How much do you know about the continents that make up the Americas? Probably not as much as you think. But you should know at least the following.
The first thing you should already know is that there are only two continents in the Americas: North America and South America. Central America is not a continent, rather it’s part of North America.
In terms of square miles, North America is the third largest continent after Asia and Africa. In terms of population, it’s the fourth after Asia, Africa and Europe, with about 579 million people (2016). You might be surprised to learn that there are 23 sovereign states in North America. The US and Canada are gimmes, but can you name the other 21? Including the seven countries that make up Central America, here they are in alphabetical order:
Antigua and Barbuda
Bahamas
Barbados
Belize (Central America)
Canada
Costa Rica (Central America)
Cuba
Dominica
Dominican Republic
El Salvador (Central America)
Grenada
Guatemala (Central America)
Haiti
Honduras (Central America)
Jamaica
Mexico
Nicaragua (Central America)
Panama (Central America)
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Saint Lucia
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Trinidad and Tobago
United States
In case you’re wondering why all those great vacation islands aren’t on the list, it’s because they are not sovereign states but rather dependent states belonging to another sovereign state. The main inhabited ones are:
Anguilla – British Overseas Territory
Bermuda – British Overseas Territory
British Virgin Islands – British Overseas Territory
Cayman Islands – British Overseas Territory
Montserrat – British Overseas Territory
Puerto Rico – unincorporated US territory, also a US Commonwealth
Turks and Caicos Islands – British Overseas Territory
United States Virgin Islands – unincorporated US territory
South America, on the other hand, has twelve sovereign states. It ranks fourth in area (after Asia, Africa, and North America) and fifth in population (after Asia, Africa, Europe, and North America). Brazil holds more than half of South America’s population. The countries that make up South America are:
Argentina
Bolivia
Brazil
Chile
Colombia
Ecuador
Guyana
Paraguay
Peru
Suriname
Uruguay
Venezuela
South America also hosts a part of France (French Guiana) and a disputed area (Argentina and the UK both claim the Falkland Islands). Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao, the ABC islands or Lesser Antilles of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, are also considered part of South America. Although technically in North America, Panama and the islands of Trinidad and Tobago are sometimes considered part of South America.