime provinces, and modern-day New England, stretching as far south as Philadelphia. ...

Religion

The most prevalent faiths in the Americas are as follows:

• 1. Christianity (North America: 85 percent; South America: 93 percent)^[30]
  • Roman Catholicism (practiced by 93 percent of Mexican population; approximately 24 percent of the United States population^[31] and more than 40 percent of all of Canadians)^[32]
  • Protestantism (practiced mostly in United States, where half of the population are Protestant, and Canada, with slightly more than a quarter of the population; there is a growing contingent of Evangelical and Pentecostal movements in predominantly Catholic Latin America^[33])
  • Eastern Orthodoxy (found mostly in the United States and Canada—0.5 percent of the US citizenry; this Christian group is growing faster than many other Christian groups in Canada and now represents roughly 3 percent of the population)
  • Other Christians and non-denominational Christians (some 1,000 different Christian denominations and sects practiced in the Americas)
• 2. Atheism (mostly found in North America—atheists make up 16 percent of Canadians, 12 percent of the U.S. population, and less than 5 percent of Mexicans; 4 percent of South Americans are atheistic)
• 3. Judaism (practiced by 2 percent of North Americans—approximately 2.5 percent of the U.S. population and 1.2 percent of Canadians^[34]; 0.23 percent of Latin Americans—Argentina has the largest Jewish communities in Latin America with 200,000 members^[35])
• 4. Islam (1.9 percent of Canadians (600,000 persons)^[36], 0.6% percent of Americans (1,820,000 persons)^[37], and 0.2% of Mexicans (<250,000 persons)^[38]. Together, Islam constitutes approximately 0.5% of the North American population. North American cities with high concentrations of Muslims include Toronto, Philadelphia, Detroit, and New York City.; 0.3 percent of all Latin Americans)

Other faiths include Sikhism, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Bahá'í in small numbers, plus some native animists. Catholic Church redirects here. ... Demographics of Canada, Data of FAO, year 2005 ; Number of inhabitants in thousands. ... Topics in Christianity Preaching Prayer Ecumenism Relation to other religions Movements Music Liturgy Calendar Symbols Art Criticism Christianity Portal This box:      Protestantism encompasses the forms of Christian faith and practice that originated with the doctrines of the Reformation. ... Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations Ecumenism · Relation to other religions Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Christianity Portal This box:      Evangelicalism is a theological perspective in Protestant Christianity which identifies with the gospel. ... The Pentecostal movement within Protestant Christianity places special emphasis on the gifts of the Holy Spirit. ... Orthodox icon of Pentecost. ... Atheist redirects here. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... For people named Islam, see Islam (name). ... For other uses, see Philadelphia (disambiguation) and Philly. ... Motto: Speramus Meliora; Resurget Cineribus (We Hope For Better Things; It Shall Rise From the Ashes - this motto was adopted after the disastrous 1805 fire that devastated the city) Nickname: The Motor City and Motown Location in Wayne County, Michigan Founded Incorporated July 24, 1701 1815  County Wayne County Mayor... New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ... Sikhism (IPA: or ; Punjabi: , , IPA: ), founded on the teachings of Guru Nanak Dev and nine successive gurus in fifteenth century Northern India, is the fifth-largest religion in the world. ... Buddhism, a Dharmic faith, is usually considered one of the worlds major religions, with between 230 to 500 million followers. ... Hinduism is a religious tradition[1] that originated in the Indian subcontinent. ... This article is about the generally recognized global religious community. ... This article is in need of attention. ...

Languages

Various languages are spoken in the Americas. Some are of European origin, others are spoken by indigenous peoples or are the mixture of various idioms like the different creoles.

The dominant language of Latin America is Spanish, though the largest nation in Latin America, Brazil, speaks Portuguese. Small enclaves of French- and English-speaking regions also exist in Latin America, notably in French Guiana and Nicaragua's Mosquito Coast, respectively, and Haitian Creole, of French origin, is dominant in the nation of Haiti. Native languages are more prominent in Latin America than in Anglo-America, with Nahuatl, Quechua, Aymara and Guaraní as the most common. Various other native languages are spoken with lesser frequency across both Anglo-America and Latin America. Creole languages other than Haitian Creole are also spoken in parts of Latin America. Latin America consists of the countries of South America and some of North America (including Central America and some the islands of the Caribbean) whose inhabitants mostly speak Romance languages, although Native American languages are also spoken. ... The article is about the Central American area. ... Haitian Creole (kreyòl ayisyen) is a creole language It is spoken in Haiti by about 8. ... Indigenous languages of the Americas (or Amerindian Languages) are spoken by indigenous peoples from the southern tip of South America to Alaska and Greenland, encompassing the land masses which constitute the Americas. ... The term Anglo-America is used to describe those parts of North America in which English is the main language. ... Nahuatl ( [1] is a term applied to a group of related languages and dialects of the Aztecan [2] branch of the Uto-Aztecan language family, indigenous to central Mexico. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Quechuan languages. ... Aymara is an Aymaran language spoken by the Aymara of the Andes. ... Guaraní (local name: avañeẽ ) is an Amerindian language of South America that belongs to the Tupí-Guaraní subfamily. ... A creole language, or simply a creole, is a stable language that originates seemingly as a nativized pidgin. ...

The dominant language of Anglo-America, as the name suggests, is English. French is also official in Canada, where it is the predominant language in Québec and an official language in New Brunswick along with English. It is also an important language in the U.S. state of Louisiana. Spanish has become widely spoken in parts of the United States due to heavy immigration from Latin America. High levels of immigration in general have brought great linguistic diversity to Anglo-America, with over 300 languages known to be spoken in the United States alone, but most languages are spoken only in small enclaves and by relatively small immigrant groups. The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... During the 1960s, a terrorist group known as the Front de libération du Québec (FLQ) launched a decade of bombings, robberies and attacks on government offices. ... This article is about the Canadian province. ... Federal courts Supreme Court Circuit Courts of Appeal District Courts Elections Presidential elections Midterm elections Political Parties Democratic Republican Third parties State & Local government Governors Legislatures (List) State Courts Local Government Other countries Atlas  US Government Portal      A U.S. state is any one of the fifty subnational entities of... This article is about the U.S. State. ...

The nations of Guyana, Suriname, and Belize are generally considered not to fall into either Anglo-America or Latin America due to lingual differences with Latin America and geographic and cultural differences with Anglo-America; English is the primary language of Guyana and Belize, and Dutch is the primary language of Suriname.

• Spanish – spoken by approximately 320 million in many nations, regions, islands, and communities throughout both continents.
• English – spoken by approximately 300 million people in the United States, Canada, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, The Bahamas, Bermuda, Belize, Guyana, and many islands of the Caribbean.
• Portuguese – spoken by approximately 185 million in South America, mostly Brazil^[39]
• French – spoken by approximately 12 million in Canada (majority 7 million in Québec—see also Québec French), and Acadian communities in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia); the Caribbean (Haiti, Guadeloupe, Martinique); French Guiana; the French islands of Saint Pierre and Miquelon; and Acadiana (a Francophone area in southern Louisiana, United States).
• Quechua – native language spoken by 10–13 million speakers in Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, northern Chile, and northwest Argentina.^[40]
• Haitian Creole – creole language, based in French and various African languages, spoken by 6 million in Haiti and the Haitian Diaspora in Canada and the United States.^[41]
• Guaraní (avañe'ẽ) – native language spoken by approximately 6 million people in Paraguay, and regions of Argentina, Bolivia, and Brazil.
• Italian – spoken by approximately 4 million people, mostly New England / Mid-Atlantic in the United States, southern Ontario and Quebec in Canada, Argentina, and Brazil, and also includes pidgin dialects of Italian such as Talian (Brazil), and Chipilo (Mexico).
• German – Some 2.2 million. Spoken by 1.1 million people in the United States plus another million in parts of Latin America, such as Brazil, Argentina, Chile, and El Salvador. It is the second most studied second language in the United States.
• Aymará – native language spoken by about 2.2 million speakers in the Andes, in Bolivia and Peru.
• Quiché and other Maya languages – native languages spoken by about 1.9 million speakers in Guatemala and southern Mexico.
• Nahuatl – native language of central Mexico with 1.5 million speakers. Also was the language of the Aztec People of Mexico.
• Antillean Creole – spoken by approximately 1.2 million in the Eastern Caribbean (Guadeloupe, Martinique, Dominica, Saint Lucia) and French Guiana.
• American Sign Language – An estimated 100,000–500,000 people within the Deaf Community use ASL as their primary language in the United States and Canada.^[42]
• Mapudungun (or Mapuche) – native language spoken by approximately 440,000 people in Chile and Argentina.
• Navajo – native language spoken by about 178,000 speakers in the Southwest U.S. on the Navajo Nation (Indian reservation).^[43] The tribe's isolation until the early 1900s provided a language used in a military code in World War II.
• Dutch – spoken in the Netherlands Antilles, Aruba, and Suriname by about 210,000 speakers.
• Miskito – Spoken by up over 180,000 Miskitos. They are Indigenous people who inhabit the Caribbean coast of Nicaragua and the easternmost region of Honduras.
• Pennsylvania Dutch – Some descendants of the Pennsylvania Dutch in the Northeast U.S. speak a local form of the German language which dates back to the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. They number about 85,000.
• Inuit – native language spoken by about 75,000 across the North American Arctic and to some extent in the subarctic in Labrador.
• Danish – and Greenlandic (Inuit) are the official languages of Greenland; most of the population speak both of the languages (approximately 50,000 people). A minority of Danish migrants with no Inuit ancestry speak Danish as their first, or only, language.
• Cree – Cree is the name for a group of closely-related Algonquian languages spoken by approximately 50,000 speakers across Canada.
• Nicaraguan Creole – Spoken in Nicaragua by up to 30,000 people. It is spoken primarily by persons of African, Amerindian, and European descent on the Caribbean Coast.
• Garífuna (or Garinagu) - native language spoken by the Garífuna people who inhabits parts of the caribbean coast of Belize, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. The vast majority of them live in Honduras.
• Welsh – In Argentina, two towns of Trelew and Rawson were settled by Welsh immigrants in the late nineteenth century and the Welsh language remains spoken by about 25,000, including the towns' older residents.
• Cherokee – native language spoken in a small corner of Oklahoma, U.S. by about 19,000 speakers. The use of this language has rebounded in the late twentieth century. It is known to possess its own alphabet, the Cherokee syllabary.
• Gullah – a creole language based on English with strong influences from West and Central African languages spoken by the Gullah people, an African American population living on the coastal region of the U.S. states of South Carolina and Georgia.

Most of the non-native languages have, to different degrees, evolved differently from the mother country, but are usually still mutually intelligible. Some have combined, however, which has even resulted in completely new languages, such as Papiamentu, which is a combination of Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch (representing the respective colonizers), native Arawak, various African languages, and, more recently, English. Because of immigration, there are many communities where other languages are spoken from all parts of the world, especially in the United States, Brazil, Argentina, and Canada, four very important destinations for immigrants. West Indies redirects here. ... Quebec French or Québécois French is a dialect of French spoken natively by the great majority (82. ... The Acadians (French: Acadiens) are the descendants of the 17th-century French colonists who settled in Acadia (located on the northern portion of North Americas east coast). ... Motto: Munit Hae et Altera Vincit (Latin: One defends and the other conquers) Capital Halifax Largest city Halifax Regional Municipality Largest metro Halifax Regional Municipality Official languages English (de facto), French Government Lieutenant-Governor Mayann E. Francis Premier Rodney MacDonald (PC) Federal representation in Canadian Parliament House seats 11 Senate... Map of Acadiana Region with the Cajun Heartland USA subregion highlighted in dark red. ... Guaraní (local name: avañeẽ ) is an Amerindian language of South America that belongs to the Tupí-Guaraní subfamily. ... This article is about the region in the United States of America. ... The Mid-Atlantic region of the United States of America, located in the northeastern section of the country, includes the following states and district: Delaware Maryland New Jersey New York Pennsylvania Washington, D.C. West Virginia Virginia These areas provided the young United States with heavy industry and served as... Southern Ontario is the portion of the Canadian province of Ontario lying south of the French River and Algonquin Park. ... Talian (Brazils Italian/o italiano do Brasil) is a variety of Italian spoken mainly in the wine-producing area of the state of Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil. ... Chipilo is a small city in the state of Puebla, Mexico. ... This article is about the mountain range in South America. ... The Quiché language is a part of the Maya language family. ... Maya language may refer to: generally, any one of the various Mayan languages, a related group of languages spoken by the Maya peoples of Mesoamerica specifically, Yukatek (Yucatec) Maya language is frequently referred to simply as Maya language Maya language (Brazil), an unclassified language of Brazil that may be related... For other uses, see Aztec (disambiguation). ... Antillean Creole is a French-lexified creole language spoken primarily in the Lesser Antilles. ... The Lesser Antilles are part of the Antilles, which together with the Greater Antilles form the West Indies. ... It has been suggested that ASL Grammar be merged into this article or section. ... Mapudungun is an Araucanian language spoken in Chile and Argentina by the Mapuche people. ... Reading Adahooniigii — The Navajo Language Monthly Navajo or Navaho (native name: Diné bizaad) is an Athabaskan language (of Na-Dené stock) spoken in the southwest United States by the Navajo people (Diné). It is geographically and linguistically one of the Southern Athabaskan languages (the majority of Athabaskan languages are spoken... Map of the Navajo Nation The Navajo Nation (Diné in Navajo language) encompasses all things important to the Navajo. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... Miskito is a Misumalpan language spoken by the Miskito people in northern Nicaragua, especially in the North Atlantic Autonomous Region, and in eastern Honduras. ... For other uses, see Mosquito (disambiguation). ... The Pennsylvania Dutch (perhaps more strictly Pennsylvania Deitsch or Pennsylvanian German) are the descendants of German immigrants who came to Pennsylvania prior to 1800. ... The Inuit language is traditionally spoken across the North American Arctic and to some extent in the subarctic in Labrador. ... Labrador (also Coast of Labrador) is a region of Atlantic Canada. ... For other uses, see Inuit (disambiguation). ... Cree (also known as Cree-Montagnais, Cree-Montagnais-Naskapi) is the name for a group of closely-related Algonquian languages spoken by approximately 117,000 people across Canada, from the Northwest Territories to Labrador, making it by far the most spoken aboriginal language in Canada. ... Miskito Coastal Creole is a linguistic variety spoken on Nicaragua. ... A world map showing the continent of Africa Africa is the worlds second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. ... Native Americans (also Indians, Aboriginal Peoples, American Indians, First Nations, Alaskan Natives, or Indigenous Peoples of America) are the indigenous inhabitants of The Americas prior to the European colonization, and their modern descendants. ... For other uses, see Europe (disambiguation). ... The Garifuna or Garífuna are an ethnic group in the Caribbean area, decended from a mix of Amerindian and African people. ... Welsh redirects here, and this article describes the Welsh language. ... Welsh Peoples Museum, Trelew Avenida Road in Fontana National Bank at night Trelew is a city in the province of Chubut, in the Argentine Patagonia, with a population of about 102,000 as per the 2001 census [INDEC]. The city has a small commercial center, several neighborhoods, and some... Rawson is the capital of the Argentine province of Chubut, in the Patagonia. ... This article is about Welsh people who are considered to be an ethnic group and a nation. ... This page contains special characters. ... For other uses, see Oklahoma (disambiguation). ... The Gullah language (Sea Island Creole English, Geechee) is a creole language spoken by the Gullah people (also called Geechees), an African American population living on the Sea Islands and the coastal region of the U.S. states of South Carolina and Georgia. ... Official language(s) English Capital Columbia Largest city Columbia Largest metro area Columbia Area  Ranked 40th  - Total 34,726 sq mi (82,965 km²)  - Width 200 miles (320 km)  - Length 260 miles (420 km)  - % water 6  - Latitude 32° 2′ N to 35° 13′ N  - Longitude 78° 32′ W to 83... Papiamento or Papiamentu is the primary language spoken on the Caribbean islands of Aruba, Curaçao and Bonaire. ... Arowak woman (John Gabriel Stedman) The term Arawak (from aru, the Lokono word for cassava flour), was used to designate the Amerindians encountered by the Spanish in the West Indies. ... Map showing the distribution of African language families and some major African languages. ...

Terminology