Physical and political map of North America in Russian. America Political Map North America Political Map

History of the discovery of North America

About 1000 years ago the ancient inhabitants of Scandinavia - the Vikings - reached the mainland.

In 982, Eric the Red was expelled from the Icelandic colony for his murder. He heard stories about lands lying at a distance of about 1000 kilometers from Iceland. There he went with a small detachment. After a difficult voyage, he managed to reach this land. Eric named this place Greenland ("green country"). In 986, Eric gathered a group of Vikings who settled on the island he discovered.

Eric's son Leif Happy went even further and reached the Labrador Peninsula.

In May 1497, John and Sebastian Cabot sailed from the port of Bristol on the ship Matthew. At the end of June, they landed on an island called Newfoundland, mistaking it for Asia, and continued sailing along the coast east of the Gulf of St. Lawrence. After swimming along the coast for about a month and finding large stocks of fish, they took the opposite course.

In April 1534, sailing from the city of Saint-Malo, the Frenchman Jacques Cartier reached the island of Newfoundland after 20 days and, having rounded the island, through the Ben-Ile Strait entered the Gulf of St. Lawrence. After drawing up maps of the area, Cartier returned to France. In 1535, three Cartier ships again approached Newfoundland. He skirted the island of Anticosti from the north and entered the mouth of the St. Lawrence River. Having hired Huron guides, the Frenchman led the ships along the river and soon arrived at the place that the Indians called Stadicona (now the city of Quebec is located there).

In early October, the French arrived at the Iroquois settlement of Ochelag. Cartier climbed a mountain overlooking the village, which he called Mont-Royal (Royal Mountain). From the mountain, rapids were visible, which did not allow ships to climb higher along the river. Cartier returned to Stadacon. The French spent the winter here building a fort.

In 1541, Cartier began his third voyage. He was to found a colony in the lands he explored under the general name New France. But the idea failed. The traveler returned to France, fell out of favor there and died in oblivion in 1557.

In 1608, Samuel de Champlain founded the city of Quebec on the site of the village of Stadacona, and in 1611, near the settlement of Ochelag, Montreal.

In the middle of the 18th century, the western coast of the mainland was discovered during the Great Northern Expedition. In July 1741, the command of the ship "St. Peter" under the command of Vitus Bering saw the American coast at about 58 ° N. sh., and the ship "St. Paul" under the command of Alexei Ilyich Chirikov approached the American shores a little further south - near 55 ° N. NS.

), in Vesi India and on the mainland of South America. The West Indies include the islands: Bahamas, Large and Lesser Antilles. Most of these islands were discovered during the voyages of Christopher Columbus, who mistook them for part of India. Unlike India (East Indies), these islands later became known as the West Indies. There are many states on it:, and others.

The total area of ​​the Latin America region is about 21 million km2. In this region there are 33 sovereign states, as well as possessions, France, the Netherlands and the United States. In live: descendants of European settlers, mestizos, mulattoes, Indians, Negroes, migrants from different countries the world, including European. Official languages: in most countries (former colonial possessions) - Spanish, - Portuguese, in Haiti and in the former possessions of France -, in and Dutch possessions - Dutch, in the rest - English.

The formation of modern political America has a long history. There is evidence that the first Europeans to reach the shores of North America were in the 5th-6th centuries. and the Normans (Vikings) in the IX century. And natives of the North may have traveled to America 2 thousand years before, leaving, according to scientists, traces of their stay in the form of inscriptions on stones in the Sherbuk region (160 km from).

Discovery, exploration and seizure of territories and states of Latin America in the XV-XVII centuries. and their subsequent integration into the system was a consequence and an integral part of one of the stages in the development of European civilization. The conquests of the Ottoman Sultanate in Asia Minor and the Balkans made it much more difficult to use sea and land trade routes to the South and Southeast. The need to provide direct access to sources of goods that were in high demand in (spices, silk, etc.) determined the practical task of finding direct sea routes in and.

Currently, the United States and Canada are two highly developed capitalist states that have enormous economic, political and financial influence over their Latin American neighbors.

There is also one socialist state in America's part of the world - Cuba. Since 1898, the country was formally declared independent, but was actually occupied by the United States. In 1959, the war of liberation against the dictatorial regime of Batista ended, and for almost 40 years the country has been ruled by Fidel Castro Ruz (head of state, chairman of the Council of State and Council of Ministers).

Reaffirming the goal of building a communist society, the 1992 Cuban constitution as an ideological basis now brings to the fore the ideals of national liberation, the principles of independence, sovereignty and identity. However, elements of a market economy are being introduced into the country's economic and economic complex.

The rest of the countries of the part of the world America (Latin America) belong to the group of developing countries. Most of them won their independence in the last century during the national liberation wars of 1810-1825, in which broad strata of the population took part: Indian peasants, blacks and mestizos, revolutionary intelligentsia, part of the clergy, representatives of the Creole nobility and merchants.

At the beginning of the XIX century. gained independence: Haiti (1804), (1809), (1811), (1816), Chile (1818), Nicaragua, Colombia (1821), Brazil (1822) ), Bolivia (1825). A republican system was established in all states (only until 1889 the monarchy was preserved).

The states of Latin America have come a long way in the development of capitalism. They are exceptionally rich in natural resources, have a peculiar and eventful history, and a distinctive culture. In terms of many indicators of socio-economic development, these countries are ahead of many in Asia and Africa, but they are significantly behind the industrialized ones.

From the period of their inception to the present, these countries have been in strong economic and financial dependence, first on European states, and later on the United States. At the same time, within the region, there are very significant differences in the level of socio-economic development between individual countries.

According to the typology of scientists - Moscow State University, Latin American countries are grouped as follows:

1. Key countries of great potential: Brazil and Mexico.

2. Migrant countries of early development of dependent capitalism: and Uruguay.

1. Countries of large-scale development of capitalism: Venezuela and Chile.
2. Countries of outwardly oriented adaptive development of capitalism: Bolivia, Colombia, Paraguay, Peru, Ecuador.

1. Small countries of dependent plantation economy: Guatemala, Costa Rica, Honduras, El Salvador, and Haiti, etc.
2. Small countries of "concessional development" of capitalism: Jamaica, Suriname.
3. Small countries - "tenants" (islands or coastal countries located at the crossroads of trade routes; countries of the "tax haven", "hotel countries", countries of the "flag of convenience"): Bermuda (UK), Cayman Islands (UK. ) and etc.

Over a century and a half of independent development of countries south of the r. Rio Grande has accumulated big number serious problems. It was Latin American countries that provided countless examples of military participation in economic and political life. Only in, according to historians, there were more than 190 military coups.

There is a geopolitical rivalry between the large countries of this region, territorial disputes and claims causing armed conflicts and wars have not become a thing of the past, the threat of military coups and civil wars has not been completely removed from the agenda.

Latin America today is going through something that does not fit into the picture of the democratic process (although this is often reported). Sometimes it seems that the generals are returning to power again (Bolivia, Paraguay, Venezuela, Colombia).

Nevertheless, among the developing states, it was the countries of Latin America that were the first to embark on the path of economic integration, which is the process of internationalization of economic ties in order to accelerate and intensify economic development.

Currently, the following trading blocs exist in Latin America: Latin American Integration Association (LAI), Andean Pact, Southern Cone Common Market (MERCOSUR), Central American Common Market, Caribbean Common Market, Organization of Central American States and related institutions I (for example, Central American Bank for Economic Integration, etc.).

There are organizations for the creation of joint facilities and the use of natural resources such as: Latin American economic system(LNPP), pact, group and related investment institutions (Inter-American Savings and Loans Bank, Latin American Export Bank, etc.).

Within the framework of the Organization of American States (OAS), since 1960, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) has been operating, which also provides funds for the implementation of joint projects in the region.

Some of the countries in this region are also members of trade associations, which serve to coordinate positions and protect the interests of exporting countries (especially exporters of monocultures) in foreign markets. These are commodity associations: Cocoa Producers Alliance, Intergovernmental Council of Copper Exporting Countries, Organization of Exporting Countries (), Union of Banana Exporting Countries.

Structural shifts in the economy lead to the emergence of new trends in the development of integration processes. States are drawn into integration groupings, in which they play a leading role economically. These are the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) and others. Negotiations are under way to form a free trade zone in the entire Western Hemisphere.

Below you will see what North America looks like on the world map.

Also on my site you can see the general one, as well as. Also available to you and.

According to tourism development indicators, the North American continent receives 16% of the financial flows that all international tourism generates. These streams are mainly created by people who travel within the mainland, discovering neighboring countries. The most popular, without any doubt, is the United States. Every year they are visited by 46 million foreigners who come here to relax. The second place, according to statistics, is taken by Canada, but it is not known how long this will be so, because in recent times Mexico's position has strengthened quite noticeably, and is now steadily developing the tourism industry. Generally tourist North America map extremely abundant in all kinds of attractions.

The United States has many natural tourism destinations that are extremely popular around the world. Among them are California beaches, the Grand Canyon and Yellowstone Park. In addition, many tourists go to Disneyland - the dream of children; the city of entertainment - Las Vegas is also extremely popular.

Unlike the United States, Canada has many untouched, and therefore ecologically clean places. Rocky mountains, or rather their ski slopes, are valued by outdoor enthusiasts even more than the Swiss Alps.

Mexico has two main features that attract tourists from all over the world. The first of them is simply magnificent beaches, which are ideally combined with a developed infrastructure of restaurants and hotels. And the second will be prompted by any tourist North America map- cultural and historical heritage that became after the Aztecs and other highly developed ancient Indian civilizations.

Most often, tourists tend to visit the monuments of the dead, once great civilizations. The pyramids of Teotihuacan are just a golden mark that is distinguished by almost any archaeological North America map in academic circles of the world.

In addition, there are many memos ancient civilization The Maya are represented in the Yucatan, the most famous among them is the Chichen Itza pyramid.

The Caribbean coast of Mexico has many resorts with five-star hotels. Most often Canadians and Americans rest here, but the attendance from Europeans, in particular Russians, is also growing.

The continent of North America is located in the north of the Western Hemisphere. Discovered on October 12, 1492 by Christopher Columbus. The continent is separated from Eurasia in the west by the Bering Strait. From South America the continent is separated by the Isthmus of Panama. North America is washed from the west By the Pacific Ocean and the Bering Sea, from the east - the Atlantic Ocean.
The area of ​​the continent, including the islands, is 24.2 million square kilometers. From north to south, the length is exactly 7326 km. The islands of North America are Greenland, the West Indies, the Aleutian Islands and the Canadian Arctic Archipelago.

Physical map of North America in Russian.

North America political map in Russian.

The main states are located on the continent.

The first place is taken by Canada with a population of almost 10 million people. The second place is taken by the United States with 9629091 people. This is followed by Mexico with a population of 1,964,375. Countries with a smaller population, but no less famous are Cuba, Bahamas, Haiti, Panama and Jamaica.

Natural formations

The main mountain ranges of North America include the mountains in the east - the Appalachians. Their length is 2600 km. An equally important mountain range is the Cordillera. These are the largest mountains on Earth in terms of their length. Their length is more than 18 thousand km, and their width is 900 km.

The main rivers of the continent are the Mississippi and Missouri. The first is located in the United States and is one of the largest rivers in the world. Its length is 3770 km. It flows into the Gulf of Mexico. The Missouri is the largest tributary of the Mississippi. The river flows through ten states of the USA and two provinces of Canada.

Climate

The climate in the interior regions of the mainland is predominantly continental. In the north, it is arctic, and in the south, it is subequatorial. Average temperatures for the continent range from -36 degrees Celsius (northern part of the mainland) to 32 degrees in the southwest.