Continental Giants: Discovering the Top 10 Largest Countries in North America

What are the biggest countries in North America? 24,709,000 km2 (9,540,000 mi2) is the overall area of North America, which is made up of 23 countries and other regions.

In this article, we count down the largest countries in North America.

Canada (3,854,083 square miles)

A total of 37.74 million people live in Canada today. According to current forecasts, the population will reach 50 million by the year 2070. It is expanding steadily.

Canada rises at one of the quickest rates among the G7 members, outpacing several other developed nations. During the previous ten years, Canada’s growth rate varied between 0.8% and 1.2%.

According to forecasts using the most recent United Nations data, Canada now has a population of 38,809,937 people. A population of 38,781,291 is predicted by the UN on July 1, 2023.

United States (3,617,827 square miles)

The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), sometimes also known as the United States or colloquially as America, is a nation primarily in North America. It’s made up of 50 states, a federal district, five significant unincorporated territories, nine Minor Outlying Islands, and 326 Indian reservations. In terms of both land area and overall area, it is the third-largest country in the globe.

It has maritime boundaries with the Bahamas, Cuba, Russia, and other countries, along with shared land borders with Canada and Mexico to the north and south, respectively.

As of April 1, 2020, the United States had 3,617,827 residents, making it the third-most populous country in the world behind China and India.

Mexico (761,610 square miles)

Mexico is a nation in the southern part of North America, officially known as the United Mexican States. It shares borders with the United States to the north, Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea to the southeast, the Gulf of Mexico to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the south and west.

It has an area of 1,972,550 km2 (761,610 sq mi). And, Mexico is the world’s 13^th-largest country by land area. It is also the 10^th-most populous nation and home to the greatest number of Spanish-speaking people, with over 126 million people.

Nicaragua (50,324 square miles)

One of the largest nations in Central America is Nicaragua. It is bordered by Honduras to the north, Costa Rica to the south, the Caribbean to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west.

With a 2016 estimated population of 1,042,641, Managua’s capital is the largest city. Over 5 million people lived in the Pacific, Central, and North regions in 2005, and 700,000 people lived in the Caribbean.

Currently, the overall area of the land is 130,370 km2 (50,336 mi2), and the length of its coastlines is 910 km (565.4 mi).

The expatriate population is expanding; most of them have moved to Managua, Granada, and San Juan del Sur. They come from all over the world, primarily for business, investment, or retirement, including the US, Canada, Taiwan, and European nations.

Honduras (43,422 square miles)

Approximately 112,492 km2 (43,433 sq mi) in size, Honduras is home to more than 10 million people. The demographics and culture of the region indicate that its northern regions are a part of the western Caribbean region.

Honduras is popular for its abundance of natural resources, mainly minerals, sugar cane, coffee, tropical fruits, and coffee.

Cuba (42,415 square miles)

Cuba is an island nation that includes the island of Cuba, Isla de la Juventud, and many smaller archipelagos. Cuba is situated where the Atlantic Ocean, the Gulf of Mexico, and the northern Caribbean Sea converge.

The territory of the Republic of Cuba is officially 109,884 km2 (42,426 sq mi) in size (territorial waters excluded), but this figure includes the exclusive economic zone, bringing the total to 350,730 km2 (135,420 sq mi). With almost 11 million citizens, Cuba is the Caribbean nation with the second-highest population, behind Haiti.

Guatemala (42,031 square miles)

The Republic of Guatemala is a Central American country. Its neighbours are Mexico to the north and west, Belize to the northeast, Honduras to the east, and El Salvador to the southeast. It was bordered to the southeast by the Gulf of Honduras and to the south by the Pacific Ocean.

17,608,483 people call Guatemala home as per 2021 estimates. This represents the fastest population growth in the Western Hemisphere throughout the 20^th century, up from 885,000 in 1900.

The land spans 400 km (248.5 mi) of shoreline and has a total size of 108,890 km2 (42,043 mi). This land area makes up roughly 104% of Kentucky’s total area.

Panama (28,640 square miles)

A transcontinental nation in Central America, Panama stretches from the southernmost point of North America to the northernmost region of South America.

Panama City, the nation’s capital and largest city, is where almost all of the nation’s approximately 4 million residents live in its urban region.

The entire country of Panama covers 74,177.3 km2 (28,640.0 sq mi).

Costa Rica (19,710 square miles)

Costa Rica, often known as the Republic of Costa Rica, is a nation in North America’s Central American area. 

About five million people are living there, spread out over a land area of 51,060 km2 (19,710 sq mi). San José, the nation’s capital and largest city, is home to about 333,980 people, and the surrounding metropolitan region is home to almost two million people.

Belize (8,867 square miles)

On Central America’s northeastern coast sits a country called Belize. It shares borders with Guatemala to the west and south, Mexico to the north, and the Caribbean Sea to the east.

441,471 people are living there as of 2022, and it is 22,970 square kilometres (8,867 square miles) in size. About 110 km (68 mi) wide and 290 km (180 mi) long make up its major landmass. 

Conclusion

Canada, with a total area of 9,984,670 km2 (3,854,083 mi2), is the largest country in North America. The population of Canada is over 37.4 million, with the majority of people residing in the south of the nation, close to the American border.

It’s followed by other bigger countries in North America such as the United States, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Honduras.