North America
Welcome to North America
For some people North America translates to mean the United States of Canada, to others perhaps the Caribbean is pictured, and still for others Central America is what comes to mind. All of these places and cultures form North America today, making the continent very diverse.
Much of what make North America so unique is the different histories and landscapes of the continent. The Caribbean proved ideal for crop growth and hence European settlement. However, this destroyed much of the indigenous culture through diseases and wars and later introduced slaves, which gave the islands an African vibrancy in clothing, foods, and more. Today the European influence has returned as vacationers find these islands to be ideal for a vacation. In fact, each island seems to have a distinct flair based on its past, from differing languages and foods to clothing and religions.
Central America, Mexico, and some Caribbean islands were primarily settled by the Spanish, giving these places a Spanish feel, particularly in terms of language, religion, and architecture. However, many of these places also keep the historic cultures alive as local clothing, foods, and ethnicities survived. In some places these historic cultures can be seen almost untouched, while in much of the region it has become a part of the modern culture that mixes past and present.
Further north the culture is more heavily rooted in Europe as the English and French languages dominate, European foods, religions, and cultures are common. Despite this, many of the Native Americans or First Nations people have survived and many cling to aspects of their historic cultures. Sadly, this can't be seen everywhere, but in certain areas these cultures thrive.
Today North America remains diverse, from city to city, from country to country, and from region to region. However, there are similarities as well, much of which are rooted in European colonization and the slave trade, both of which have greatly contributed to the culture and lifestyle today. From big cities to quaint towns and from the high Rocky Mountains to deserted island beaches, North America is diverse both culturally and geographically.