# Is Mexico part of the North American continent? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 31, 2005, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-mexico-part-of-the-north-american-continent/328707 "2005-10-31T13:01:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![BluePitbull](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e9bcb4/32.png) [@BluePitbull](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BluePitbull)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2005, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-mexico-part-of-the-north-american-continent/328707/1 "2005-10-31T13:01:31Z")
I thought it was part of North America, along with Central America. However some people do not consider Mexico as part of North America, (one Canadian told me that he does not want Mexico to be considered North America 😕 ). Is there a good reason for this? I thought it has something to do with the Geographical tectonic plates or culture of the people. Also, is the Bahamas part of the Caribbean, West Indies or both? ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2005, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-mexico-part-of-the-north-american-continent/328707/2 "2005-10-31T13:12:11Z")
Well those sort of lines are arbitrary as heck. Which continent am I on now? I vote for Asia. I count Mexico as one of the four countries of North America. But that is just me. Central America is the five republics, of course, and so Panama is not in Central America. Historically, Panama does not look to Central America, but towards the Caribbean. Go figure. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2005, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-mexico-part-of-the-north-american-continent/328707/3 "2005-10-31T13:22:18Z")
> [@Paul in Saudi](#): > > Well those sort of lines are arbitrary as heck. > > I count Mexico as one of the four countries of North America. But that is just me. > > . Four? Mexico, USA, Canada… and what other one? Texas? 😛 Yeah, Mexico seems to get pasted in North America and Central America, depending on who’s doing the talking. ---
**Author:** ![Epimetheus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c4cdca/32.png) [@Epimetheus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Epimetheus)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2005, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-mexico-part-of-the-north-american-continent/328707/4 "2005-10-31T13:25:08Z")
> [@NoClueBoy](#): > > Four? > > Mexico, USA, Canada… and what other one? Texas? 😛 Mexico, USA, Canada and Greenland? ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2005, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-mexico-part-of-the-north-american-continent/328707/5 "2005-10-31T13:32:39Z")
> [@Epimetheus](#): > > Mexico, USA, Canada and Greenland? :smack: Thanks. [North America](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_America) “Most, however, tend to see Central America as a region of North America, considering it too small to be a continent on its own. Greenland, although a part of North America geographically, is not considered to be part of the continent politically.” ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2005, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-mexico-part-of-the-north-american-continent/328707/6 "2005-10-31T13:43:36Z")
Mexicans are, naturally, very sensitive about making sure that gringos remember that they are also _Americans_ , along with anyone else down to Tierra del Fuego. As for _North_ America, however, they’re just as confused as you are. They do not consider themselves Central Americans, yet the most common expression to refer to U.S. and Canadian citizens (but not Mexicans) is _norteamericanos_ , i.e. “North Americans”. If pressed, most Mexicans would say that Mexico is part of North America, and that the _norteamericano_ expression is just one of those funny linguistic quirks. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2005, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-mexico-part-of-the-north-american-continent/328707/7 "2005-10-31T13:51:22Z")
I’ve never seen Central America referred to as a continent, so in my opinion Panama and all nations north of it are in North America and the boundary between North and South America is the Panama-Colombia border. ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2005, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-mexico-part-of-the-north-american-continent/328707/8 "2005-10-31T14:01:07Z")
> [@JKellyMap](#): > > Mexicans are, naturally, very sensitive about making sure that gringos remember that they are also _Americans_ , along with anyone else down to Tierra del Fuego. … They do not consider themselves Central Americans, yet the most common expression to refer to U.S. and Canadian citizens (but not Mexicans) is _norteamericanos_ , i.e. “North Americans”. Of course in the case of Americans, the other alternative is _estadosunidenses_, so _norteamericanos_ is arguably easier to pronounce. Here in the north of Mexico, though, there seem to be a large number of people who simply call Americans \*americanos[i/] without the qualifying _norte_. We’re close to the border, so that may have something to do with it. And once someone realizes a Canadian isn’t an American, they’re _canadienses_, but I’m not sure if that’s to flatter Canadians or just to be precise. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2005, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-mexico-part-of-the-north-american-continent/328707/9 "2005-10-31T14:22:59Z")
As has been suggested by some of the previous responses, “North America” has a variety of definitions. No one of them is “correct,” they are each perfectly correct in their own context. North America as a _continent_ is usually considered to include the US, Canada, Mexico, and Central America as far as the border of Panama and Colombia. The core continental geological blocks extend well into Mexico; there are other blocks of continental crust that were once islands that extend into western Panama. Over the past several million years these islands have been stitched together by volcanic eruptions and by raising of oceanic crust until they formed a continuous connection with South America. North America as a _geographic region_ includes Canada, the US, and Mexico. Central America as a region in distinction to North America includes everything from Guatemala and Belize down to Panama. North America as a _cultural region_ includes Canada and the US, more-or-less equivalent to anglo-America (plus francophone Quebec). Latin America includes the Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking countries to the south. “Central America” as a cultural region includes just the countries of the old Central American federation (Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica), and excludes Panama (which used to be part of Colombia, and has little in common with the rest of the region) and Belize. ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2005, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-mexico-part-of-the-north-american-continent/328707/10 "2005-10-31T14:23:43Z")
Right, counting Denmark (Greenland). Of course some minor islands are still French, but that would be picky. ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2005, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-mexico-part-of-the-north-american-continent/328707/11 "2005-10-31T14:23:59Z")
If you’re going to count Greenland as another country of North America, you might as well count St. Pierre & Miquelon too. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2005, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-mexico-part-of-the-north-american-continent/328707/12 "2005-10-31T14:27:25Z")
> [@cmkeller](#): > > If you’re going to count Greenland as another country of North America, you might as well count St. Pierre & Miquelon too. And Bermuda ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2005, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-mexico-part-of-the-north-american-continent/328707/13 "2005-10-31T14:32:56Z")
> [@BluePitbull](#): > > Also, is the Bahamas part of the Caribbean, West Indies or both? The Bahamas are regarded as part of the West Indies. Though not technically part of the Caribbean (since they do not border the Caribbean Sea itself), they are often considered part of it, especially if “the Caribbean” is considered to be a region distinct from North and South America. Greenland is geologically part of North America, having split off from the main continent many millions of years ago. In political contexts, however, it is often considered part of the European region because of its association with Denmark. All these things depend on context; there is no single correct answer. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2005, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-mexico-part-of-the-north-american-continent/328707/14 "2005-10-31T14:35:36Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > North America as a _cultural region_ includes Canada and the US, more-or-less equivalent to anglo-America (plus francophone Quebec). Latin America includes the Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking countries to the south. “Central America” as a cultural region includes just the countries of the old Central American federation (Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica), and excludes Panama (which used to be part of Colombia, and has little in common with the rest of the region) and Belize. What do you do with English-speaking Belize? ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2005, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-mexico-part-of-the-north-american-continent/328707/15 "2005-10-31T14:40:39Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > What do you do with English-speaking Belize? In a cultural context, Belize (and Guyana) are often considered to be part of the Caribbean, since culturally they are closely related to the former colonies of the British West Indies. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2005, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-mexico-part-of-the-north-american-continent/328707/16 "2005-10-31T15:49:31Z")
> [@JKellyMap](#): > > Mexicans are, naturally, very sensitive about making sure that gringos remember that they are also _Americans_ , along with anyone else down to Tierra del Fuego. … If pressed, most Mexicans would say that Mexico is part of North America, and that the _norteamericano_ expression is just one of those funny linguistic quirks. The same kind of linguistic quirk that allows the people of the United States to refer to themselves as “Americans” without further qualifiers. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Bytegeist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9dc877/32.png) [@Bytegeist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bytegeist)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2005, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-mexico-part-of-the-north-american-continent/328707/17 "2005-10-31T20:10:41Z")
Speaking personally, I think we should get to claim half of [Iceland](http://pubs.usgs.gov/publications/graphics/Fig16.gif) too. They have great sagas. ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2005, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-mexico-part-of-the-north-american-continent/328707/18 "2005-10-31T20:50:27Z")
Not to be a smartalec, but “North America” is for me either a _geologic_ or _geographical_ term. And the areas covered by the two are synonymous: The continent, and coastal islands, incorporating Canada, the U.S.A., Mexico, Belize, and the six republics on the Central American isthmus. In terms of tectonic plates, yes, Greenland and the countries of the West Indies are included there as well. In terms of _sociocultural_ realms, the New World divides quite well into Anglo-America (Canada, the U.S., and the Bahamas) and Ibero-America (from Tiajuana and Matamoras south to Tierra del Fuego), with the West Indies as a melting pot of both cultures and other influences (French, Dutch, African…). Granted that this leaves out some major cultural enclaves, such as Quebec, the Anglo coast of Honduras, the Guianas, the significant ethnic-minority cultures in Brazil and Argentina, it gives a fairly good “big picture” array. It’s probably worth mentioning that in terms of _biogeographical realms_, the Nearctic Realm includes the U.S., Canada, and northern Mexico, while the Neotropical Realm picks up halfway across Mexico and continues south to include all of South America. Again the West Indies are transitional, with Cuba largely Nearctic, Trinidad almost totally Neotropical, and the places in between covering the spectrum. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2005, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-mexico-part-of-the-north-american-continent/328707/19 "2005-10-31T20:59:51Z")
> [@JKellyMap](#): > > Mexicans are, naturally, very sensitive about making sure that gringos remember that they are also _Americans_ , along with anyone else down to Tierra del Fuego. Well, they would be wrong, at least in English. In the English language, only citizens of the United States of America are Americans, just as only citizens of the United States of Mexico are Mexicans. Things get very confusing when people from Brazil are called Americans, and for no good reason. ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2005, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-mexico-part-of-the-north-american-continent/328707/20 "2005-10-31T21:21:54Z")
> [@Derleth](#): > > Well, they would be wrong, at least in English. In the English language, only citizens of the United States of America are Americans, just as only citizens of the United States of Mexico are Mexicans. > > Things get very confusing when people from Brazil are called Americans, and for no good reason. That would be fine, except that we don’t get to arrogate to ourselves what the usage of the English language is. With reference to the New World, I am an American, Pablo is a Mexican, and Diego is a Peruvian. But as against Niles from Manchester and Hipolito from Madrid, the three of us are Americans. In Spanish, _yo y Pablo estamos Norteamericanos, soy Angloamericano, y Pablo y Diego son Latinoamericanos. Y todos nosotros son americanos._ [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-mexico-part-of-the-north-american-continent/328707.md?page=2)