North America is made up of 3 countries: Canada, the
United States and Mexico. The United States and Canada
are major world powers. North America is located in
the far north of the Americas and is composed of only
three countries: the United States, Canada and Mexico,
as well as territories of European domains, such as
Greenland (belonging to the Kingdom of Denmark, with
representation in parliament) and Bermuda (British
dependency). The first two countries are the only ones
on the American continent that are included in the group
of the most politically and economically important
countries, especially the United States, which has the
status of the greatest world power; Mexico, on the other
hand, is a developing country, that is, an emerging
country.
A determining factor in the current condition of the
countries mentioned is the historical factor. Like all
nations in the Americas, the United States and Canada
were also colonized by Europeans, however, the way they
were developed was different, because while the center
and south of the Americas were colonies of exploitation,
the nations in question lived a population
process. North America is also known as Anglo-Saxon
America (English-speaking) or developed America.

Natural aspects of North America:
North America is bathed in the north by the Arctic
glacial ocean; to the west, by the Pacific Ocean; and to
the east, by the Atlantic Ocean.
Relief:
As for the relief, North America basically presents
three types, as it happens in a large part of the entire
American continent.
• Western portion: it houses a series of mountain
ranges, many of which are active volcanoes and,
therefore, there is a great occurrence of
earthquakes. Among the many mountains present, the main
ones are: Chains of the Coast, Sierra Nevada and the
Rocky Mountains.
• Eastern portion: corresponds to regions where plateaus
and mountains of ancient geological age are found and
which have undergone several long erosive processes. The
main plateaus are: Labrador (Canada) and Monte Apalache
(United States).
• Central portion: this region is home to extensive
areas composed of plains, also encompassing rivers and
lakes. The best known are: the lake plains (Canada), the
Mississippi (United States) and the Great Lakes plain.
Hydrography:
North America's hydrography is quite diverse. In
Canadian territory, lakes predominate, there are at
least 150,000 lakes, much of which are of glacial
origin.
The largest concentration of lakes in North America is
located between the borders of the United States and
Canada. The largest and most important lakes are:
Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie and Ontario, the first
has 84 thousand km 2 .
As for rivers, in Canada what stands out is the São
Lourenço River, because it serves as a waterway between
the Great Lakes and the Atlantic Ocean. In the United
States, the most important in terms of navigation
capacity is the Mississippi River, others are Colorado
and Columbia, both used in irrigation and electricity
generation.
North American climate and vegetation
Due to the territorial dimension, in North America
different types of vegetative and climatic composition
are developed. The main ones are:
Tundra: type of vegetation that develops from the
thaw. It consists of lichens, mosses, herbs and shrubs
of short stature, due to the cold climate with long and
severe winters.
Temperate Forest: this type of vegetation occurs in
regions where the temperate climate predominates. It is
characterized by having well-defined seasons with cold
winters and hot summers, temperate forests are composed
of deciduous trees and mosses, and there are cedars,
oaks and pines.
Steppe and Prairie: occurs in areas that have a
semi-arid climate, with high temperatures and long
periods of drought. Due to this adversity, the
vegetative composition is very restricted with the
presence of grasses and the absence of trees.
Desert vegetation: it grows in desert regions in the
southern United States, on the border with Mexico, and
also in the Colorado River region. The climate is
desert, so it is dry all year round.
Savanna: it occurs in places where there is an incidence
of regular rains during the year and temperatures always
below 10ºC in the autumn and winter seasons.
Mountain vegetation: due to the altitude, the
temperature tends to fall, thus presenting a climate
similar to the cold climate; as for vegetation cover,
there are few forms present.
Absence of vegetation: occurs in regions of North
America that have very cold temperatures, that is,
polar. This climatic adversity does not allow the
development of any form of vegetation. North
American Human Rights In many ways, the United
States has been a pioneering country for human rights
since its founding and often describes itself as having
fought for human rights and freedoms in other countries
as well. Critics believe that the United States has used
human rights as a reason to wage war in other parts of
the world and gain more power and resources. The image
of the United States as a forerunner for human rights is
further complicated by the fact that it has not ratified
a number of crucial UN conventions.
Discrimination on the grounds of gender, color,
religion or political opinion is prohibited in the
United States. However, the fact that different people
and groups are treated differently is a major problem
that violates human rights.
Black men are sentenced to prison six times more
often than white men. Black men are also
over-represented in the country's prisons as well as
among the death row in the United States. African
Americans are more exposed than other groups to public
harassment, violence and other forms of discrimination.
Police brutality and several notable deaths in
connection with police interventions have led to strong
protests, including the formation of the Black Lives
Matter movement.
The fact that the country practices the death penalty
in a majority of the states has been criticized by a
number of human rights organizations. In the US, 43
people were executed in 2012 and 39 people in 2013. The
corresponding figure in 2016 was 20 people. Texas is the
state that carries out the most death penalty; 7 people
were executed there in 2016.
The United States is not an equal country. Women are
discriminated against by lower wages and are
underrepresented in politics. Legislation exists against
domestic violence, but physical and sexual violence
against women exists. Abortion is a legal right in the
United States, but it is highly contentious. In many
states, the right to abortion is practically severely
restricted. There is a strong abortion resistance
movement in the country. Prostitution is prohibited in
most states. Trafficking is a widespread problem.
Since 2015, it is legal to marry a person of the same
sex. Violence due to gender or sexual orientation was
banned the same year and since 2016 it has been allowed
for transsexuals to serve in the US military. The
national legislation regarding the rights of LGBTQ
persons is complicated by the fact that in several
states there are discriminatory laws which, among other
things, means that LGBTQ persons can be denied goods and
services with regard to religious beliefs.
Many religions are represented in the country and
religious freedom prevails. The right to express oneself
freely and the right to practice one's religion are
complicated by the increased surveillance of the
country's citizens that has taken place since the
September 11 attacks. Particularly vulnerable are Muslim
associations and groups that are subject to
discriminatory and unfair investigations and
prosecutions.
The United Nations Human Rights Committee has called
on the United States to ensure that its surveillance
activities respect the right to privacy under the
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights,
regardless of nationality. Concerns have also been
expressed about the lack of transparency in US laws and
court rulings that control surveillance.
Under the Patriot Act of 2002, which came after the
September 11 attacks, suspected terrorists can be held
without trial for an indefinite period. Despite repeated
criticism from human rights organizations, the United
States has caught prisoners on the Guantánamo base. The
state has monitored data and telecommunications traffic
via the US intelligence service NSA, which was revealed
in connection with the Edward Snowden deal in 2013.
Income differences are greater in the United States
than in other comparable countries. The average rich
American is getting richer at the same time as the
number of poor is increasing. Nearly 43 million people
in the country are poor (13.5 percent in 2015). Of
these, one third are children. Poverty differs between
different groups. White Americans are generally better
off than African Americans and people of Latin American
descent.
The country's social safety net is weak for people
who lose housing or work. In 2015, approximately 560,000
Americans were homeless.
Freedom of speech is strongly protected by the
constitution and censorship does not occur. The
concentration of ownership in American media has
increased and in recent years the news reporting has
become more and more politicized. In 2017, the United
States ranked 43 out of 180 countries in Reporters
Without Borders Press Freedom Index. |
Are you planning to attend a North America college? Then,
you have come to the right place! We have carefully
reviewed each of 4-year colleges and universities in the
continent of North America and the following are the top
39
public and private programs listed by rank scores. The
following colleges and universities in United States,
Canada,
Mexico, and other countries in North America (refer to
Countryaah.com for a full list of
North American
nations) have been many times ranked by education
experts based on their academic excellence and
employment statistics. Please note that all universities
were reviewed yearly based on their academic
reputations, research ability and graduate performance.

Note: The following universities are from Canada only. For top universities
in the United States, please visit Top Universities in
U.S.A..
#1. University of Toronto - Canada Toronto, Ontario
#2. University of British Columbia - Canada Vancouver, British Columbia
#3. McGill University - Canada Montréal, Québec
#4. McMaster University - Canada Hamilton, Ontario
#5. University of Alberta - Canada Edmonton, Alberta
#5. University of Montreal - Canada Montréal, Québec
#7. University of Calgary - Canada Calgary, Alberta
#8. University of Ottawa - Canada Ottawa, Ontario
#9. University of Waterloo - Canada Waterloo, Ontario
#10. University of Victoria - Canada Victoria, British Columbia
#11. Western University - Canada London, Ontario
#12. Simon Fraser University - Canada Burnaby, British Columbia
#13. Laval University - Canada Québec City, Québec
#14. Dalhousie University - Canada Halifax, Nova Scotia
#15. Queen's University - Canada Kingston, Ontario
#16. University of Manitoba - Canada Winnipeg, Manitoba
#17. York University - Canada Toronto, Ontario
#18. University of Guelph - Canada Guelph, Ontario
#19. Carleton University - Canada Ottowa, ON
#20. University of Saskatchewan - Canada Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
#21. Université du Québec à Montréal - Canada Montréal, Québec
#22. Memorial University of Newfoundland - Canada St. John's, NL
#23. Concordia University - Canada Montréal, Québec
#24. University of Sherbrooke - Canada Sherbrooke, Québec
#25. Ryerson University - Canada Toronto, Ontario
#26. University of New Brunswick - Canada Fredericton, NB
#27. University of Windsor - Canada Windsor, ON
#28. University of Regina - Canada Regina, SK
#29. University of Ontario Institute Technology - Canada Oshawa, ON
#30. Brock University - Canada St. Catharines, ON
#31. Lakehead University - Canada Thunder Bay
#32. Wilfrid Laurier University - Canada Waterloo, Ontario
#33. Ecole de Technologie Superieure - Canada Montreal
#34. Laurentian University - Canada Sudbury, ON
#35. Trent University - Canada Peterborough, Ontario
#36. University of Lethbridge - Canada Lethbridge, AB
#37. Krembil Reseach Institute - Canada Toronto, Ontario
#38. Royal Military College - Canada Kingston, Ontario
#39. University of Prince Edward Island - Canada Charlottetown, PE
Should you be interested in slangs or acronyms about
North America, you can follow
AbbreviationFinder to see associations, fund,
government or NGOs containing the location of North
America. |