It is also considered by some to be a northern subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the west and south by the Pacific Ocean, and to the southeast by South America and the Caribbean Sea.
North America covers an area of about 24,709,000 square kilometers , about 16.5% of the earth’s land area and about 4.8% of its total surface.
The Pre-Columbian era ended in 1492, with the beginning of the transatlantic migrationsthe arrival of European settlers during the Age of Discovery and the Early Modern period.Present-day cultural and ethnic patterns reflect interactions between European colonists, indigenous peoples, African slaves and their descendants.
Owing to Europe’s colonization of the Americas, most North Americans speak European languages such as English, Spanish or French, and their states’ cultures commonly reflect Western traditions.
