vania-janet/multiturn-rag-retrieval-data huggingface dataset:
North America
Central America has many mountain ranges ; the longest are the Sierra Madre de Chiapas , the Cordillera Isabelia , and the Cordillera de Talamanca . Between the mountain ranges lie fertile valleys that are suitable for the people ; in fact , most of the population of Honduras , Costa Rica , and Guatemala live in valleys . Valleys are also suitable for the production of coffee , beans , and other crops .
North America
The term Northern America refers to the northern-most countries and territories of North America , Canada , the United States , Greenland , Bermuda , and St. Pierre and Miquelon . Although rarely used , the term Middle America -- not to be confused with the Midwestern United States -- groups the regions of Central America , the Caribbean , and Mexico .
North America
The predominant religion in Central America is Christianity ( 96 % ) . Beginning with the Spanish colonization of Central America in the 16th century , Roman Catholicism became the most popular religion in the region until the first half of the 20th century . Since the 1960s , there has been an increase in other Christian groups , particularly Protestantism , as well as other religious organizations , and individuals identifying themselves as having no religion . Also Christianity is the predominant religion in the Caribbean ( 85 % ) . Other religious groups in the region are Hinduism , Islam , Rastafari ( in Jamaica ) , and Afro - American religions such as Santería and Vodou .
Caribbean Sea
The Caribbean Sea has the world 's second biggest barrier reef , the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef . It runs 1,000 km ( 620 mi ) along the coasts of Mexico , Belize , Guatemala , and Honduras .
Caribbean Sea
The Caribbean Sea ( Spanish : Mar Caribe ; French : Mer des Caraïbes ; Dutch : Caraïbische Zee ) is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean in the tropics of the Western Hemisphere . It is bounded by Mexico and Central America to the west and south west , to the north by the Greater Antilles starting with Cuba , to the east by the Lesser Antilles , and to the south by the north coast of South America .
North America
The Pan-American Highway route in the Americas is the portion of a network of roads nearly 48,000 km ( 30,000 mi ) in length which travels through the mainland nations . No definitive length of the Pan-American Highway exists because the US and Canadian governments have never officially defined any specific routes as being part of the Pan-American Highway , and Mexico officially has many branches connecting to the US border . However , the total length of the portion from Mexico to the northern extremity of the highway is roughly 26,000 km ( 16,000 mi ) . 2006
History of Mexico
In 1822 , Mexico annexed the Federal Republic of Central America , which includes present - day Costa Rica , El Salvador , Guatemala , Honduras , Nicaragua , and part of Chiapas .
North America
Central America is geologically active with volcanic eruptions and earthquakes occurring from time to time . In 1976 Guatemala was hit by a major earthquake , killing 23,000 people ; Managua , the capital of Nicaragua , was devastated by earthquakes in 1931 and 1972 , the last one killing about 5,000 people ; three earthquakes devastated El Salvador , one in 1986 and two in 2001 ; one earthquake devastated northern and central Costa Rica in 2009 , killing at least 34 people ; in Honduras a powerful earthquake killed seven people in 2009 .
History of Mexico
As a colony , Mexico was part of the much larger Viceroyalty of New Spain , which included Cuba , Puerto Rico , Central America as far south as Costa Rica , the southwestern United States as well as Florida , and the Philippines . Hernán Cortés had conquered the great empire of the Aztecs and established New Spain as the largest and most important Spanish colony . During the 16th century , Spain focused on conquering areas with dense populations that had produced Pre-Columbian civilizations , because such populations were a disciplined labor force and a population to catechize . Monument
North America
North America is a continent entirely within the Northern Hemisphere and almost all within the Western Hemisphere ; it is also considered by some to be a northern subcontinent of the Americas . It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean , to the east by the Atlantic Ocean , to the west and south by the Pacific Ocean , and to the southeast by South America and the Caribbean Sea .
North America
As a result of the development of agriculture in the south , many important cultural advances were made there . For example , the Maya civilization developed a writing system , built huge pyramids and temples , had a complex calendar , and developed the concept of zero around 400 CE , a few hundred years after the Mesopotamians . The Mayan culture was still present in southern Mexico and Guatemala when the Spanish explorers arrived , but political dominance in the area had shifted to the Aztec Empire whose capital city Tenochtitlan was located further north in the Valley of Mexico . The Aztecs were conquered in 1521 by Hernán Cortés .
North America
North America has been historically referred to by other names . Spanish North America ( New Spain ) was often referred to as Northern America , and this was the first official name given to Mexico .
North America
The indigenous peoples of North America have many creation myths by which they assert that they have been present on the land since its creation . The specifics of Paleo - Indian migration to and throughout the Americas , including the exact dates and routes traveled , are subject to ongoing research and discussion . The traditional theory has been that these early migrants moved into the Beringia land bridge between eastern Siberia and present - day Alaska around 25,000 to 11,000 years ago . The few agreements achieved to date are the origin from Central Asia , with widespread habitation of the Americas during the end of the last glacial period , or more specifically what is known as the late glacial maximum , around 13,000 years before present . Some genetic research indicated secondary waves of migration occurred after the initial Paleo - Indian colonization , but prior to modern Inuit , Inupiat and Yupik expansions .
North America
Before the Central American isthmus formed , the region had been underwater . The islands of the West Indies delineate a submerged former land bridge , which had connected North and South America via what are now Florida and Venezuela .
North America
The southern North American continent is composed of two regions . These are Central America and the Caribbean . The north of the continent maintains recognized regions as well . In contrast to the common definition of `` North America '' , that which encompasses the whole continent , the term `` North America '' is also used to refer to Canada , Mexico , the United States , and Greenland .
North America
The term North America maintains various definitions in accordance with location and context . In Canadian English , North America may be used to refer to the United States and Canada together . Alternatively , usage sometimes includes Greenland and Mexico ( as in the North American Free Trade Agreement ) , as well as offshore islands . The UN geoscheme for `` North America '' separates Mexico from the United States and Canada , placing it instead within its designated `` Central America '' region , while also treating the islands of the Caribbean separately from the US / Canada definition -- the UN 's `` North America '' definition still includes the Canadian Arctic Archipelago and Greenland together with the US / Canada continental definition , with both insular entities being tectonically on the North American plate .
Amazon rainforest
The first European to travel the length of the Amazon River was Francisco de Orellana in 1542 . The BBC 's Unnatural Histories presents evidence that Orellana , rather than exaggerating his claims as previously thought , was correct in his observations that a complex civilization was flourishing along the Amazon in the 1540s . It is believed that the civilization was later devastated by the spread of diseases from Europe , such as smallpox .
North America
The Americas are usually accepted as having been named after the Italian explorer Amerigo Vespucci by the German cartographers Martin Waldseemüller and Matthias Ringmann . Vespucci , who explored South America between 1497 and 1502 , was the first European to suggest that the Americas were not the East Indies , but a different landmass previously unknown by Europeans . In 1507 , Waldseemüller produced a world map , in which he placed the word `` America '' on the continent of South America , in the middle of what is today Brazil . He explained the rationale for the name in the accompanying book Cosmographiae Introductio :
Latin America
In 1837 , conservative Rafael Carrera conquered Guatemala and separated from the Central American Union . The instability that followed the disintegration of the union led to the independence of the other Central American countries .
Amazon River
Regarding the initial mission of finding cinnamon , Pizarro reported to the king that they had found cinnamon trees , but that they could not be profitably harvested . In fact , true cinnamon ( Cinnamomum verum ) is not native to South America . Other related cinnamon - containing plants ( of the family Lauraceae ) are fairly common in that part of the Amazon and Pizarro probably saw some of these . The expedition reached the mouth of the Amazon on 24 August 1542 , demonstrating the practical navigability of the Great River .
Amazon River
In 1560 another Spanish conquistador , Lope de Aguirre , may have made the second descent of the Amazon . Historians are uncertain whether the river he descended was the Amazon or the Orinoco River , which runs more or less parallel to the Amazon further north .
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf Stream , a warm Atlantic Ocean current and one of the strongest ocean currents known , originates in the gulf , as a continuation of the Caribbean Current - Yucatán Current - Loop Current system . Other circulation features include the anticyclonic gyres which are shed by the Loop Current and travel westward where they eventually dissipate , and a permanent cyclonic gyre in the Bay of Campeche . The Bay of Campeche in Mexico constitutes a major arm of the Gulf of Mexico . Additionally , the gulf 's shoreline is fringed by numerous bays and smaller inlets . A number of rivers empty into the gulf , most notably the Mississippi River and Rio Grande in the northern gulf , and the Grijalva and Usumacinta rivers in the southern gulf . The land that forms the gulf 's coast , including many long , narrow barrier islands , is almost uniformly low - lying and is characterized by marshes and swamps as well as stretches of sandy beach .
North America
Laurentia is an ancient craton which forms the geologic core of North America ; it formed between 1.5 and 1.0 billion years ago during the Proterozoic eon . The Canadian Shield is the largest exposure of this craton . From the Late Paleozoic to Early Mesozoic eras , North America was joined with the other modern - day continents as part of the supercontinent Pangaea , with Eurasia to its east . One of the results of the formation of Pangaea was the Appalachian Mountains , which formed some 480 million years ago , making it among the oldest mountain ranges in the world . When Pangaea began to rift around 200 million years ago , North America became part of Laurasia , before it separated from Eurasia as its own continent during the mid-Cretaceous period . The Rockies and other western mountain ranges began forming around this time from a period of mountain building called the Laramide orogeny , between 80 and 55 million years ago . The formation of the Isthmus of Panama that connected the continent to South America arguably occurred approximately 12 to 15 million years ago , and the Great Lakes ( as well as many other northern freshwater lakes and rivers ) were carved by receding glaciers about 10,000 years ago .
Amazon River
The tucuxi ( Sotalia fluviatilis ) , also a dolphin species , is found both in the rivers of the Amazon basin and in the coastal waters of South America . The Amazonian manatee ( Trichechus inunguis ) , also known as `` seacow '' , is found in the northern Amazon River basin and its tributaries . It is a mammal and a herbivore . Its population is limited to freshwater habitats , and , unlike other manatees , it does not venture into salt water . It is classified as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature .
Latin America
The region was home to many indigenous peoples and advanced civilizations , including the Aztecs , Toltecs , Maya , and Inca . The golden age of the Maya began about 250 , with the last two great civilizations , the Aztecs and Incas , emerging into prominence later on in the early fourteenth century and mid-fifteenth centuries , respectively . The Aztec empire was ultimately the most powerful civilization known throughout the Americas , until its downfall in part by the Spanish invasion .
Spanish colonization of the Americas
The Spanish conquest of Yucatán was a much longer campaign , from 1551 to 1697 , against the Maya peoples in the Yucatán Peninsula of present - day Mexico and northern Central America . Hernán Cortés ' landing ashore at present day Veracruz and founding the Spanish city there on April 22 , 1519 marked the beginning of 300 years of Spanish hegemony over the region . The assertion of royal control over the Kingdom of New Spain and the initial Spanish conquerors took over a decade , with importance of the region meriting the creation of the Viceroyalty of New Spain . Established by Charles V in 1535 , the first viceroy was Don Antonio de Mendoza .
North America
There are numerous islands off the continent 's coasts ; principally , the Arctic Archipelago , the Bahamas , Turks & Caicos , the Greater and Lesser Antilles , the Aleutian Islands ( some of which are in the Eastern Hemisphere proper ) , the Alexander Archipelago , the many thousand islands of the British Columbia Coast , and Newfoundland . Greenland , a self - governing Danish island , and the world 's largest , is on the same tectonic plate ( the North American Plate ) and is part of North America geographically . In a geologic sense , Bermuda is not part of the Americas , but an oceanic island which was formed on the fissure of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge over 100 million years ago . The nearest landmass to it is Cape Hatteras , North Carolina . However , Bermuda is often thought of as part of North America , especially given its historical , political and cultural ties to Virginia and other parts of the continent . Moraine
Maya civilization
The Maya engaged in long distance trade across the Maya region , and across greater Mesoamerica and beyond . Within Mesoamerica beyond the Maya area , trade routes particularly focused on central Mexico and the Gulf coast . In the Early Classic , Chichen Itza was at the hub of an extensive trade network that imported gold discs from Colombia and Panama , and turquoise from Los Cerrillos , New Mexico . Long distance trade of both luxury and utilitarian goods was probably controlled by the royal family . Prestige goods obtained by trade were used both for consumption by the city 's ruler , and as luxury gifts to consolidate the loyalty of vassals and allies . An Early Classic Maya merchant quarter has been identified at the distant metropolis of Teotihuacan , in central Mexico .
North America
Later , other mapmakers extended the name America to the northern continent , In 1538 , Gerard Mercator used America on his map of the world for all the Western Hemisphere .
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico 's eastern , northern , and northwestern shores lie along the US states of Florida , Alabama , Mississippi , Louisiana , and Texas . The US portion of the Gulf coastline spans 1,680 miles ( 2,700 km ) , receiving water from 33 major rivers that drain 31 states . The Gulf 's southwestern and southern shores lie along the Mexican states of Tamaulipas , Veracruz , Tabasco , Campeche , Yucatán , and the northernmost tip of Quintana Roo . The Mexican portion of the Gulf coastline spans 1,743 miles ( 2,805 km ) . On its southeast quadrant the Gulf is bordered by Cuba . It supports major American , Mexican and Cuban fishing industries . The outer margins of the wide continental shelves of Yucatán and Florida receive cooler , nutrient - enriched waters from the deep by a process known as upwelling , which stimulates plankton growth in the euphotic zone . This attracts fish , shrimp , and squid . River drainage and atmospheric fallout from industrial coastal cities also provide nutrients to the coastal zone .
Mexico City
Mexico 's capital is both the oldest capital city in the Americas and one of two founded by Native Americans , the other being Quito , Ecuador . The city was originally built on an island of Lake Texcoco by the Aztecs in 1325 as Tenochtitlan , which was almost completely destroyed in the 1521 siege of Tenochtitlan and subsequently redesigned and rebuilt in accordance with the Spanish urban standards . In 1524 , the municipality of Mexico City was established , known as México Tenochtitlán , and as of 1585 , it was officially known as Ciudad de México ( Mexico City ) . Mexico City was the political , administrative , and financial center of a major part of the Spanish colonial empire . After independence from Spain was achieved , the federal district was created in 1824 .
European colonization of the Americas
In 1513 , Vasco Núñez de Balboa crossed the Isthmus of Panama and led the first European expedition to see the Pacific Ocean from the west coast of the New World . In an action with enduring historical import , Balboa claimed the Pacific Ocean and all the lands adjoining it for the Spanish Crown . It was 1517 before another expedition , from Cuba , visited Central America , landing on the coast of Yucatán in search of slaves . Iberian
North America
The North American economy is well defined and structured in three main economic areas . These areas are the North American Free Trade Agreement ( NAFTA ) , Caribbean Community and Common Market ( CARICOM ) , and the Central American Common Market ( CACM ) . Of these trade blocs , the United States takes part in two . In addition to the larger trade blocs there is the Canada - Costa Rica Free Trade Agreement among numerous other free trade relations , often between the larger , more developed countries and Central American and Caribbean countries .
Democratic Republic of the Congo
The sources of the Congo are in the Albertine Rift Mountains that flank the western branch of the East African Rift , as well as Lake Tanganyika and Lake Mweru . The river flows generally west from Kisangani just below Boyoma Falls , then gradually bends southwest , passing by Mbandaka , joining with the Ubangi River , and running into the Pool Malebo ( Stanley Pool ) . Kinshasa and Brazzaville are on opposite sides of the river at the Pool ( see NASA image ) . Then the river narrows and falls through a number of cataracts in deep canyons , collectively known as the Livingstone Falls , and runs past Boma into the Atlantic Ocean . The river also has the second - largest flow and the second - largest watershed of any river in the world ( trailing the Amazon in both respects ) . The river and a 37 kilometres ( 23 mi ) wide strip of coastline on its north bank provide the country 's only outlet to the Atlantic .
Colonial history of the United States
Throughout the 16th century , Spain explored the southwest from Mexico , with the most notable explorer being Francisco Coronado , whose expedition rode throughout modern New Mexico and Arizona . The Spanish moved north from Mexico , settling villages in the upper valley of the Rio Grande , including much of the western half of the present - day state of New Mexico . The capital was Santa Fe . Local Indians expelled the Spanish for 12 years following the Pueblo Revolt of 1680 ; they returned in 1692 in the bloodless reoccupation of Santa Fe . Control was by Spain ( 223 years ) and Mexico ( 25 years ) until 1846 , when the American Army of the West took over in the Mexican -- American War . About a third of the population in the 21st century is descended from the Spanish settlers .
North America
North America is a very large continent which surpasses the Arctic Circle , and the Tropic of Cancer . Greenland , along with the Canadian Shield , is tundra with average temperatures ranging from 10 to 20 ° C ( 50 to 68 ° F ) , but central Greenland is composed of a very large ice sheet . This tundra radiates throughout Canada , but its border ends near the Rocky Mountains ( but still contains Alaska ) and at the end of the Canadian Shield , near the Great Lakes . Climate west of the Cascades is described as being a temperate weather with average precipitation 20 inches ( 510 mm ) . Climate in coastal California is described to be Mediterranean , with average temperatures in cities like San Francisco ranging from 57 to 70 ° F ( 14 to 21 ° C ) over the course of the year .
Amazon River
De Orellana took about 57 men , the boat , and some canoes and left Pizarro 's troops on 26 December 1541 . However , De Orellana apparently missed the confluence ( probably with the Aguarico ) where he was searching supplies for his men . By the time he and his men reached another village , many of them were sick from hunger and eating `` noxious plants '' , and near death . Seven men died at that village . His men threatened to mutiny if he followed his orders and the expedition turned back to join Pizarro 's larger party . He accepted to change the purpose of the expedition to discover new lands in the name of the king of Spain , and the men built a larger boat in which to navigate downstream . After a journey of 600 km down the Napo River they reached a further major confluence , at a point near modern Iquitos , and then followed the upper Amazon , now known as the Solimões , for a further 1,200 kilometres ( 750 mi ) to its confluence with the Rio Negro ( near modern Manaus ) , which they reached on 3 June 1542 . On the Nhamunda River , a tributary of the Amazon downstream from Manaus , Orellana 's party had a fierce battle with warriors who , they reported , were led by fierce female warriors who beat the men to death with clubs if they tried to retreat . Orellana 's men began referring to the women as Amazons , a reference to the tribe of women warriors from Greek mythology . The river was initially known as the Marañón ( the name by which the Peruvian part of the river is still known today ) or Rio de Orellana . It later became known as the Rio Amazonas , the name by which it is still known in both Spanish and Portuguese .
History of Mexico
The first mainland explorations were followed by a phase of inland expeditions and conquest . The Spanish crown extended the Reconquista effort , completed in Spain in 1492 , to non-Catholic people in new territories . In 1502 on the coast of present - day Colombia , near the Gulf of Urabá , Spanish explorers led by Vasco Núñez de Balboa explored and conquered the area near the Atrato River .
New Spain
The Spanish Empire comprised the territories in the north overseas ' Septentrion ' , from North America and the Caribbean , to the Philippine , Mariana and Caroline Islands . At its greatest extent , the Spanish crown claimed on the mainland of the Americas much of North America south of Canada , that is : all of present - day Mexico and Central America except Panama ; most of present - day United States west of the Mississippi River , plus the Floridas .