North America is the third-largest continent on Earth, after Asia and Africa. It covers an area of approximately 9,355,000 square miles (24,230,000 square kilometers).
North America occupies a landmass in the Northern and Western Hemispheres. It is home to 23 countries, which extends from the Alaskan island chain in the northwest to Panama in Central America.
The first people of America traveled from Asia to what is now known as Alaska. Indigenous peoples inhabited the continent long before European exploration and colonization in the 15th to 20th centuries. In fact, the name “America” is derived from one of the earliest European explorers, Amerigo Vespucci.
Geographically, North America is bounded by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the North Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the North Pacific Ocean to the west.
Related: How many countries are there in the world?
Countries in North America in alphabetical order
Here is the alphabetical list of North American countries with their capitals. We have also included the countries’ regions, the international standard for country codes (ISO 3166), and the continent.
🗺️ Looking for a map of all the North American countries with their names and borders? You’ll find it further down the page, or you can jump straight to the map here.
Download: List of the North American countries.
North American map
The continent of North America can be divided into five distinctive regions: the mountainous west, the Great Plains, the Canadian Shield, the varied eastern region, and the Caribbean.
Our printable North American maps show the exact locations of each country.
View their country flags here.
How many countries are in North America?
There are 23 countries in North America according to the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) World Factbook: Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Canada, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, United States.
Recommended reading: Which of these countries belong to Latin America?
United Nations members in North America
The United Nations (UN) recognizes all 23 countries as sovereign nations:
- Antigua and Barbuda
- Bahamas
- Barbados
- Belize
- Canada
- Costa Rica
- Cuba
- Dominica
- Dominican Republic
- El Salvador
- Grenada
- Guatemala
- Haiti
- Honduras
- Jamaica
- Mexico
- Nicaragua
- Panama
- Saint Kitts and Nevis
- Saint Lucia
- Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
- Trinidad and Tobago
- United States of America
The UN recognizes a total of 33 members of the Latin American and Caribbean regional group, with the other states found on the continent of South America.
View all country names worldwide.
Caitriona Maria is an education writer and owner of The Facts Institute. With seven years of teaching experience and a background in educational content, she specialises in creating clear reference resources about countries, geography and global topics.
Naa-Atswei Mawufemor Lomo is a content writer who contributes educational articles to The Facts Institute. With a background in communication and digital publishing, she specialises in presenting complex information in an accessible and reader-friendly way.