Characteristics of the Americas – When you hear the word America, the first thing that comes to mind is a large and developed country, but in this discussion we will not discuss America as a country, but the continent. As the second largest continent in the world after the continent of Asia, the Americas are very interesting to discuss about the characteristics and other things about the other American continents.
Basically the American continent is divided into three parts namely: Central America, North America and South America. Call it several countries in the Americas such as: the United States which is very famous as the country of Uncle Sam, Brazil as a country which is very famous for its football culture, or Jamaica as the country of origin of reggae music created with one of its famous figures namely Bob Marley.
The various uniqueness brought by the countries from the Americas is what makes it very interesting to discuss the main characteristics found in the Americas.
The concept of territory, as many geographers have emphasized, is one that studies geographic areas. An area that varies in extent, from very broad to limited in scope. Regional characteristics are an area that must have certain characteristics, specificities, and differences from other regions.
Of course, world geography is a science that discusses or studies world geography phenomena and events in relation to various aspects of life in the world.
America is the continent of the world which refers to the landmass that lies between the Pacific Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean. The continent is usually divided into North America and South America. The term also refers to the Caribbean region, the islands that surround the Caribbean Sea and Greenland (but not Iceland).
For this reason, it is very good if in this discussion we invite all of you Sinaumed’s friends to find out what are the characteristics of the Americas as additional new insights about each region, especially the continents in the world.
Further discussion of the characteristics of the Americas can be seen below!
American continent
The Americas is the continent of the world which refers to the land area between the Pacific Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean. America is the second largest continent in the world after Asia, with an area of ± 42,292,000 km². This continent is usually divided into 3 namely North America, Central America and South America.
The term also refers to the Caribbean region, the islands that surround the Caribbean Sea and Greenland (but not Iceland). Central America is a narrow strip of land that connects North and South America. Astronomically, the Americas are located between 83° North – 55° South and 170° East – 35° West.
Geographically, the Americas are bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and the Bering Sea, on the east by the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, on the north by the Ice Sea and Davis Strait, and on the south by the Antarctic Sea. The name America is taken from the name of the European who discovered the continent, “Amerigo Vespucci”.
Characteristics of the Americas
In general, the characteristics of the Americas are as follows:
1. The second largest continent in the world
The first feature of the Americas can be seen from its land area. The area of the northern American continent reaches 24,709.00 square kilometers, while the area of the southern American continent reaches 17,840,000 square kilometers. If added up, the area becomes 42,549,000 square kilometers.
2. Geographical location
America is the second largest continent located in the Western Hemisphere. Astronomically, this continent is located between ±80°N – 56°S and ±170°T – 36°T. The shape of this stretch seems to connect the North Pole with the South Pole.
Its land area reaches ± 41,825,581 km² or around 28.1% of the world’s land area
. Geographically, the American continent has the following boundaries:
- To the east it is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean.
- To the south it is bordered by the Pacific Ocean and Antarctica.
- To the west it is bordered by the Pacific Ocean.
- In the north, it borders the Arctic Ocean.
3. Regional Characteristics
The Americas are divided into three main parts, namely:
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Central America Region
Central America is the territory of the Caribbean Islands in the Atlantic Ocean and the continent of Central America. This region covers all of Mexico and has an area of approximately 253,926 square kilometers.
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South America region
This area stretches from the Panama Canal to the Horn peninsula in southern Argentina. South America includes Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay, Venezuela, French Guiana and the Falkland Islands.
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North America region
4. View
The characteristics of the Americas are then seen from the landscape. The Americas itself is the second largest continent in the world, so its territory includes many different areas, such as mountains, plains, plateaus, oceans and rivers.
America is a continent with a meridian shape (stretching from north to south) America has the highest waterfall namely Angel Falls (1000m) in Venezuela. The Americas continent with the highest active volcano is Mount Ojos de Salado in Argentina-Chile (6908 m) America has the isthmus and canal in Panama (Central America) that connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean.
America has historical sites, namely the pyramids of the Incas, America has the widest river valley, namely the Amazon river basin. This is a rainforest valley in Brazil. The Americas have the driest place in the world, the Atacama Desert in Chile. America has the largest canyon in the world, namely the Grand Canyon in Colorado, Arizona.
Here are some examples:
- Rocky Mountains in North America.
- Cordilleras De Los Andes in South America.
- The highest peak reached is Mount Aconcagua with a height of 6960 m and is located in Argentina.
- Central America has many dominant lowlands and the east coast is smart because it tends to be more temperate. Examples are the Mississippi River in North America and the Amazon River in South America.
- The lowest point in America is Death Valley, 86m below sea level.
5. Climate
The climate of the Americas is influenced by many different things, namely:
- The climate of Central America is influenced by the Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea. The central area is divided into hot, medium, cold and freezing temperature zones. Freezing temperatures can only be found in the highlands, while the Caribbean islands are affected by a warmer sea climate with slightly cooler wind temperatures.
- The Caribbean and Pacific islands are also affected by warm ocean currents. The closer to the equator, the more rain occurs. The northeastern trade winds that blow through the Caribbean bring rain, so that the Americas also have areas similar to Indonesia, namely summer and rainy season throughout the year.
- Climate variations in the South American region are also influenced by altitude and geographic latitude. Two-thirds of its territory is located in the tropics, and most of this area receives high rainfall, so there are tropical rain forests, one of which is in the Amazon basin.
- The south is in an arid area with only 100-500mm of rain per year. Even though America doesn’t have deserts like Asia and Africa, areas like this still look arid.
6. Socio-cultural
The population of South America and the Caribbean is 659,744,000, while that of North America is 371,108,000. Combined, the total population is at least 1 billion people. Community beliefs are dominated by Christians and Catholics.
In the central part, the majority of the population is Roman Catholic, while the central part is majority Protestant. Americans officially speak English and French, but also several languages, such as Spanish and Italian.
America has a powerful allure. Reportedly from history, when Christopher Columbus came to this continent, the Europeans called it “New World”. This happened because of their limited understanding of the world, which was limited to the European continent. So there was a massive exodus of Europeans there. They then interacted with the local population, establishing settlements and colonies. This process has continued for centuries. Not only Europeans, residents of Asia and Africa also came to America. Finally, you can find various tribes, ethnicities, races, and religions from all over America, both in North America, Central America, and South America.
The ensuing encounter made America’s population even more diverse. This certainly has an impact on social and cultural life. The arrival of people from outside America not only brought changes in posture, but also culture. So when he came to America, there was assimilation that led to a new culture. This situation then changed the social and cultural life on American soil and continues to this day.
These variations can be in the form of religion, language, art, and others. For example, the dominant North American language is English. However, in South America they prefer Portuguese or Spanish.
7. Economy
The vast size of the territory, the number of natural landscapes, and the strong influence of geopolitics also shape the American economic model. America’s economic advantage is trade. This is because in the Americas, several countries with the largest economies in the world are members of the G20.
On the official website of the G20, there are 5 countries in America: Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Mexico and the United States. Not surprisingly, the flow of goods into and out of the US remains high. Remember that this is also supported by the strength of the United States as an influential nation in the world.
Not only trade, American countries also depend on mining. Crude oil is the mainstay of the United States, Venezuela and many other Latin American countries. Then there are also several countries that take advantage of mineral deposits to boost the economy.
This is the astronomical position and features of the Americas that you need to know. Of course, these assets must be accompanied by a good ability to manage natural and human resources. The goal is to benefit the American people
8. Plants and Animals
The characteristics of the American continent can then be seen from the flora and fauna that grow and develop. North America’s flora is dominated by green meadows that can be used as fertile agricultural land. There are also typical tundra plants such as conifers and other annual plants. In the Caribbean you can find rainforests interspersed with tropical grasslands and pines, whereas in arid areas you will only find shrubs and trees.
In Central America there is a wide variety of flora, in the Caribbean there are tropical forests interspersed with meadows and tropical pines, while in arid regions only shrubs and deciduous trees stand out. .
The South American region is mostly dense rainforest, even the Amazon basin is the densest rainforest area in the world. This of course provides a habitat for the various kinds of wildlife that live there. The endemic fauna of this area are piranhas and macaws from the Amazon rainforest. Typical North American animals are bison, polar bears, penguins and trout.
9. Residents of America
America’s population in 2003 was 873 million. The population density is 74 people/km2. The American population consists of 3 groups based on their original nature. The population of the Americas is divided into 2, namely:
Native inhabitants:
Is an indigenous ethnic group living in the United States, eastern Central America, and Latin America. The tribe of this nation is the Indian tribe. Apart from the Indians, there are also the Eskimos. The Eskimos live in the polar regions. The Eskimos are famous for their ancient homes. Houses made of ice are called Igloos. The two tribes, both Indians and Eskimos, are minorities in the Americas.
Immigrant Residents:
- Including European immigrants, including British, French, Spanish, Dutch and Portuguese.
- Asia, including Chinese, Japanese and Malays.
- Africans, including blacks, are called black Americans. Mixed population. This mixed population, among others
- The Mulato breed is a mix of white and black skin.
- Mixed race is a mixture of white and red skin.
- The Zambo race is a mixture of Indians and blacks.
Americans follow different religions. The religion with the largest number of adherents is Roman Catholicism whose adherents are spread throughout South America. In North America, there are many Protestants. Other religions accepted by the American population include Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, and animism, most of which are still practiced by Indian tribes.
The religions that developed in the Americas are as follows:
- Catholics, many residents of Central and South America. Protestant Christianity, embraced by many residents of North America.
- Islam is the religion of many people of Arab, Malay and black descent.
- Judaism is the religion of many American Jews.
- Hinduism is practiced by many Americans of Indian, Nepalese and Sri Lankan descent.
- Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism and Shintoism are practiced by many people of Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Indochinese descent. Anglicans are Catholic, many of whom are of English descent.
Conclusion
So a brief discussion of the characteristics of the Americas. In this discussion, it specifically discusses what characteristics are found in the Americas because of the size of the area and historical factors that cause many different characteristics in each region in the Americas.
Knowing about the characteristics of the American continent gives us knowledge that the world is very broad as seen by how diverse the characteristics are found in the Americas with different cultural backgrounds and regional conditions.
Thus a review of the characteristics of the American continent.