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The North America Portal

North America is a continent in the Earth's northern hemisphere and western hemisphere. It is bordered on the north by the Arctic Ocean, on the east by the North Atlantic Ocean, on the southeast by the Caribbean Sea, and on the south and west by the North Pacific Ocean; South America lies to the southeast. It covers an area of about 24,709,000 square kilometers (9,540,000 square miles), about 4.8% of the planet's surface or about 16.5% of its land area. As of July 2008, its population was estimated at nearly 529 million people. It is the third-largest continent in area, following Asia and Africa, and the fourth in population after Asia, Africa, and Europe. North America and South America are collectively known as the Americas or simply America.

Satellite imagery of Africa

North and South America are generally accepted as having been named after the Italian explorer Amerigo Vespucci, who explored South America between 1497 and 1502, and was the first European to suggest that the Americas were not the East Indies. Scientists have several theories as to the origins of the early human population of North America. The indigenous peoples of North America themselves have many creation myths, by which they assert that they have been present on the land since its creation. Before contact with Europeans, the natives of North America were divided into many different polities, from small bands of a few families to large empires. They lived in several "culture areas", which roughly correspond to geographic and biological zones and give a good indication of the main lifeway or occupation of the people who lived there.

  

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Featured article

Salsa dancing
Salsa music is a diverse and predominantly Latin American and Caribbean genre that is popular across Latin America and among Latinos abroad. Salsa incorporates multiple styles and variations; the term can be used to describe most any form of popular Cuban-derived genre, such as chachachá and mambo. Most specifically, however, salsa refers to a particular style developed in the 1960s and '70s by Cuban and Puerto Rican immigrants to the New York City area, and stylistic descendants like 1980s salsa romantica. The style is now practiced throughout Latin America, and abroad. Salsa's closest relatives are Cuban mambo and the son orchestras of the early 20th century, as well as Latin jazz. The terms Latin jazz and salsa are sometimes used interchangeably; many musicians are considered a part of either, or both, fields, especially performers from prior to the 1970s.

Salsa is the primary music played at Latin dance clubs and is the "essential pulse of Latin music", according to Ed Morales, while music author Peter Manuel called it the "most popular dance (music) among Puerto Rican and Cuban communities, (and in) Central and South America", and "one of the most dynamic and significant pan-American musical phenomena of the 1970s and 1980s". Modern salsa remains a dance-oriented genre and is closely associated with a style of salsa dancing.

  

Featured picture

Air Force One over Mt. Rushmore
Credit: United States Air Force
The planes that serve as Air Force One can be operated as a military command center in the event of an incident such as a nuclear attack. Operational modifications include aerial refueling capability, electronic countermeasures (ECMs) which jam enemy radar, and flares to avoid heat-seeking missiles. The heavily shielded electronics onboard include around twice the amount of wiring found in a regular 747.
  

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North America categories

− North America
+ Central America
+ North America-related lists
+ North American portals
+ Buildings and structures in North America
+ North American comics
+ Companies of North America
+ North American countries
+ North American culture
+ Economy of North America
+ Ethnic groups in North America
+ Explorers of North America
+ North America in fiction
+ Geography of North America
+ Health in North America
+ Hiking trails in North America
+ History of North America
+ LGBT in North America
+ Languages of North America
+ Monarchies of North America
+ Natural gas pipelines in North America
+ Natural history of North America
+ North American Waterfowl Management Plan
+ Northern America
+ Organizations based in North America
+ North American people
+ Politicians of North American nations
+ Religion in North America
+ Sport in North America
+ Transportation in North America
+ United States-North American relations
+ Images of North America
  

Selected biography

Charles Magoon
Charles Edward Magoon (December 5, 1861 – January 14, 1920) was an American lawyer, judge, diplomat, and administrator who is best remembered as a governor of the Panama Canal Zone and an occupation governor of Cuba. He was also the subject of several small scandals during his career. Magoon was born in Owatonna, Steele County, Minnesota.

As a legal advisor working for the United States Department of War, he drafted recommendations and reports that were used by Congress and the executive branch in governing the United States' new territories following the Spanish–American War. These reports were collected as a published book in 1902, then considered the seminal work on the subject. During his time as a governor, Magoon worked to put these recommendations into practice.

  

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Selected quote

“ A man, a plan, a canal: Panama! ”
— Palindrome by Leigh Mercer, November 13, 1948
  

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Africa Antarctica Asia Europe Oceania Latin America
  

Associated Wikimedia

North America on Wikinews North America on Wikiquote North America on Wiktionary North America on Wikisource North America on Wikiversity North America on Wikicommons
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Wiktionary:North America
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Commons:Category:North America
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