It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, North Atlantic Ocean to the east, Caribbean Sea to the southeast, and by the North Pacific Ocean to the south and west. North America covers an area of about 9,450,000 square miles (24,490,000 square kilometers), making it the third largest continent in the world. It covers 16.4% of the Earth's land area and 4.8% of the planet's total surface area. The population was estimated at over 514,600,000 in 2006, and in 2007, the United States alone had a population of 301,139,947 with a growth rate of 0.894%.
Excluding a tropical wet climate, North America experiences every major type of climate/weather. Most of the continent experiences a temperate climate, excluding Hawaii (tropical), Florida (tropical), and Alaska (arctic), with generally low winter temperatures in the northwestern United States. This climate is subject to change however, with the threat of many natural hazards such as tsunamis, flooding, volcanoes, earthquakes, forest fires, and hurricanes. The terrain is sporadic and includes a large central plain with mountains in the west, hills and low mountains in the east, rugged mountains and broad river valleys in Alaska, and rocky, volcanic topography in Hawaii. There are many natural resources including coal, copper, lead, gold, and petroleum.
The languages found most often in North America are English, Spanish, and French, and the United States experiences a net migration rate of about 3.05 migrants per 1,000 people. Due to the religious freedom generally accepted throughout the continent, the North American population practices many different religions including, but not limited to, Christianity, Catholicism, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Unitarianism. Nearly 80% of the North American population lives in metropolitan areas, the largest of which are Mexico City, New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Miami. The United States has the largest and most technologically powerful economy in the entire world, with a per capita GDP of $46,000 in 2007.
North America depends heavily on agricultural success and produces wheat, corn, grains, fruit, vegetables, and cotton. Furthermore, North America provides a steady supply of beef, pork, poultry, dairy products, fish, and forest products. Following the trend of extreme consumption, the North American population is also the world's largest consumer of cocaine as well as many other illicit drugs.
