Last updated on May 10th, 2022 at 12:01 am
By land area, North America is the third-largest continent in the world which spans 24.71 million km². It is made up of 23 countries.
With 592,296,233 people living it, the United States of America has the highest population in that continent having 329.5 million people according to the 2020 World Bank sources.
However, by land area, Canada is the largest in North America covering 9.98 million square kilometres. By that size, Canada is also the world’s second-largest country by total area.
Of all the 23 countries in North America, America and Canada have the most buoyant economy and their currencies US dollar (USD) and Canadian dollar (CAD) are the most popular and used means of exchange.
Other currencies in that continent have their independent currencies but they are not as used as the USD and CAD. In fact, the USD is the most currency in global trade, followed by the Euro (EUR).
Below is a list of the North American countries and the name of their legal tender.
| Countries | Currency | Symbol |
| Antigua and Barbuda | Eastern Caribbean dollar (XCD) | $ |
| Barbados | Barbadian Dollar (BBD) | Bds$ |
| Bahamas | Bahamian Dollar (BSD) | B$ |
| Belize | Belize Dollar (BZD) | $ |
| Dominica | East Caribbean dollar (XCD) | $ |
| Cuba | Cuban peso (CUP) | $MN |
| Canada | Canadian Dollar (CAD) | C$ |
| Dominican Republic | Dominican peso (DOP) | RD$ |
| Costa Rica | Costa Rican colón (CRC) | ₡ |
| Grenada | Eastern Caribbean dollar (XCD) | $ |
| Guatemala | Guatemalan Quetzal (GTQ) | Q |
| El Salvador | Salvadoran colón (SVC) | SVC, BTC |
| Honduras | Honduran Lempira (HNL) | L |
| Jamaica | Jamaican Dollar (JMD) | JA$ |
| Haiti | Haitian Gourde (HTG) | G |
| Mexico | Mexican peso (MXN) | Mex$ |
| Panama | Panamanian balboa (PAB) | B/ |
| Saint Kitts and Nevis | Eastern Caribbean dollar (XCD) | $ |
| Nicaragua | Nicaraguan Córdoba (NIO) | C$ |
| Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | Eastern Caribbean dollar (XCD) | $ |
| Saint Lucia | Eastern Caribbean dollar (XCD) | $ |
| United States of America | United States Dollar (USD) | $ |
| Trinidad and Tobago | Trinidad and Tobago dollar (TTD) | TT$ |
Dependent Territories In North America
North America also houses more than 24 dependent territories, but two of them are disputed (Bajo Nuevo Bank and Serranilla Bank).
It should be noted that some of the dependent territories are highly sought-after vacation locations. For instance, Bermuda, Bermuda and US Virgin Islands among others.
Below is a list of dependent territories in North America and the sovereign countries that claim them
| Territories | Claimants |
| Aruba | Netherlands |
| British Virgin Islands | UK |
| Cayman Islands | UK |
| Anguilla | UK |
| Bermuda | UK |
| Clipperton Island | France |
| Saint Barthélemy | France |
| Montserrat | UK |
| Bonaire | Netherlands |
| Curaçao | Netherlands |
| Sint Maarten | Netherlands |
| Saint Martin | France |
| Turks and Caicos | UK |
| Saba | Netherlands |
| Puerto Rico | USA |
| Greenland | Denmark |
| Navassa Island | USA |
| Guadeloupe | France |
| Martinique | France |
| US Virgin Islands | USA |
| Saint Pierre and Miquelon | France |
| Sint Eustatius | Netherlands |
| Serranilla Bank | USA and Colombia |
| Bajo Nuevo Bank | Colombia, Jamaica, USA |
Note: Research has also shown that some extremely wealthy people around the world use some of the dependent territories to hide their wealth.
Featured image
- By pixabay
