North America is a
continent in the
Earth's
northern hemisphere and (chiefly)
western hemisphere. It is bordered on the north by the
Arctic Ocean, on the east by the North
Atlantic Ocean, on the southeast by the
Caribbean Sea, and on the south and west by the North
Pacific Ocean;
South America lies to the southeast. It covers an
area of about 24,709,000
square kilometers (9,540,000
sq mi), about 4.8% of the planet's surface or about 16.5% of its land area. As of July 2007, its
population was estimated at nearly 524 million people. It is the
third-largest continent in area, following
Asia and
Africa, and is fourth in population after Asia, Africa, and
Europe. North America and
South America are collectively known as the
Americas.
