Regions of America

Delimitation of the continent

Qualified as a new world, America inherits a mixture of people from different cultures and seeks to build on a common heritage.

The American continent is bounded on the north by the Arctic Sea, on the east by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west coast by the Pacific Ocean and extends south to the famous Cape Horn, a meeting point of the two oceans.

The continent is usually viewed as a group of sub-continents called "the Americas". In total, it consists of 35 countries spread over the four main regions: North America, Central America, the Caribbean and South America.

The climate in America

Surrounded by oceans, from one extremity to the other of both of the earth's poles, the continent faces a wide variety of climates that alternate considerably at the extremes.

It may also have an arctic or sub-arctic climate at both ends and an arid, dry and warm climate in the interior states where the mountains prevent the influence of the oceans from passing through and a temperate climate over the other regions.

On the equator, the abundant tropical rainfall waters these regions and decreases as one approaches the tropics, giving place to a more temperate climate.