How many countries are in North America?

YearMaps maps 33 countries and territories in North America: United States, Mexico, Canada, Guatemala, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Honduras, Cuba, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Panama, and others.

What is the largest country in North America?

Canada is the largest by area at 9.98M km². United States has the largest population, about 341.78 million.

What is the largest city in North America?

New York is the largest city recorded for North America, with a metropolitan population of about 19.04 million.

What is the highest mountain in North America?

Denali is the highest summit recorded for North America in YearMaps, at 6,194 m.

What is the largest lake in North America?

Lake Superior is the largest lake recorded in North America, at about 84,920 km².

What is the tallest dam in North America?

Oroville Dam is the tallest dam recorded in North America, at 235 m.

Map of North America — Countries, Cities & Geography

Interactive Map of North America

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About North America

North America is a continent in the Northern and Western hemispheres. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Caribbean Sea, and to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean.

North America covers an area of around 24,709,000 square kilometers (9,540,000 square miles), representing approximately 16.5% of Earth's land area and 4.8% of its total surface area. It is the third-largest continent by size after Asia and Africa, and the fourth-largest continent by population after Asia, Africa, and Europe. As of 2021, North America's population is estimated at over 592 million people in 23 independent states and territories, or about 7.5% of the world's population.

The continent includes the subregions of Northern America (comprising Canada, Greenland, and the continental United States as well as the insular territories of Bermuda and Saint Pierre and Miquelon) and Middle America (comprising Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean). In human geography, the terms "North America" and "North American" often refer to just Northern America.

It is unknown exactly how and when the first human populations reached North America. People are known to have lived in the Americas at least 20,000 years ago, but various evidence points to possibly earlier dates. The Paleo-Indian period in North America followed the Last Glacial Period, and lasted until about 10,000 years ago when the Archaic period began. The classic stage followed the Archaic period, and lasted from approximately the 6th to 13th centuries. Norse exploration and colonization began in the late 10th century; the Norse built several settlements in Greenland and at least one settlement in Newfoundland.

Beginning in 1492, the voyages of Christopher Columbus led to a transatlantic exchange, including migrations of European settlers during the Age of Discovery and the early modern period. Present-day cultural and ethnic patterns reflect interactions between early European colonists, indigenous peoples, enslaved Africans, later immigrants from Europe and Asia, and descendants of these respective groups.

Summary adapted from Wikipedia: North America (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Visiting North America

North America is the third largest continent, with the diversity to show for it. Weather ranges from icy Greenland to tropical beaches of the Caribbean, and an incredible array of national parks and preserves show off huge canyons, breathtaking mountains, ancient forests, and fascinating wildlife. Every part of the continent has a complex and mixed cultural heritage, shaped by indigenous peoples, colonization, and waves of immigration.

Travel notes adapted from Wikivoyage: North America (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Countries in North America

Ranked by population. Each links to that country's own map.

Countries in North America
#	Country	Population	Area	Capital
1	United States	341.78 million	9.83M km²	Washington, D.C.
2	Mexico	131.95 million	1.97M km²	Mexico City
3	Canada	41.65 million	9.98M km²	Ottawa
4	Guatemala	18.69 million	108,889 km²	Guatemala City
5	Haiti	11.91 million	27,750 km²	Port-au-Prince
6	Dominican Republic	11.52 million	48,671 km²	Santo Domingo
7	Honduras	11.01 million	112,492 km²	Tegucigalpa
8	Cuba	10.94 million	109,884 km²	Havana
9	Nicaragua	7.01 million	120,340 km²	Managua
10	El Salvador	6.37 million	21,041 km²	San Salvador
11	Costa Rica	5.15 million	51,180 km²	San José
12	Panama	4.57 million	74,177 km²	Panama City
13	Puerto Rico	3.18 million	9,104 km²	San Juan
14	Jamaica	2.84 million	10,992 km²	Kingston
15	Trinidad and Tobago	1.37 million	5,128 km²	Port of Spain
16	Belize	422,924	22,966 km²	Belmopan
17	Bahamas	403,033	13,878 km²	Nassau
18	Guadeloupe	384,160	1,628 km²	Basse-Terre
19	Martinique	360,630	1,128 km²	Fort-de-France
20	Barbados	282,623	439 km²	Bridgetown
21	Saint Lucia	180,149	617 km²	Castries
22	Curacao	156,263	444 km²	Willemstad
23	Grenada	117,303	349 km²	St. George's
24	Aruba	108,785	179 km²	Oranjestad
25	United States Virgin Islands	103,792	346 km²	Charlotte Amalie
26	Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	99,924	389 km²	Kingstown
27	Antigua and Barbuda	94,209	440 km²	Q36262
28	Cayman Islands	75,844	264 km²	George Town
29	Dominica	65,871	751 km²	Roseau
30	Bermuda	64,555	53 km²	Hamilton
31	Greenland	56,831	2.17M km²	Nuuk
32	Saint Kitts and Nevis	46,922	269 km²	Basseterre
33	Turks and Caicos Islands	46,855	417 km²	Cockburn Town

Largest Cities in North America

Top 15 of 1,451 recorded. Ranked by metropolitan population. A port city's harbour is written up on the page of its sea.

Largest Cities in North America
#	Name	Population	Region	Role
1	New York	19.04 million	New York	Populated place
2	Mexico City	19.03 million	Distrito Federal	National capital
3	Los Angeles	12.50 million	California	Populated place
4	Chicago	8.99 million	Illinois	Populated place
5	Miami	5.58 million	Florida	Populated place
6	Philadelphia	5.49 million	Pennsylvania	Populated place
7	Toronto	5.21 million	Ontario	Admin-1 capital
8	Dallas	4.80 million	Texas	Populated place
9	Atlanta	4.51 million	Georgia	Admin-1 capital
10	Boston	4.47 million	Massachusetts	Admin-1 capital
11	Houston	4.46 million	Texas	Populated place
12	Washington, D.C	4.34 million	District of Columbia	National capital
13	Guadalajara	4.20 million	Jalisco	Admin-1 capital
14	Detroit	4.10 million	Michigan	Populated place
15	Monterrey	3.71 million	Nuevo León	Admin-1 capital

Highest Mountains in North America

Top 15 of 139 recorded. Ranked by summit elevation above sea level. A summit on a border is listed under both countries.

Highest Mountains in North America
#	Name	Elevation	Feet	Region
1	Denali	6,194 m	20,322 ft	North America
2	Mount Logan	5,959 m	19,551 ft	North America
3	Pico de Orizaba	5,636 m	18,491 ft	North America
4	Volcán Popocatépetl	5,420 m	17,782 ft	North America
5	Mount Blackburn	4,996 m	16,391 ft	North America
6	Mount Fairweather	4,671 m	15,325 ft	North America
7	Mount Whitney	4,421 m	14,505 ft	North America
8	Mount Elbert	4,402 m	14,442 ft	North America
9	Mount Rainier	4,392 m	14,409 ft	North America
10	Uncompahgre Pk	4,361 m	14,308 ft	North America
11	Longs Pk	4,346 m	14,259 ft	North America
12	White Mountain Peak	4,342 m	14,245 ft	North America
13	Volcán de Colima	4,330 m	14,206 ft	North America
14	Mount Shasta	4,322 m	14,180 ft	North America
15	Volcán Tajumulco	4,220 m	13,845 ft	North America

Major Dams in North America

Top 9 of 9 recorded. Ranked by structural height.

Major Dams in North America
#	Name	Height	River	Capacity	Completed
1	Oroville Dam	235 m	Feather	819 MW	1968
2	Hoover Dam	221 m	Colorado	2,080 MW	1936
3	Glen Canyon Dam	216 m	Colorado	1,320 MW	1966
4	Daniel-Johnson Dam (Manic-5)	214 m	Manicouagan	2,660 MW	1970
5	Grand Coulee Dam	168 m	Columbia	6,809 MW	1942
6	Robert-Bourassa Dam (LG-2)	162 m	La Grande	5,616 MW	1979
7	Fort Peck Dam	76 m	Missouri	185 MW	1940
8	Churchill Falls	61 m	Churchill	5,428 MW	1971
9	Bonneville Dam	60 m	Columbia	1,242 MW	1937

Largest Lakes in North America

Top 15 of 252 recorded. Ranked by mapped surface area. A lake on a border is listed under each country it lies in, with the area of the whole lake.

Largest Lakes in North America
#	Name	Surface Area	Type
1	Lake Superior	84,920 km²	Lake
2	Lake Huron	64,004 km²	Lake
3	Lake Michigan	58,387 km²	Lake
4	Great Bear Lake	30,907 km²	Lake
5	Great Slave Lake	27,481 km²	Lake
6	Lake Erie	25,815 km²	Lake
7	Lake Winnipeg	25,237 km²	Lake
8	Lake Ontario	19,732 km²	Lake
9	Georgian Bay	13,897 km²	Lake
10	Lago de Nicaragua	8,172 km²	Lake
11	Lake Athabasca	8,047 km²	Lake
12	Reindeer Lake	6,875 km²	Lake
13	Smallwood Reservoir	5,630 km²	Reservoir
14	Lake Winnipegosis	5,486 km²	Lake
15	Nettilling Lake	5,417 km²	Lake

Ports in North America

Top 15 of 942 recorded. Ranked by approach channel depth, the figure that limits which ships can call. Harbours link to their write-up on the page of the sea or coast they lie on.

Ports in North America
#	Name	Channel Depth	Class	Sea	Max Vessel
1	Port Aransas	56.7 m	Very Small	Gulf of Mexico	point_of_interest
2	Burlington	56.7 m	Very Small	Atlantic Coast of the United States	medium vessels
3	Noank	56.7 m	Very Small	Atlantic Coast of the United States	medium vessels
4	Vaudreuil	56.7 m	Very Small	Atlantic Canada & Gulf of St. Lawrence	point_of_interest
5	Oka Sur le Lac	56.7 m	Very Small	Atlantic Canada & Gulf of St. Lawrence	point_of_interest
6	Hudson	56.7 m	Very Small	Atlantic Canada & Gulf of St. Lawrence	point_of_interest
7	St Placide	56.7 m	Very Small	Atlantic Canada & Gulf of St. Lawrence	point_of_interest
8	St Andrews East	56.7 m	Very Small	Atlantic Canada & Gulf of St. Lawrence	point_of_interest
9	Carillon	56.7 m	Very Small	Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Seaway	point_of_interest
10	Chute A Blondeau	56.7 m	Very Small	Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Seaway	point_of_interest
11	Grenville	56.7 m	Very Small	Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Seaway	point_of_interest
12	Hawkesbury	56.7 m	Very Small	Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Seaway	point_of_interest
13	Fassett	56.7 m	Very Small	Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Seaway	point_of_interest
14	Montebello	56.7 m	Very Small	Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Seaway	point_of_interest
15	Papineauville	56.7 m	Very Small	Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Seaway	point_of_interest

UNESCO World Heritage Sites in North America

Top 15 of 106 recorded. Listed by year of inscription, earliest first. Sites shared with another country appear under each.

UNESCO World Heritage Sites in North America
#	Name	Inscribed	Type	Criteria
1	L'Anse aux Meadows	1978	Cultural	(vi)
2	Mesa Verde National Park	1978	Cultural	(iii)
3	Nahanni National Park Reserve	1978	Natural	(vii) (viii)
4	Yellowstone National Park	1978	Natural	(vii) (viii) (ix) (x)
5	Antigua Guatemala	1979	Cultural	(ii) (iii) (iv)
6	Dinosaur Provincial Park	1979	Natural	(vii) (viii)
7	Everglades National Park	1979	Natural	(viii) (ix) (x)
8	Grand Canyon National Park	1979	Natural	(vii) (viii) (ix) (x)
9	Independence Hall	1979	Cultural	(vi)
10	Kluane / Wrangell – St. Elias / Glacier Bay / Tatshenshini-Alsek	1979	Natural	(vii) (viii) (ix) (x)
11	Tikal National Park	1979	Mixed	(i) (iii) (iv) (ix) (x)
12	Copán	1980	Cultural	(iv) (vi)
13	fortifications on the Caribbean Side of Panama: Portobelo-San Lorenzo	1980	Cultural	(i) (iv)
14	Redwood National and State Parks	1980	Natural	(vii) (ix)
15	Darién National Park	1981	Natural	(vii) (ix) (x)

Largest Islands of North America

Top 15 of 76 recorded. Ranked by mapped area. An island divided between countries is listed under each, with the area of the whole island.

Largest Islands of North America
#	Name	Area	Type
1	West Indies	1.73M km²	Island group
2	Arctic Archipelago	773,570 km²	Island group
3	Greater Antilles	694,191 km²	Island group
4	Baffin Island	562,182 km²	Island
5	Bahama Islands	363,766 km²	Island group
6	Greenland	343,888 km²	Island
7	Ellesmere Island	222,098 km²	Island
8	Island of Newfoundland	111,414 km²	Island
9	Cuba	107,643 km²	Island
10	Banks Island	87,496 km²	Island
11	Is. Revillagigedo	84,814 km²	Island group
12	Hispaniola	74,524 km²	Island
13	Alexander Archipelago	59,623 km²	Island group
14	Devon Island	58,131 km²	Island
15	Queen Elizabeth Islands	54,833 km²	Island group

Mountain Ranges, Deserts and Landforms of North America

Top 15 of 131 recorded. Ranked by mapped area. Covers mountain ranges, deserts, plateaus, named glaciers, plains, basins, peninsulas and capes. One that crosses a border is listed under every country it lies in, with the area of the whole feature.

Mountain Ranges, Deserts and Landforms of North America
#	Name	Area	Type	Region
1	North America	27.05M km²	Continent	North America
2	Canadian Shield	2.15M km²	Tundra	North America
3	Central Lowland	2.05M km²	Plain	North America
4	Great Plains	1.97M km²	Plain	North America
5	Rocky Mountains	1.08M km²	Range/mtn	North America
6	Greenland Ice Sheet	1.03M km²	Glaciated areas	—
7	APPALACHIAN Mountains	850,356 km²	Range/mtn	North America
8	Central America	787,235 km²	Isthmus	North America
9	Greenland Ice Sheet	737,341 km²	Glaciated areas	—
10	Coastal Plain	625,961 km²	Plain	North America
11	Great Basin	542,796 km²	Basin	North America
12	Chihuahuan Desert	474,278 km²	Desert	North America
13	Alaska	414,385 km²	Geoarea	North America
14	MACKENZIE Mountains	309,422 km²	Range/mtn	North America
15	Sierra Madre Occidental	301,345 km²	Range/mtn	North America

North America: Quick Answers

How many countries are in North America?: YearMaps maps 33 countries and territories in North America: United States, Mexico, Canada, Guatemala, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Honduras, Cuba, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Panama, and others.
What is the largest country in North America?: Canada is the largest by area at 9.98M km². United States has the largest population, about 341.78 million.
What is the largest city in North America?: New York is the largest city recorded for North America, with a metropolitan population of about 19.04 million.
What is the highest mountain in North America?: Denali is the highest summit recorded for North America in YearMaps, at 6,194 m.
What is the largest lake in North America?: Lake Superior is the largest lake recorded in North America, at about 84,920 km².
What is the tallest dam in North America?: Oroville Dam is the tallest dam recorded in North America, at 235 m.