7/18/2019 The secrets

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The Americas, or America,[5][6][7] also known as the Western Hemisphere,[8] and the New World,

are the combined continental landmasses of North America and South America.[][!"][!!] Alon# with

their  associated islands, the$ co%er 8.&' of the (arth)s total surface area *+8.' of its land

area-. The too#rah$ is dominated b$ the American /ordillera, a lon# chain of mountains thatrun the len#th of the west coast. The flatter eastern side of the Americas is dominated b$ lar#e

ri%er basins, such as the Ama0on, 1ississii, and 2a 3lata. Since the Americas e4tend

!,""" km *8,7"" mi- from north to south, the climate and ecolo#$ %ar$ widel$, from the

arctic tundra of  Northern /anada, reenland, and Alaska, to the troical rain forests in /entral

 America and South America.

umans first settled the Americas from Asia between +,""" and !7,""" $ears a#o. A second

mi#ration of Naene seakers followed later from Asia. The subse9uent mi#ration of

the :nuit into the neoarctic around &5"" ;/( comleted what is #enerall$ re#arded as thesettlement b$ the indi#enous eoles of the Americas. The first known (uroean settlement in

the Americas was b$ the Norse e4lorer  2eif (ricson.[!+]owe%er the coloni0ation ne%er became

ermanent and was later abandoned. The %o$a#es of /hristoher /olumbus from !+ to !5"+

resulted in ermanent contact with (uroean *and subse9uentl$, other <ld =orld- owers, which

led to the /olumbian e4chan#e. iseases introduced from (uroe and Africa de%astated the

:ndi#enous eoles, and the (uroean owers colonised the Americas.[!&] 1ass emi#ration from

(uroe, includin# lar#e numbers of indentured ser%ants, and forced immi#ration of African

sla%es lar#el$ relaced the :ndi#enous 3eoles. ;e#innin# with the American >e%olution in !776

and aitian >e%olution in !7!, the (uroean owers be#an to decolonise the Americas. 

/urrentl$, almost all of the oulation of the Americas resides in indeendent countries? howe%er,

the le#ac$ of the colonisation and settlement b$ (uroeans is that the Americas share man$

common cultural traits, most notabl$ /hristianit$ and the use of  :ndo(uroean lan#ua#es? 

rimaril$ Sanish, (n#lish, 3ortu#uese, @rench and to a lesser e4tent, utch.

1ore than "" million eole li%e in the Americas, with o%er 65' of them li%in# in one of the

three most oulous countries *the nited States,;ra0il, and 1e4ico-. The most oulous cities

are SBo 3aulo, 1e4ico /it$ and New Cork /it$.