You’ve probably seen the confusion online. Someone says "America" and a heated debate erupts over whether they mean the United States or the entire landmass from the Arctic to the tip of Chile. It’s a mess.
Honestly, the answer to what countries are in america depends entirely on who you ask and where they went to school. If you're in a classroom in London or New York, you're likely taught that North and South America are two totally separate continents. But head to a school in Mexico City or Buenos Aires, and you'll hear that "América" is one single, giant continent.
Let's clear the air. There are 35 independent countries in the Americas.
Some are massive, like Canada, which basically feels like it never ends when you're driving across it. Others are tiny island nations in the Caribbean that you could walk across in an afternoon. To make sense of it all, we usually break them down into four main "neighborhoods."
Breaking Down What Countries Are in America by Region
People love to argue about where the lines are drawn. Is Mexico in North America? Yes. Is it in Central America? Geographically, no, though it shares a lot of cultural DNA with its southern neighbors.
North America (The Big Three and a Half)
The heavy hitters live here. You have Canada, the United States, and Mexico. These three make up the vast majority of the land.
Then there’s Greenland. It’s a bit of a weird one. Geographically, it’s 100% sitting on the North American tectonic plate. It’s right there next to Canada. But politically? It’s an autonomous territory of Denmark. So, while it’s part of the American landmass, it’s not an independent "country in America" in the way the others are.
The Central American Bridge
This is the narrow strip of land that acts like a bridge connecting the two giants. It’s made up of seven countries:
- Belize (The only one where English is the official language)
- Costa Rica (No standing army since 1948—pretty cool, right?)
- El Salvador
- Guatemala
- Honduras
- Nicaragua
- Panama (Home to that famous canal everyone knows about)
The Caribbean Islands
This is where things get crowded. You have 13 independent nations scattered across the sea. You’ve got the big ones like Cuba, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and Jamaica. Then you have the "Small Island Developing States" like Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, the Bahamas, and Trinidad and Tobago.
Don't forget the territories. Places like Puerto Rico (USA), Aruba (Netherlands), and Martinique (France) aren't sovereign countries, even though they have their own Olympic teams or distinct cultures.
South America (The Southern Powerhouse)
Twelve countries call this continent home. Brazil is the obvious monster here—it takes up nearly half the landmass and is the only one where Portuguese is the main language.
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The others? Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay, and Venezuela. There’s also French Guiana, but just like Greenland, it’s technically an overseas department of France. You could basically use Euros to buy a baguette there, which feels wild given it’s bordered by the Amazon rainforest.
Why the Definition Changes Depending on Your Language
Language plays a huge role in the confusion. In English, "America" is almost always shorthand for the USA. If an American says "I'm from America," nobody thinks they mean they’re from Peru.
But in Spanish, Portuguese, or French, "América" refers to the whole Western Hemisphere. To someone in Brazil, calling a person from the US an "American" feels a bit like someone from France claiming the word "European" only belongs to them. They prefer the term estadounidense (United States-ian).
It’s a subtle distinction, but it matters. It’s why people get so salty in comment sections.
Major Misconceptions About the Americas
Most people think of the Americas as just "North and South." We forget the sheer diversity of the Caribbean and the fact that some of these countries are among the fastest-growing travel spots in 2026.
Take El Salvador, for instance. Ten years ago, it wasn't exactly on most people's bucket lists. Now, it's being rebranded as "Surf City" and is seeing a massive influx of travelers. Or Guyana, which is technically in South America but feels much more like a Caribbean nation in terms of culture and music.
Geography isn't just lines on a map; it's how people live.
What Most Maps Get Wrong
If you're looking at a standard Mercator projection map, you’re being lied to. Greenland looks as big as Africa on those maps. In reality, Africa is about 14 times larger.
This distortion makes the "countries in America" look much bigger or smaller than they actually are. Brazil is actually larger than the contiguous United States. Canada is the second-largest country on Earth, yet it only has a population smaller than California.
The scale of the Americas is hard to wrap your head around until you actually start moving through them.
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Actionable Steps for Exploring the Americas
If you're looking to dive deeper into the geography or planning a trip, here's how to actually use this info:
- Check Visa Requirements by Region: Don't assume that because you can enter one country, you can enter them all. The "CA-4" agreement (Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua) allows for easy travel between those four, but crossing into Belize or Costa Rica requires a separate check.
- Learn the Currency Nuances: While Panama and El Salvador use the US Dollar, most other countries have their own currencies. Interestingly, in many Caribbean nations, the Eastern Caribbean Dollar is pegged to the US Dollar, making the math a lot easier.
- Respect the Labels: If you're traveling in South or Central America, try to avoid referring to the US as just "America." It goes a long way in building rapport with locals who are proud of their own American identity.
- Look Beyond the Capitals: In countries like Bolivia, the "capital" situation is confusing. Sucre is the constitutional capital, but La Paz is where the government actually sits. Knowing these quirks helps you understand the internal politics and history better.
The Americas are a massive, complicated, and beautiful collection of 35 nations. Whether you're interested in the glaciers of the north or the pampas of the south, understanding the actual breakdown of these countries is the first step to seeing the region for what it really is: a giant, interconnected neighborhood.