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North America is acontinent in theNorthern andWestern hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by theArctic Ocean, to the east by theAtlantic Ocean, to the southeast bySouth America and theCaribbean Sea, and to the south and west by thePacific Ocean. The region includesMiddle America comprising theCaribbean,Central America, andNorthern America.
North America covers an area of around 24,709,000 square kilometers (9,540,000 square miles), representing approximately 16.5% ofEarth's land area and 4.8% of its total surface area. It is the third-largest continent by size afterAsia andAfrica, and thefourth-largest continent by population after Asia, Africa, andEurope. As of 2021[update], North America's population was estimated as over 592 million people in23 independent states and territories, or about 7.5% of the world's population. Inhuman geography, the terms "North America" and "North American" refers toCanada,Greenland,Mexico,Saint Pierre and Miquelon, and theUnited States.
It is unknown with certainty how and whenfirst human populations first reached North America. People were known to live in theAmericas at least 20,000 years ago, but various evidence points to possibly earlier dates. ThePaleo-Indian period in North America followed the Last Glacial Period, and lasted until about 10,000 years ago when theArchaic period began. Theclassic stage followed the Archaic period, and lasted from approximately the 6th to 13th centuries. Beginning in 1000 AD, theNorse were the first Europeans to begin exploring and ultimately colonizing areas of North America.
In 1492, the exploratory voyages ofChristopher Columbus led toa transatlantic exchange, includingmigrations ofEuropean settlers during theAge of Discovery and theearly modern period. Present-day cultural and ethnic patterns reflect interactions between European colonists,indigenous peoples,enslaved Africans, immigrants from Europe, Asia, and descendants of these respective groups. (Full article...)
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TheColorado River (Spanish:Río Colorado) is one of the principalrivers (along with theRio Grande) in theSouthwestern United States and innorthern Mexico. The 1,450-mile-long (2,330 km) river, the5th longest in the United States, drains an expansive, aridwatershed that encompasses parts of seven U.S. states and two Mexican states. The name Colorado derives from the Spanish language for "colored reddish" due to its heavysilt load. Starting in the centralRocky Mountains ofColorado, it flows generally southwest across theColorado Plateau and through theGrand Canyon before reachingLake Mead on theArizona–Nevada border, where it turns south toward theinternational border. After entering Mexico, the Colorado approaches the mostly dryColorado River Delta at the tip of theGulf of California betweenBaja California andSonora.
Known for its dramatic canyons, whitewater rapids, and elevenU.S. National Parks, the Colorado River and its tributaries are a vital source of water for 40 million people. Anextensive system of dams, reservoirs, and aqueducts divert almost its entire flow for agriculturalirrigation and urban water supply. Its large flow and steep gradient are used to generatehydroelectricity, meetingpeaking power demands in much of theIntermountain West. Intensive water consumption has dried up the lower 100 miles (160 km) of the river, which has rarely reached the sea since the 1960s. (Full article...)
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| Credit: Chr. Barthelmess |
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Earl William "Madman"Muntz (January 3, 1914 – June 21, 1987) was an American businessman and engineer who sold and promoted cars andconsumer electronics in the United States from the 1930s until his death in 1987. He was a pioneer in television commercials with his oddball "Madman"persona; analter ego who generated publicity with his unusual costumes, stunts, and outrageous claims. Muntz also pioneered car stereos by creating the MuntzStereo-Pak, better known as the 4-track cartridge, a predecessor to the8-track cartridge developed byLear Industries.
He invented the practice that came to be known asMuntzing, which involved simplifying otherwise complicated electronic devices. Muntz produced and marketed the first black-and-white television receivers to sell for less than $100, and created one of the earliest functionalwidescreenprojection TVs. He was credited with coining the abbreviation "TV" fortelevision, although the term had earlier been in use in call letters for stations such asWCBS-TV. A high schooldropout, Muntz made fortunes by selling automobiles, TV receivers, and car stereos and tapes. A 1968Los Angeles Times article noted that in one year he sold $72 million worth of cars; five years later he sold $55 million worth of TV receivers, and in 1967 he sold $30 million worth of car stereos and tapes. (Full article...)
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TheSpanish conquest of Honduras was a 16th-century conflict during theSpanish colonization of the Americas in which the territory that now comprises theRepublic of Honduras, one of the seven states ofCentral America, was incorporated into theSpanish Empire. In 1502, the territory was claimed for the king of Spain byChristopher Columbus on hisfourth and final trip to theNew World. The territory that now comprises Honduras was inhabited by a mix ofindigenous peoples straddling a transitional cultural zone betweenMesoamerica to the northwest, and theIntermediate Area to the southeast. Indigenous groups includedMaya,Lenca,Pech,Miskitu,Mayangna (Sumu),Jicaque,Pipil andChorotega. Two indigenous leaders are particularly notable for their resistance against the Spanish; the Maya leaderCicumba, and the Lenca ruler referred to asLempira (a title meaning "Lord of the Mountain").
In March 1524,Gil González Dávila became the first Spaniard to arrive in what is now Honduras with the intention of conquest. He founded the first Spanish port upon theCaribbean coast,Puerto de Caballos, which became an important staging post for later expeditions. The early decades of the Spanish conquest of Honduras were beset by jurisdictional disputes between different Spanish colonies attempting to invade the territory, which resulted in conflict between rival expeditions launched fromMexico,Hispaniola, andPanama. The Spanish territory was reorganised as Higueras in the west, and Honduras in the east. As the Spanish became established throughoutCentral America, the colony of Honduras-Higueras became involved in territorial disputes with neighbouring colonies inNicaragua,Guatemala andEl Salvador. (Full article...)
| Credit:Debivort |
| Sovereign states |
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| Dependencies |
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Northern America
Central America
Caribbean
North America
Canada
Greenland
Mexico
Saint Pierre and Miquelon
United States
Central America
Belize
Costa Rica
El Salvador
Guatemala
Honduras
Nicaragua
Panama
Mesoamerica
Caribbean
Antigua and Barbuda
Bahamas
Barbados
Bermuda
Cuba
Dominica
Dominican Republic
Grenada
Haiti
Jamaica
Puerto Rico
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Saint Lucia
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Trinidad and TobagoThe followingWikimedia Foundation sister projects provide more on this subject:
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