North America is the third largest mainland 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 recent historical studies, the first people in the mainland appeared several thousand years ago. Scientists believe that they came here from Asia via the 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 striking confirmation of the Asian origin of local tribes are numerous external signs - a reddish skin tone, wide face, dark eyes, straight stiff hair and others. The vast majority of Aborigines lived in the territory of modern Mexico. It was here that the first large civilizations and states with a developed culture and economy appeared.
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 a terrain unsuitable for normal life. A little later, slaves from Africa were brought here to work on plantations. As a result, over time, the Negroid, Mongoloid, and Caucasoid races mixed up in the mainland . Active colonization of the continent continued until the nineteenth century. Thus, now we can confidently say that the modern population and countries of North America were formed mainly under the influence of 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 world's inhabitants. As already noted above, there are representatives of all three races, as well as groups of people who eventually formed as a result of their mixing (mulattos, mestizos, and others). English is mainly used in the United States, English and French in Canada, and Spanish in Mexico. It should be noted that the first two states mentioned have long been characterized by a constant influx of immigrants from different parts of the planet, which results in the formation of new ethnic groups. They are gradually assimilating with 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 annually immigrate to the territory of the continent in search of a better fate from all over the world.
Native people
On the North American continent, only one in one hundred people is indigenous. The vast majority of 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 numerical groups of Aborigines are found on the reserves of Canada and the USA, as well as in some areas of Alaska. In total, in North America, according to rough estimates, no more than 10 million Indians and about 70 thousand Eskimos live. Representatives of the Aleut tribe (5 thousand people) remained on the Aleutian islands .
The native population of North America speaks mainly in 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, most of the mainland inhabitants are Catholics. Other numerical local religious groups are Protestants, Orthodox, Buddhists, Jews and others.
Resettlement
North America has an average population density of 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 both to its history and to natural conditions. The most densely populated areas are the islands of the Caribbean, as well as the central part. Here, for every square kilometer, there are almost 200 people. These territories were well developed by indigenous peoples several millennia ago. The second region in terms of density is the land surrounding the Great Lakes. In third place for this indicator are certain regions of the Pacific coast. This is especially true for areas located in the United States. As for the least populated region, Greenland is, of course, one. In addition, there are few people in the deserted western and northern regions of the mainland. Some of the archipelagos are generally uninhabited.
Summary
Summing up, it is necessary to focus on the fact that the population of North America is more of a descendant of European immigrants, who arrived here during the time of colonization and assimilated with local Aborigines, 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 largest world agglomerations and cities in terms of population are located. On the other hand, there are regions where almost no one lives.