Size is relative, right? When you’re stuck in a three-hour traffic jam on the 405 in Los Angeles or navigating the endless tundra of Nunavut, the continent feels infinite. But if you're looking for the hard data on how many square miles are in North America, the answer is roughly 9.5 million square miles.
That is a massive amount of dirt, rock, and ice.
To be precise, most geographers and organizations like National Geographic and the Encyclopedia Britannica pin the number at approximately 9,449,000 square miles (or about 24,709,000 square kilometers). It’s the third-largest continent on Earth. It sits right behind Asia and Africa in the global rankings. It accounts for about 16.5% of the planet’s total land area.
But here’s the thing. That number isn't just a static digit on a map. It changes depending on who you ask and what they consider "North America." Are we talking just the big three—Canada, the United States, and Mexico? Or are we diving into the 23 sovereign states that actually make up the continental landmass and its surrounding islands?
Why the square mileage of North America is actually up for debate
Geography is messy. You’d think by 2026 we’d have every inch measured to the millimeter, and while satellite imagery is incredible, the definition of a "continent" is surprisingly fluid.
Most people forget that Central America is technically part of North America. If you chop off everything south of Mexico, your square mileage drops significantly. But geologically and cartographically, countries like Guatemala, Belize, Costa Rica, and Panama are firmly tucked into the North American tally.
Then there’s Greenland.
Greenland is a beast. It covers about 836,300 square miles. While it’s politically tied to Denmark (Europe), it sits squarely on the North American tectonic plate. If you strip Greenland away because of its political affiliations, the total area of North America shrinks by nearly 10%. That’s a huge discrepancy when you're trying to figure out how many square miles are in North America for a research project or a trivia night.
The Big Three: Breaking down the heavy hitters
When we visualize the continent, our brains go straight to the giants.
✨ Don't miss: What Time in South Korea: Why the Peninsula Stays Nine Hours Ahead
Canada is the king of the north. It’s the largest country in North America and the second-largest in the world. It takes up roughly 3.85 million square miles. It’s mostly trees, lakes, and "The Great White North," with a population density that makes the Sahara look crowded in some spots.
The United States isn't far behind. Depending on whether you count coastal waters and territorial seas, the U.S. covers about 3.5 to 3.8 million square miles. This includes the non-contiguous bits like Alaska—which is a whopping 663,300 square miles on its own—and Hawaii.
Mexico adds another 761,600 square miles to the pot. It’s the rugged, mountainous anchor of the southern part of the main landmass.
If you add those three together, you’re already over 8.4 million square miles. The rest is filled in by the Caribbean nations and the seven countries of Central America.
The "hidden" square miles: Islands and territories
We often ignore the islands.
The Caribbean is a scattered mosaic of land that adds thousands of square miles to the total. Cuba is the biggest of the bunch, covering about 42,426 square miles. Then you have places like Hispaniola (shared by the Dominican Republic and Haiti), Jamaica, and Puerto Rico.
While these islands seem small compared to the vastness of the Canadian Shield, they are integral to the geographic definition of the continent.
You also have to consider the Arctic islands. Canada’s Arctic Archipelago is a labyrinth of frozen land. Baffin Island alone is nearly 200,000 square miles. That’s larger than many European countries. These regions are sparsely populated but occupy a massive chunk of the North American footprint.
🔗 Read more: Where to Stay in Seoul: What Most People Get Wrong
Does the shoreline change the math?
Honestly, calculating land area is a bit of a nightmare because of the "Coastline Paradox." The more closely you measure a coastline, the longer it gets. While this usually applies to length rather than area, the way we define the boundary between land and sea—especially in marshy areas like Louisiana or the melting permafrost of the Arctic—can shift the numbers.
Climate change is actually physically altering the square mileage.
As sea levels rise, low-lying coastal areas are being swallowed. Conversely, in parts of the far north, the land is actually rising through a process called post-glacial rebound. The weight of the old ice sheets is gone, and the Earth's crust is slowly springing back up like a foam mattress. It’s a slow process, but it’s a reminder that the earth is a living, changing thing.
Comparing North America to the rest of the world
To really understand the scale of how many square miles are in North America, you have to look at its neighbors.
- Asia: The undisputed heavyweight at 17.2 million square miles.
- Africa: A massive 11.7 million square miles.
- North America: Our 9.45 million square miles.
- South America: Trailing at 6.89 million square miles.
- Antarctica: Around 5.5 million square miles.
- Europe: A relatively compact 3.9 million square miles.
- Australia/Oceania: The smallest at 3.3 million square miles.
North America is essentially two-and-a-half times the size of Europe. You could fit the entire United Kingdom into North America about 100 times. It’s a scale that is hard to wrap your head around until you’ve tried to drive across it.
The impact of the North American Tectonic Plate
If you want to get really nerdy about it, the North American plate doesn't perfectly align with the geographic borders we see on a political map. The plate actually extends across the Atlantic to the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and even includes parts of eastern Siberia (Chukotka) and northern Japan.
However, when we talk about how many square miles are in North America in a general sense, we are talking about the "physical geography" boundaries. This includes the continental shelf, but usually excludes the deep ocean floor.
The shelf itself is a massive underwater extension of the continent. If we counted the submerged continental shelf as "land area," North America would be significantly larger. But for the sake of standard measurement, we stick to what’s above sea level.
💡 You might also like: Red Bank Battlefield Park: Why This Small Jersey Bluff Actually Changed the Revolution
Common misconceptions about the continent's size
- "The Mercator Projection Lie": If you look at a standard wall map, Greenland looks as big as Africa. It isn't. Not even close. Africa is 14 times larger than Greenland. This distortion often makes people think North America is much larger than Africa, when in reality, Africa could swallow North America and still have room for most of Europe.
- "Mexico is in South America": You’d be surprised how many people think the North American border stops at the Rio Grande. Mexico is very much a North American power, and its 760,000 square miles are a vital part of the continent's total area.
- "Central America is its own continent": Nope. It’s an isthmus—a land bridge—that is part of the North American continent.
Managing the vastness: Infrastructure and Ecology
Having 9.4 million square miles sounds great for resources, but it's a logistical nightmare.
The continent contains every imaginable climate. You have the polar deserts of the high Arctic, the tropical rainforests of Darien in Panama, the scorching heat of Death Valley, and the temperate rainforests of the Pacific Northwest.
This diversity is why the square mileage is so valuable. It’s not just "space." It’s a collection of some of the most productive agricultural land on earth (the Great Plains), massive freshwater reserves (the Great Lakes), and incredible mineral wealth.
The sheer distance between points of interest has defined the culture of the continent. It’s why the U.S. and Canada are so car-centric. It’s why we have some of the longest highway systems and most complex rail networks (mostly for freight) in the world. When you have 9 million square miles to cover, "local" takes on a very different meaning.
Practical steps for using this data
If you’re using these figures for a project, a business expansion plan, or just to settle a bet, keep these things in mind:
- Always specify if you are including Greenland. Most formal geographic stats do, but political ones don't.
- Differentiate between "Land Area" and "Total Area." Total area includes inland water like the Great Lakes. Since North America has more lakes than the rest of the world combined (thanks, Canada), this makes a difference of hundreds of thousands of square miles.
- Check your source's definition of Central America. Some older British texts used to categorize the Caribbean differently than American geographers.
North America is a sprawling, rugged, and incredibly diverse piece of the Earth’s crust. Whether you're measuring it by the 9.4 million square miles of its total footprint or the millions of miles of highway that crisscross it, its scale is its most defining characteristic.
When you're planning travel or studying the region, don't just look at the raw number. Look at the distribution. The fact that the majority of that square mileage is concentrated in just two countries—Canada and the U.S.—shapes everything from global politics to how we experience the change of seasons.
To get the most accurate measurement for a specific need, use a GIS (Geographic Information System) database like the USGS or Natural Resources Canada. They provide the most up-to-date figures that account for coastal erosion and updated surveying methods. Use the 9.45 million square mile figure as your gold-standard benchmark, but always be ready to adjust based on whether you're counting the ice of Greenland or the turquoise waters of the Bahamas.