# 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:** 13\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![The\_Flying\_Dutchman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/9fc348/32.png) [@The\_Flying\_Dutchman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Flying_Dutchman)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2005, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-mexico-part-of-the-north-american-continent/328707/41 "2005-11-01T04:43:37Z")
I’ll bet most Americans don’t realize that part of France is in North America too. Yep, flys the flag northeast of the US border with Canada. ---
**Author:** ![Bambi\_Hassenpfeffer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Bambi\_Hassenpfeffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bambi_Hassenpfeffer)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2005, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-mexico-part-of-the-north-american-continent/328707/42 "2005-11-01T05:47:54Z")
> [@Polycarp](#): > > In Spanish, _yo y Pablo estamos Norteamericanos, soy Angloamericano, y Pablo y Diego son Latinoamericanos. Y todos nosotros son americanos._ BTW, **Liberal** has the right of it gramatically, because origins are expressed with _ser_. _Yo y Pablo somos norteamericanos, soy angloamericano, y Pablo y Diego son latinoamericanos. Y todos nosotros somos americanos._ But, I would say _Yo, Pablo, y Diego somos americanos – yo soy anglo, y son latinos los dos_, and drop the “American” altogether. When speaking, I get around the “American” difficulties by saying “Soy de los Estados Unidos” and leaving “americano” out completely, because “americano” doesn’t mean exactly the same thing as “American” in English, the same way that Spanish “equivocar” and English “equivocate” aren’t the same thing. ---
**Author:** ![Bambi\_Hassenpfeffer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Bambi\_Hassenpfeffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bambi_Hassenpfeffer)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2005, 6:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-mexico-part-of-the-north-american-continent/328707/43 "2005-11-01T06:01:28Z")
> [@Jayrot](#): > > Cite please? [Wikipedia disagrees](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_america#Regional_and_political_divisions) [América](http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Am%C3%A9rica) > [@Wikipedia en Español](#): > > América, llamado en la antigüedad el Nuevo Mundo, es un continente que se extiende en el hemisferio occidental de la Tierra desde el Océano Ártico por el norte hasta casi el Océano Antártico por el sur, y está a su vez cercado por el Océano Pacífico al oeste, y por el Océano Atlántico al este. > > Está formada por dos subcontinentes: América del Norte, que incluye a su vez a Centroamérica, y América del Sur. "America, called in antiquity the New World, is a continent in Earth’s western hemisphere that stretches from the Arctic Ocean in the north almost to the Antarctic Ocean in the south, and is surrounded in turn by the Pacific Ocean to the west and by the Atlantic Ocean in the east. It is formed by two subcontinents, North America, which in turn includes Central America, and South America." So, yes, the English Wikipedia disagrees; however, **CBEscapee** was referring to Spanish usage, in which I have always heard América to mean the whole shebang. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2005, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-mexico-part-of-the-north-american-continent/328707/44 "2005-11-01T06:41:54Z")
> [@CBEscapee](#): > > Do you know what the five rings on the Olypmic flag represent? > [@](#): > > This flag translates the idea of the universality of the Olympic Movement. At least one of the colours of the rings, including the white background, can be found on the flag of every nation in the world. > > But watch out! It is wrong, therefore, to believe that each of the colours corresponds to a certain continent! > **[Olympics | Olympic Games, Medals, Results & Latest News](https://olympics.com/en/)** > > Official website of the Olympic Games. Access breaking Tokyo 2020 news, plus records and video highlights from the best historic moments in global sport. ---
**Author:** ![CBEscapee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b19c9b/32.png) [@CBEscapee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CBEscapee)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2005, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-mexico-part-of-the-north-american-continent/328707/45 "2005-11-01T13:14:00Z")
> [@GorillaMan](#): > > This flag translates the idea of the universality of the Olympic Movement. At least one of the colours of the rings, including the white background, can be found on the flag of every nation in the world. > > But watch out! It is wrong, therefore, to believe that each of the colours corresponds to a certain continent! While the colors aren’t assigned to a specific continent, the rings themselves represent the five continents. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2005, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-mexico-part-of-the-north-american-continent/328707/46 "2005-11-01T13:50:25Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > the boundary between North and South America is the Panama-Colombia border. Maybe it isn’t quite that simple. Take a close look at the Panama-Colombia border: Panama stops short of the main mass of the South American continent, and Colombia occupies the easternmost end of the isthmus. Either Colombia is partly in North America, or the boundary between the two continents is undefined. The political boundary between Panama and Colombia was arbitrarily drawn when the USA incited Panama to secede from Colombia so they could strike that canal deal. I don’t see how it corresponds to any natural geography. ---
**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:** [November 1, 2005, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-mexico-part-of-the-north-american-continent/328707/47 "2005-11-01T14:30:05Z")
> [@Johanna](#): > > Maybe it isn’t quite that simple. Take a close look at the Panama-Colombia border: Panama stops short of the main mass of the South American continent, and Colombia occupies the easternmost end of the isthmus. > > Either Colombia is partly in North America, or the boundary between the two continents is undefined. The political boundary between Panama and Colombia was arbitrarily drawn when the USA incited Panama to secede from Colombia so they could strike that canal deal. I don’t see how it corresponds to any natural geography. Yes, you are quite right. I was merely speaking of the conventional delimitation of the continents. The boundary between the two continental land masses should probably go through the area of the Panama Canal, which is a low saddle between mountain ranges to the east and west and also one of the narrowest places on the isthmus (although the lowest point in the Central American isthmus I believe is in Nicaragua, and the absolute narrowest point is a little to the east). This actually corresponds with the regional biogeography, since many basically North American plants and animals get only as far south as the Canal area, and many South Amerian forms reach their northern limits here. In terms of geology, the status of eastern Panama/westernmost Colombia is somewhat indefinite. Western Panama, although of volcanic origin, has at times had connections to the main North American landmass as far back as the Oligocene. Eastern Panama is much more recent, and its core is mainly composed of uplifted oceanic crust (ophiolites) with some volcanics. Therefore eastern Panama and westernmost Colombia in geological terms don’t belong to any continent. The last oceanic straits between the Atlantic in the Pacific were in southern Nicaragua, the Panama Canal area, and westernmost Colombia, and it is somewhat uncertain which one closed last. The final closure happened about 3 million years ago. The boundary between North and South America is conventionally fixed at the Panama-Colombian boundary simply for convenience. It does not correspond to geological or biogeographic reality. But then again, the Arabian peninsula is universally considered to belong to Asia, when in reality it is geologically part of Africa. As has previously been mentioned, the boundary between the North America and Central American regions is sometimes considered to be at the political boundary between Mexico and Guatemala/Belize. However, it is also oftehn considered to be at the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, the narrowest point in the region. By this view Chiapas and the Yucatan peninsula are in Central America. ---
**Author:** ![Jayrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Jayrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jayrot)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2005, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-mexico-part-of-the-north-american-continent/328707/48 "2005-11-01T15:41:19Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > [Here](http://club.telepolis.com/geografo/regional/continentes.htm) > > “In classical antiquity 3 continents were established [as known]: Europe. Africa, and Asia. With the discovery of America and the first voyage around the world, and as a consequence geographical knowledge of them, it was necessary to add two more continents, America, which was discovered by Columbus, and Oceania, the continent of the ocean . . .These are the 5 classical continents, that are always named since they are all inhabited.” > > Note that Oceania, rather than Australia, is regarded as a continent as well, yet Europe and Asia are divided. What is a “geographical continent” is a matter of definition. Uhh…yeah. I guess I wasn’t clear. What I’m disputing (well, asking for a cite) is the assertion that anyone considers “from Mexico south [to be] one continent called América.” Every place I’ve seen either divides into three – North America, Central America, or South America. OR, Central America is part of North America. Who groups is with South America and calls it América? The cite above, just claims that the whole shebang is America. ---
**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:** [November 1, 2005, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-mexico-part-of-the-north-american-continent/328707/49 "2005-11-01T15:45:31Z")
> [@Jayrot](#): > > Uhh…yeah. I guess I wasn’t clear. What I’m disputing (well, asking for a cite) is the assertion that anyone considers “from Mexico south [to be] one continent called América.” Every place I’ve seen either divides into three – North America, Central America, or South America. OR, Central America is part of North America. Who groups is with South America and calls it América? The cite above, just claims that the whole shebang is America. I believe that you misinterpreted what **CBEscapee** was trying to say. He meant that the people\* living\* from Mexico south, than is, Latin Americans, consider North and South America to be a single continent, not that anyone considers the region from Mexico south to be a single continent. ---
**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:** [November 1, 2005, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-mexico-part-of-the-north-american-continent/328707/50 "2005-11-01T16:30:03Z")
When Pangea drifted apart, wasn’t North America (with most of Central America) part of Laurasia and South America part of Gondwanaland? ---
**Author:** ![Jayrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Jayrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jayrot)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2005, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-mexico-part-of-the-north-american-continent/328707/51 "2005-11-01T16:39:45Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > I believe that you misinterpreted what **CBEscapee** was trying to say. He meant that the people\* living\* from Mexico south, than is, Latin Americans, consider North and South America to be a single continent, not that anyone considers the region from Mexico south to be a single continent. Ahh, OK. Perhaps I’ve parsed his sentence wrong. ---
**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:** [November 1, 2005, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-mexico-part-of-the-north-american-continent/328707/52 "2005-11-01T16:43:17Z")
> [@NoClueBoy](#): > > When Pangea drifted apart, wasn’t North America (with most of Central America) part of Laurasia and South America part of Gondwanaland? Yes. There is some question as to where exactly the blocks of continental crust that make up parts of Mexico and Central America came from, but they probably were attached to Laurasia originally. Northern Central America as far as Nicaragua is a block of continental crust known as the Chortis Terrane. The rest was once a volcanic island arc to the south of it. (And at one time the present Greater Antilles seem to have been positioned as an archipelago where Central America is now; they later drifted eastward to be replaced by the new island arc that formed southern Central America). ---
**Author:** ![CBEscapee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b19c9b/32.png) [@CBEscapee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CBEscapee)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2005, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-mexico-part-of-the-north-american-continent/328707/53 "2005-11-01T20:22:41Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > I believe that you misinterpreted what **CBEscapee** was trying to say. He meant that the people\* living\* from Mexico south, than is, Latin Americans, consider North and South America to be a single continent, not that anyone considers the region from Mexico south to be a single continent. Yes, thanks Colibri, that is what I meant but I can see Jayrot’s misinterpreting it. My fault for not making myself understood. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-mexico-part-of-the-north-american-continent/328707.md?page=2)