Located almost entirely in the Western Hemisphere, North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere. America can also be described as the northern subcontinent of a single continent. The Arctic Ocean borders it on the north, the Atlantic Ocean on the east, South America and the Caribbean Sea on the southeast, and the Pacific Ocean on the west and south. Geographically, Greenland is considered part of North America since it lies on the North American Tectonic Plate.

About 16.5% of the Earth's land area and 4.8% of its surface is occupied by North America, which covers about 24,709,000 square kilometres (9,540,000 square miles). In terms of area, the continent of North America is third largest in the world, behind Asia and Africa, and fourth in terms of population behind Asia, Africa, and Europe.