North America is the third largest continent on our planet. Its area is about 24.3 million square kilometers. Near it are many archipelagos and islands, the largest of which is Greenland. As of today, the population of North America is about 530 million inhabitants. It will be discussed in more detail in this article.
First people
According to the latest historical research, the first people on the mainland appeared several thousand years ago. Scientists believe that they came here from Asia via a land bridge, which at that time existed at the current location of the Bering Strait. This can also explain the fact that the indigenous population of North America (Eskimos and Indians) belongs to the Mongoloid race. A vivid confirmation of the Asian origin of local tribes are numerous external signs - a reddish skin tone, a wide face, dark eye color, straight coarse hair and others. The predominant majority of the natives lived on the territory of modern Mexico. This is where they appearedthe first major civilizations and states with a developed culture and economy.
Colonization
In the fifteenth century, Christopher Columbus discovered America, after which the period of colonization of the mainland began. Spaniards, French, British and other Europeans began to come here. This process was accompanied by the destruction of local residents or their displacement into an area unsuitable for normal life. A little later, slaves from Africa were brought here to work on the plantations. As a result, over time, the Negroid, Mongoloid and Caucasoid races mixed up on the mainland. Active colonization of the continent continued until the nineteenth century. Thus, now we can say with confidence that the modern population and the countries of North America were formed mainly under the influence of precisely these factors.
Modern North Americans
As of today, approximately 530 million people live on the mainland. In other words, this is about 13% of the inhabitants of the planet. As noted above, there are representatives of all three races, as well as groups of people who eventually formed as a result of their mixing (mulattoes, mestizos and others). English is the predominant language used in the United States, English and French in Canada, and Spanish in Mexico. It should be noted that for a long time the first two mentioned states have been characterized by a constant influx of immigrants from different parts of the world, resulting in the formation of new ethnic groups.groups. They are gradually assimilated into the American and Canadian nations.
USA, Mexico and Canada are the largest countries in North America. The population of these states is about 472 million people. According to statistics, an average of 500 thousand people from all over the world immigrate to the mainland every year in search of a better life.
Indigenous
On the North American mainland, only every hundredth person is indigenous. The vast majority of the Indians now live in Mexico, and the Eskimos live mainly in the southern part of Greenland and on the coast of the Arctic Ocean. In addition, relatively large groups of aborigines are found in the reserves of Canada and the United States, as well as in some areas of Alaska. In total, according to rough estimates, no more than 10 million Indians and about 70 thousand Eskimos live in North America. Representatives of the Aleut tribe (5 thousand people) have survived on the Aleutian Islands.
Indigenous people of North America speak mainly the dialects of their ancestors. At the same time, in recent years, many of its representatives are gradually switching to English, French and Spanish. As for religion, the majority of the inhabitants of the mainland are Catholics. Other numerous local religious groups are Protestants, Orthodox, Buddhists, Jews and others.
Resettlement
North America average population densityis almost 22 inhabitants per square kilometer. At the same time, the inhabitants of the mainland are extremely unevenly distributed over the area. This is due to both its history and natural conditions. The most densely populated areas are the islands of the Caribbean, as well as the central part. There are almost 200 people for every square kilometer. These territories were well developed by indigenous peoples several millennia ago. The second densest region is the lands surrounding the Great Lakes. In third place in this indicator are individual regions of the Pacific coast. This is especially true for areas located in the United States. As for the least populated region, it certainly is Greenland. In addition, there are few people in the desert western and northern regions of the mainland. Some of the archipelagos are generally uninhabited.
Results
Summing up, it is necessary to focus on the fact that the population of North America is mostly the descendants of European settlers who arrived here during the colonization and assimilated with the local natives, as well as slaves brought from Africa. Only 1% of the people living on the mainland are indigenous. Do not forget that North America is one of the most urbanized continents. It is here that the world's largest agglomerations and cities are located in terms of population. On the other hand, there are regions where practically no onelives.
