Map of north america in russian, north america on the world map. Physical and political map of North America in Russian

Discovery history North America

Approximately 1000 years ago, the ancient inhabitants of Scandinavia, the Vikings, reached the mainland.

In 982, Eric the Red was expelled from the Icelandic colony for a murder he had committed. He heard stories about lands lying at a distance of about 1000 kilometers from Iceland. There he went with a small detachment. After a difficult voyage, he managed to reach this land. Eric called this place Greenland (" green country"). In 986, Eric gathered a group of Vikings who settled on the island he had discovered.

Eric's son Leif the Happy went even further and reached the Labrador Peninsula.

In May 1497, John and Sebastian Cabot set sail from the port of Bristol on the Matthew. At the end of June, they landed on an island named Newfoundland, mistaking it for Asia, and continued sailing along the coast east of the Gulf of St. Lawrence. After sailing along the coast for about a month and finding large stocks of fish, they headed back.

In April 1534, sailing from the city of Saint-Malo, the Frenchman Jacques Cartier reached the island of Newfoundland after 20 days and, having rounded the island, entered the Gulf of St. Lawrence through the Ben-Ile Strait. Having made maps of the area, Cartier returned back to France. In 1535, three Cartier ships approached Newfoundland again. He rounded the island of Anticosti from the north and entered the mouth of the St. Lawrence River. Having hired Huron guides, the Frenchman led the ships along the river and soon arrived at a place that the Indians called Stadicona (now the city of Quebec is located there).

In early October, the French arrived at the Iroquois settlement of Oshelag. Cartier climbed a mountain that towered above the village, which he called Mont-Royal (Royal Mountain). Rapids were visible from the mountain, which did not allow ships to rise higher up the river. Cartier returned to Stadacon. The French wintered here by building a fort.

In 1541 Cartier's third voyage began. He was supposed to establish colonies in the lands he explored under common name New France. But the idea failed. The traveler returned to France, fell into disfavor there and died in oblivion in 1557.

In 1608, Samuel de Champlain founded the city of Quebec on the site of the village of Stadacona, and in 1611, near the settlement of Hochelaga, Montreal.

In the middle of the 18th century, the discovery west coast mainland during the Great Northern Expedition. In July 1741, the crew of the St. Peter ship under the command of Vitus Bering saw American coast approximately 58° N. sh., and the ship "Saint Paul" under the command of Alexei Ilyich Chirikov approached the American coast a little to the south - near 55 ° N. sh.

), in the Vessian Indies and on the South American mainland. The West Indies include the islands: Bahamas, Greater and Lesser Antilles. Most of These islands were discovered during the voyages of Christopher Columbus, who mistook them for part of India. Unlike India (East Indies), these islands later became known as the West Indies. There are many states on:, and others.

The total area of ​​the Latin America region is about 21 million km2. There are 33 sovereign states in this region, as well as possessions of France, the Netherlands and the United States. In live: descendants of European settlers, mestizos, mulattos, Indians, blacks, migrants from different countries the world, including European ones. official languages: in most countries (former colonial possessions) - Spanish, - Portuguese, in Haiti and in the former possessions of France -, in and the Netherlands possessions - Dutch, in the rest - English.

Formation of modern political America has a long history. There is evidence that the first Europeans to reach the shores of North America were in the 5th-6th centuries. and the Normans (Vikings) in the 9th century. And people from the North may have traveled to America 2 thousand years before, leaving, according to scientists, traces of their stay in the form of inscriptions on stones in the Sherbuka region (160 km from).

Discovery, exploration and capture of territories and states of Latin America in the XV-XVII centuries. and their subsequent integration into the system were a consequence and integral part one of the stages in the development of European civilization. The conquests of the Ottoman Sultanate in Asia Minor and the Balkans significantly hampered the use of sea and land trade routes to South and Southeast. The need to provide direct access to sources of goods that were in high demand in (spices, silk, etc.) determined the practical task of finding direct sea ​​routes in and .

At present, the USA and Canada are two highly developed capitalist states that have enormous economic, political and financial influence on their Latin American neighbors.

In part of the world America there is also one socialist state - Cuba. Since 1898, the country was formally declared independent, but in fact it was occupied by the United States. In 1959, the liberation war against the dictatorial regime of Batista, and for almost 40 years the country has been ruled by Fidel Castro Ruz (head of state, chairman of the State Council and Council of Ministers).

Confirming the goal of building a communist society, the Cuban constitution of 1992, as an ideological basis, now brings to the fore national liberation ideals, the principles of independence, sovereignty and identity. However, elements of a market economy are being introduced into the economic complex of the country.

The remaining countries of the Americas (Latin American countries) belong to the group of developing countries. Most of them gained independence in the last century during the national liberation wars of 1810-1825, in which broad sections of the population took part: Indian peasants, blacks and mestizos, revolutionary intelligentsia, part of the clergy, representatives of the Creole nobility and merchants.

At the beginning of the XIX century. Gained independence: Haiti (1804), (1809), (1811), (1816), Chile (1818), Nicaragua, Colombia (1821), Brazil (1822) ), Bolivia (1825). A republican system was established in all states (only until 1889 the monarchy was preserved).

The states of Latin America have come a long way in the development of capitalism. They are exceptionally rich in natural resources, have a unique and eventful history, original culture. In many indicators of socio-economic development, these countries are ahead of many developing countries in Asia and Africa, but they lag far behind the industrialized ones.

From the period of their inception to the present, these countries have been in strong economic and financial dependence, first on European states, and later from the USA. At the same time, within the region there are very significant differences in the level of socio-economic development between individual countries.

According to the typology of MSU scientists, Latin American countries are grouped as follows:

1. Key countries of high potential: Brazil and Mexico.

2. Resettlement countries of the early development of dependent capitalism: and Uruguay.

1. Countries of large-scale development of capitalism: Venezuela and Chile.
2. Countries of outward-oriented adaptive development of capitalism: Bolivia, Colombia, Paraguay, Peru, Ecuador.

1. Small countries of dependent plantation economy: Guatemala, Costa Rica, Honduras, El Salvador, and Haiti, etc.
2. Small countries of "concession development" of capitalism: Jamaica, Suriname.
3. Small countries - “landlords” (islands or coastal countries located at the crossroads of trade routes; countries of a “tax paradise”, “hotel countries”, countries of a “flag of convenience”):, Bermuda(Brit.), Cayman Islands (Brit.), etc.

For a century and a half of independent development of countries south of the river. The Rio Grande has accumulated a large number of serious problems. It was the Latin American countries that gave countless examples of the participation of the military in the economic and political life. Only in, according to historians, more than 190 military coups were committed.

There is a geopolitical rivalry between major countries of this region, territorial disputes and claims that cause armed conflicts and wars have not become a thing of the past, and the threat of military coups and civil wars has not been completely removed from the agenda.

Latin America is going through something today that doesn't fit in well with the idea of ​​a democratic process (although this is often reported). Sometimes one gets the impression that the generals are returning to power again (Bolivia, Paraguay, Venezuela, Colombia).

Nevertheless, among the developing countries, it was the countries of Latin America that were the first to embark on the path of economic integration, which is a process of internationalization of economic ties in order to accelerate and intensify economic development.

Currently in Latin America the following trading blocs exist: Latin American Integration Association (LAI), Andean Pact, Common Market of the Southern Cone (MERCOSUR), Central American Common Market, Caribbean Common Market, Organization of Central American States and related institutions I (for example, the Central American Bank for Economic Integration, etc. .).

There are organizations to create shared facilities and use natural resources, such as: Latin American Economic System (LAES), pact, group and related investment institutions (Inter-American Savings and Loan Bank, Latin American Export Bank, etc.).

Within the framework of the Organization of American States (OAS), since 1960, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) has been operating, which also provides funds for the implementation of joint projects in the region.

Some of the countries in this region are also members of trade associations that serve to coordinate positions and protect the interests of exporting countries (especially exporters of monocultures) in foreign markets. These are trade associations: Alliance of Cocoa Producers, Intergovernmental Council of Copper Exporting Countries, Organization of Exporting Countries (), Union of Banana Exporting Countries.

Structural shifts taking place in the economy lead to the emergence of new trends in the development of integration processes. States are involved in integration groups, in which economics play a leading role. This is the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), Asia-Pacific economic cooperation(APEC - eng. ARES), etc. Negotiations are underway to form a free trade zone in the entire Western Hemisphere.

The continent of North America is located in the north of the Western Hemisphere. Discovered October 12, 1492 by Christopher Columbus. The continent is separated from Eurasia from the west Bering Strait. From South America The continent is separated by the Isthmus of Panama. From the west, North America is washed by Pacific Ocean And Bering Sea from the east by the Atlantic Ocean.
The area of ​​the continent, taking into account the islands, is 24.2 million sq. km. From north to south, the length is exactly 7326 km. The islands of North America are Greenland, the West Indies, the Aleutian Islands and the Canadian Arctic Archipelago.

Physical map of North America in Russian.

North America political map in Russian.

The main states located on the continent.

The first place is occupied by Canada with a population of almost 10 million people. The second place is occupied by the USA with 9629091 people. Next comes Mexico with a population of 1,964,375. Countries with a smaller population, but no less famous, are Cuba, the Bahamas, Haiti, Panama and Jamaica.

natural formations

The main mountain ranges of North America include the mountains in the east - the Appalachians. Their length is 2600 km. No less significant mountain range are the Cordillera. These are the largest mountains in the world in terms of their length. Their length is more than 18 thousand km, and their width is 900 km.

The main rivers of the continent are the Mississippi and Missouri. The first is located in the USA and is one of the most big rivers in the world. Its length is 3770 km. She falls into Gulf of Mexico. Missouri is largest tributary Mississippi. The river flows through ten US states and two Canadian provinces.

Climate

The climate in the interior of the mainland is predominantly continental. In the north it is arctic, and in the south it is subequatorial. Average temperatures for the continent range from -36 degrees Celsius ( Northern part mainland) to 32 in the southwest.