North America Abbreviations

NA is the abbreviation for North America. There are 23 countries in North America. Among them, the 10 largest countries are United States (Population: 329,239,534), Mexico (Population: 132,328,800), Canada (Population: 37,279,811), Guatemala (Population: 17,577,095), Cuba (Population: 11,221,071), Haiti (Population: 11,112,956), Dominican Republic (Population: 10,266,160), Honduras (Population: 9,012,240), El Salvador (Population: 6,643,370), and Nicaragua (Population: 6,284,768).

North America Overview

North America, continent comprising northern part of the double continent of America; 24.4 million km², 586.1 million residents (2019).North America includes Greenland, Canada, the United States, Mexico, the Central American States, the Caribbean and the islands of Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon (France) and Bermuda (United Kingdom). According to the UN’s official division, which is based primarily on political boundaries, Hawaii (such as the state of the United States) is also included in North America.

In the physical-geographical sense, on the other hand, the southern border is sometimes drawn through the Tehuantepecna in southern Mexico and Hawaii into Oceania. In some contexts, the Caribbean and Central America are distinguished as special regions, and it also appears that the term North America is used synonymously with the cultural concept of Anglo America (as opposed to Latin America).

North America Facts

• Area: 24.4 million km²
• Extension (mainland): 5 950 km (east-west), 7 200 km (north-south)
• Population: 586.1 million inhabitants (2019)
• Population growth: 0.5% per year
• Highest mountain: Denali (Mount McKinley, 6,194m asl), Mount Logan (5,959m asl), Citlaltépetl (5,699m asl), Mount Saint Elias (5,489m asl)), Popocatépetl (5,452 meters above sea level)
• Longest rivers: Mississippi – Missouri (6,019 km), Mackenzie River (4,241 km), Missouri River (4,125 km), Mississippi River (3,776 km), Yukon River (3,185 km)
• The largest lakes: Upper Lake (82 680 km²), Lake Huron (59 600 km²), Lake Michigan (58 000 km²), Big Bear Lake (31 300 km²), Great Slave Lake (28 900 km² )

States and territories

Prehistory

The timing of human immigration to North America is disputed. It probably took place mainly between about 28,000 and 10,000 BC, via the Beringland Bridge between Siberia and Alaska. Carbon-14 dates from i.a. Bluefish Caves in Yukon and Anangula in the Aleutians testify to settlement in the northern coast and inland between 13,000 and 6000 BC Various spearhead types, named “Clovis” and “Folsom” by bargains in New Mexico, are characteristic of southern big game hunters. From about 8000 BC a number of new regional groups emerged with expanding populations. At the same time, several of the ice age animal species died out, i.e. mammoth, mastodont, camel and wild horse.

Average temperatures rose and forest regions grew in post-glacial North America; in arid regions, deserts and prairies were expanded; In the deciduous forests of the east, in addition to hunting and fishing, the collection of nuts, seeds and mussels became more common. Findings of harpoons in a tomb at L’Anse Amour in Labrador indicate a developed maritime economy as early as 6000 BC. From that time, the village communities are covered with clay-clad houses: the development can be followed at a settlement in Illinois, with 14 cultural layers from 7000 BC. to 1200 AD (compare Costs). In the desert areas in the west, the transition to capture and collection can be followed in a number of cave dwellings, including. Gypsum Cave in Nevada, Ventana Cave in Arizona, and Danger Cave in Utah. Millstones for processing seeds have been dated to at least 6000 BC.

At the far north, a specialized Arctic culture had developed. This so-called small-tool tradition formed the basis of the paleo-skim culture. In the northwest developed from about 1000 BC a number of maritime cultures with permanent settlements and strong social strata (compare dorset culture, norton culture, Northwest Coast Tradition and thule culture). In the south, cultivation, probably imported from Mexico, as well as intensive food collection had laid the foundation for more complicated communities. Pumpkins were grown in southeastern North America about 2500 BC; corn was introduced around Kr.f. About 1000 BC large ceremonial mounds were built at Poverty Point in Louisiana, later at Adena and Hopewell in Ohio, and in Mississippi. In addition to burial mounds, platform-like and animal-shaped mounds were built. The pile at Cahokia near Saint Louis (6.5 hectares, 33 m high) is North America’s largest.

A productive corn variety already had about 1000 BC. introduced in the southwest. From the local basketmaker culture, around Kr.f. the Anasazi culture of northern Arizona, New Mexico and Colorado, best known for its rock settlements and pueblos. The strongest Mexican influence was found in the hohokam culture of southern Arizona, where irrigation systems, platform piles and ball game plans were constructed. Ceramic manufacturing began about 100 BC, and several very high-end ceramic styles emerged.

History

Upon their arrival in North America, Europeans in Mexico and Central America encountered high cultures and a large number of Native American people. The number of inhabitants here has been estimated at around 5 million during the 16th century. However, the population was greatly reduced, mainly as a result of infectious diseases brought by the conquerors and which were lacking protection. Nevertheless, the Indians came to live as a major part of the population and today are, for example, in Mexico to about 30% and together with the mastics constitutes a very large majority.

On the other hand, the indigenous population of the Caribbean islands, which were already less crowded, quickly died out and were replaced by imported slaves from Africa. The areas that later became the United States and Canada were sparsely populated. At the arrival of the Europeans, the population is estimated to have been between 600,000 and 1.2 million. The few Indians represented an extraordinary diversity in terms of language, culture, living conditions and social organization.

Greenland received the earliest European settlements out of North America’s various parts. The island was colonized from Norway in the Middle Ages, but the Nordic settlements collapsed in the 15th century. A new Norwegian settlement was created in the 18th century, whereby the island fell under Danish rule and came to this country when Norway and Denmark separated in 1814.

The Spaniards were the earliest colonizers on the North American continent, and during the 16th century they established colonies in North America mainly in areas south and west of the Rio Grande, but eventually including the southwest parts of the present United States west of Mississippi. In 1821, the Spanish Empire in America fell apart.

Mexico and the Central American colonies of Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica gradually became independent. The Central American States later received a grant when, in 1903, with American support, Panama broke away from Colombia. In exchange, the United States gained control of a channel zone, which, however, has now returned under Panamanian sovereignty.

Mexico lost the northern areas, including California and Texas, and in 1848 got its present border with the United States. In the years 1910-20, Mexico underwent a violent social and political upheaval, which brought the middle class to power and was followed by political stability at the price of hard central government. Difficult problems have been caused by an explosive population increase and a violent urbanization.

European colonization in the eastern part of the present United States began in earnest only after the turn of the 1600s. The motives were not least economic and linked to the growth in Europe of a class of merchants-entrepreneurs-capitalists, who created wealth through the manufacture and sale of manufacturing products and invested in a developed foreign trade. The real immigrants, however, were to a large extent people who sought a safer existence with religious and political freedom.

The first permanent colonization was initiated in 1607 by the English in Virginia. The colony has flourished since it began with tobacco cultivation. Plantations were developed, using imported negro slaves as labor. During most of the 17th century, however, contract workers from Europe played a greater role. Some came voluntarily, but many were transported to the colonies against their will: debtors, poor, ransomers and criminals.

Like Virginia, other colonies in the south came to be characterized by plantation and political dominance by large landowners. In the north, however, a group of colonies, New England, developed with a different economic and social structure. The decisive factor for economic development was that while there was an abundance of natural resources, the shortage of labor was long overdue. Agriculture has long been the most important industry, but fishing has also become important in New England, where it has rich fishing waters and good harbors.

Shipbuilding and other maritime production also soon became profitable and were favored by a rapidly expanding triangle trade in England and the Caribbean. New England supplied food to the colonies in the south and to the Caribbean. From the latter area sugar was obtained in England in exchange for manu- facturing goods for New England and the colonies in the south.

In the Caribbean, Cuba underwent too many islands in the Caribbean typical development. At the beginning of the 16th century, Cuba was conquered by the Spaniards. The indigenous Indian population was rapidly eradicated, and as a labor force for tobacco, sugarcane and coffee plantations, black slaves were imported on a large scale. The plantation economy flourished during the 18th century, especially since the competitor collapsed as a sugar producer Hispaniola (Haiti). However, unlike other parts of the Spanish Empire in North America, Cuba remained under Spanish rule until the end of the 19th century.

Spain lost the remainder of its North American possessions in the Spanish-American War in 1898, when the United States annexed Puerto Rico and Cuba became independent (1902) but for a long time became an American protectorate. Jamaica underwent a similar development as Cuba. The profitable sugarcane cultivation received a significant boost since the island was conquered by the English in 1655, and during the 18th century it was operated on a large scale with the help of imported negro slaves. However, slavery led to repeated uprisings of the oppressed blacks. Jamaica became independent within the Commonwealth in 1962.

If we ignore Greenland, the very first European settlements in the New World were built on Hispaniola. At the end of the 17th century, the island was divided into Spanish and French. The latter, the colony of Saint Domingue, became the world’s leading sugar producer during the 18th century. Under the influence of the French Revolution, repeated riots erupted on Hispaniola, leading to the collapse of sugar production.

The revolts eventually led to the colonial powers giving up their possessions, and Hispaniola came to consist of two independent states, Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Their history was largely characterized by economic problems and political turbulence. – North America also includes Bermuda, which was discovered by the Spaniards in the early 16th century and which in 1612 became an English colony.

About the same time that the English colonized Virginia, i.e. at the beginning of the 17th century, Quebec was founded on the Saint Lawrence River by the French. From Canada, they penetrated south along the Mississippi, and the Gulf of Mexico was founded in Louisiana. However, the French colonies were far poorer than the British and were lost in the struggle between Britain and France for power on the world seas and in the colonies. In the peace of Paris 1763, France must relinquish to Britain, among other things Canada, where Quebec formed the cornerstone of the French Empire in North America.

When the British later lost the thirteen colonies that formed the United States (see below), they retained Canada, which consisted of Quebec and present Ontario. Together with the other British provinces, in 1867 they merged into a self-governing dominion. After some expansion, Canada included all of British North America except Newfoundland, which joined in 1949. Canada was organized as a federal state. Its dual “ancestry” from France and the United Kingdom with accompanying bilingualism has created problems by the French-speaking Quebec occasionally threatening to leave the federal state.

Canada became independent in 1931 but remains within the Commonwealth. In relation to its area, Canada has a small population, which lives in three quarters in cities and is concentrated in the areas of the Saint Lawrence River, the Great Lakes and the west coast of southern British Columbia.

Economic and political contradictions between the thirteen British colonies in the eastern parts of the continent and the mother country led to the former breaking out through the North American War of Independence (1775–83). From these colonies the modern United States has evolved, with its 50 states and just over a quarter of a billion inhabitants. This has been made possible by the huge immigration. It is estimated that between 1800 and 1920 it amounted to about 40 million; occasionally immigrated more than one million a year. The integration of these masses of immigrants was made possible partly by the availability of land in the west and partly by the violent pace of industrial development during the latter part of the 19th century.

The existence of extensive and easily accessible iron ore and coal deposits, unlimited labor through immigration and a rapidly expanding domestic market, protected by a protectionist policy, led to very rapid industrial growth. This was mainly the case in the country’s northeast, while in the south and west the agrarian character continued to dominate. There were also serious political contradictions. A leveling has taken place after the Second World War.

Although the United States became an industrial power even before the First World War, Britain retained a key position in world trade with London as its financial center during the interwar period. After the Second World War, a New York-based Atlantic system emerged instead. However, as early as the 1970s, the beginning of a new system change could be observed, which means a leveling between Japan, the United States and Western Europe as three dominant industrial centers. The development of a three-part of this kind is accentuated by the ongoing integration within the EU, the advent of the NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement, between the USA, Canada and Mexico) and the rapid economic development in parts of Southeast Asia.

List of North America Acronyms

The most commonly used abbreviations about North America are NA which stands for North America. In the following table, you can see all acronyms related to North America, including abbreviations for associations, airlines, funds, non-profit organizations, and etc.

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