Continent
The Americas
The Americas has 35 countries. About 1 billion people live there, spread over roughly 39 801 210 square kilometres.
The countries of The Americas
The largest country here is Canada, covering 9 984 670 km².
The smallest is Saint Kitts and Nevis, at just 261 km².
Most people live in United States — about 326.7 million.
Mountains and rivers
The highest mountain we cover here is Aconcagua, 6 961 m above the sea.
The longest river is Amazon, running 6 400 km.
The Americas and the rest of the world
Roughly 13 in every 100 people on Earth live in The Americas, on about 30 per cent of the world's land.
That works out at about 25.2 people for every square kilometre, against 56.6 for the world as a whole — so The Americas is emptier than the average.
The people are not spread evenly either: just 2 of the 35 countries hold half of everyone here.
Animals of The Americas
49 of the animals on this site live in The Americas, among them Brown bear, Polar bear, Jaguar, Grey wolf, Red fox, Arctic fox, Brown-throated sloth and Nine-banded armadillo. Each one stands on the globe as a small figure once you zoom in close enough to find it.
How many continents are there?
There is no single right answer, which surprises most people. Schools in Britain, Australia and much of Asia teach seven continents, splitting North and South America. Schools in France, Italy, Spain and most of Latin America teach six and keep the Americas together. Some teach five, counting only the inhabited ones. The land has not moved; only the way people group it has.
This site uses six and keeps the Americas as one, because that is how the dataset behind these pages groups countries. The Americas is one of those six. If you were taught a different number at school, you were not taught the wrong thing — you were taught a different convention.
Where a continent ends is just as much a decision. Europe and Asia sit on one unbroken piece of land, and the line between them was drawn by people, along the Ural mountains, rather than by any sea. That is why Russia and Turkey appear in lists for both.
Questions children ask
How many countries are in The Americas?
The Americas has 35 countries. The biggest is Canada and the smallest is Saint Kitts and Nevis.
What is the biggest country in The Americas?
Canada is the biggest, covering 9 984 670 square kilometres.
How many people live in The Americas?
About 1 billion people live in The Americas, which is roughly 13 per cent of everyone on Earth. The figure is a World Bank estimate, so it is close rather than exact.
What is the highest mountain in The Americas?
Of the mountains on this site, Aconcagua is the highest in The Americas, at 6 961 metres above sea level.