North America is the upper portion of the vast region called the Americas, and its main divisions are Greenland, Canada and the United States. Also named the New World, this continent has long been a symbol of a land of promise and opportunity for hopeful migrants. With plentiful natural resources, extensive forests, fertile land and huge water supplies, it has become a successful region economically.Comprised of twenty-three countries, North America is a place of extreme cultural diversity. Traditions, religions, languages, food and music all carry the rich influence of those who have settled there. Asiatic groups travelled from Siberia over the ice thousands of years ago, and Indians and Inuits are their present-day descendants. European settlers arrived in ships seeking more land to occupy and develop, African slaves were brought over to work the land, and Asian and Latin American migrants also moved in.While English is the principal language of the region, French is spoken in parts of Canada, Spanish is widely used by Hispanics in the United States, and indigenous languages are kept alive in many areas, including Greenland.
