North America North America consists of three large nations and one large island territory that covers most of its area. They are Canada, the United States of America (USA), Mexico and Greenland. There are also seven smaller nations at its southern extreme (collectively known as Central America), and around two dozen island nations and territories of various sizes in the Caribbean and one isolated French territory off the Canadian Atlantic coast. Although the Central American and the Caribbean regions are technically part of the North American continent, they are commonly listed separately from their larger neighbors to the north and hence the distinctive region names for both cultural and geographical reasons.