CanadaCapital: Ottawa. One of North America's two largest countries by land area. The other is the United States. The Canadian Confederation dates from 1867. Joined the United Nations in 1945.
United States of AmericaCapital: Washington, D.C. Its only land neighbors are Canada and Mexico. Canada is to the north, Mexico to the south. Independence from the British Empire was declared in 1776. Joined the United Nations in 1945.
Mexico and Central America 8
BelizeCapital: Belmopan. Formerly British Honduras. Independent from the United Kingdom since 1981, and a member of the United Nations since the same year.
Costa RicaCapital: San José. Nicaragua is to the north. Panama is to the southeast. Independent from Spain since 1821 and, after a short spell under Mexico, in the Federal Republic of Central America from 1823. Joined the United Nations in 1945.
El SalvadorCapital: San Salvador. On the Pacific coast, between Guatemala and Honduras. Independent from Spain since 1821 and, after a short spell under Mexico, in the Federal Republic of Central America from 1823. Joined the United Nations in 1945.
GuatemalaCapital: Guatemala City. Its south coast is on the Pacific Ocean. Independent from Spain since 1821 and, after a short spell under Mexico, in the Federal Republic of Central America from 1823. Joined the United Nations in 1945.
HondurasCapital: Tegucigalpa. Its long north coast is on the Caribbean Sea. Its short south coast is on the Pacific. Independent from Spain since 1821, and in the Federal Republic of Central America from 1823. Joined the United Nations in 1945.
MexicoCapital: Mexico City. The United States is to its north. Guatemala and Belize are to its southeast. The United Nations files it under Central America, usually counted as the seven countries to its south. Joined the United Nations in 1945.
NicaraguaCapital: Managua. The largest country of Central America. It holds Central America's largest freshwater lake, Lake Nicaragua. Independent from Spain since 1821, and in the Federal Republic of Central America from 1823. Joined the United Nat
PanamaCapital: Panama City. Its border with Colombia is at the Darién Gap. It is the only land link between North and South America. It left Spain in 1821 as part of Gran Colombia and left Colombia in 1903. Joined the United Nations in 1945.
The 13 island countries 13
Antigua and BarbudaCapital: St. John's. Independent from the United Kingdom since 1981. Joined the United Nations the same year.
BarbadosCapital: Bridgetown. Independent from the United Kingdom since 1966. Joined the United Nations the same year.
CubaCapital: Havana. The main island is the largest in the Caribbean. It lies south of Florida and the Bahamas. Independent since 1902. Joined the United Nations in 1945.
DominicaCapital: Roseau. Independent from the United Kingdom since 1978. Joined the United Nations the same year. Not the same country as the Dominican Republic, which is far to the northwest.
Dominican RepublicCapital: Santo Domingo. It shares one island with Haiti. It has the larger, eastern part. Joined the United Nations in 1945.
GrenadaCapital: St. George's. Independent from the United Kingdom since 1974. Joined the United Nations the same year.
HaitiCapital: Port-au-Prince. Independent from France since 1804. Joined the United Nations in 1945.
JamaicaCapital: Kingston. Independent from the United Kingdom since 1962. Joined the United Nations the same year.
Saint Kitts and NevisCapital: Basseterre. Independent from the United Kingdom since 1983. Joined the United Nations the same year.
Saint LuciaCapital: Castries. Independent from the United Kingdom since 1979. Joined the United Nations the same year.
Saint Vincent and the GrenadinesCapital: Kingstown. Independent from the United Kingdom since 1979. Joined the United Nations in 1980.
The BahamasCapital: Nassau. Independent from the United Kingdom since 1973. Joined the United Nations the same year.
Trinidad and TobagoCapital: Port of Spain. Independent from the United Kingdom since 1962, and a member of the United Nations since the same year.
How this list was compiled: The 23 countries are the sovereign states of North America, every one a member of the United Nations: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_sovereign_states_and_dependent_territories_in_North_America (the list, the capitals, and the status of Greenland and Puerto Rico) and https://www.un.org/en/about-us/member-states (membership and the years of joining), checked 2026-09-19. The three regions, with Mexico under Central America, follow the United Nations geoscheme: https://unstats.un.org/unsd/methodology/m49/, checked 2026-09-19. Central America as seven countries, the count of 23 sovereign states, the two largest countries, and the Darién Gap as the land link to South America: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_America and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_America, checked 2026-09-19. Years of independence: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decolonization_of_the_Americas, checked 2026-09-19. Greenland and Puerto Rico are drawn and not asked, because they are not member states of the United Nations. Positions and sizes in the hints were read off the drawing, which is equal-area. Hints and detail lines written for this site. Central America from 1821 to 1823 (independence from Spain, annexation by the First Mexican Empire in January 1822, the United Provinces from 1 July 1823): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_Republic_of_Central_America, checked 2026-09-19. Panama, 1821 and 1903: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panama, checked 2026-09-19. Neighbors: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_and_territories_by_number_of_land_borders, checked 2026-09-19. Coasts and positions: the opening paragraphs of the Wikipedia articles on Costa Rica, Cuba, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico and Nicaragua (Nicaragua as the largest country of Central America by area), and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Nicaragua, checked 2026-09-19. Licence: own work
The drawing: Drawn for this site from Natural Earth 5.1.2, ne_50m_admin_0_countries_lakes (scale 1:50,000,000), https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nvkelso/natural-earth-vector/v5.1.2/geojson/ne_50m_admin_0_countries_lakes.geojson, downloaded 2026-09-19. Lambert azimuthal equal-area projection centred on 48°N 96°W. Outlines simplified; small islands are left out. 5 places are too small to draw at this scale and shown as a dot. Licence: public domain (Natural Earth terms of use: https://www.naturalearthdata.com/about/terms-of-use/)
How it works
This North America map quiz is a blank map of North America, from Alaska and Greenland to Panama, with 23 countries to find: Canada, the United States, Mexico, the seven of Central America and 13 island countries in the Caribbean.
Read the full guide
Which countries count as North America
A North American geography quiz that stops at Canada, the United States and Mexico leaves out 20 countries: the continent runs on to Panama and out to the Caribbean. Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica left Spain in 1821 and formed a federal republic in 1823, and their answers say so.
Smaller rounds for a crowded map
Pick The 10 mainland countries under Start from to drop the islands. Mexico and Central America zooms to 8 countries, and The 13 island countries zooms to the Caribbean. Fourteen of the 23 are too small to tap, so each has a numbered ring. On a phone, start with one of those two zoomed rounds. Miss three, and Practise the 3 you missed asks them again.
From Mexico down: Guatemala and Belize, Honduras and El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama. Belize faces the Caribbean, El Salvador the Pacific.
Haiti and the Dominican Republic share one island, Haiti in the west. Dominica is a different country, far down the eastern arc.
The eastern arc, north to south: Saint Kitts and Nevis, Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Grenada, Trinidad and Tobago.
Questions and answers
How many countries are in North America?
Twenty-three, all members of the United Nations: Canada, the United States and Mexico, the seven countries of Central America, and 13 island countries in the Caribbean. In some uses the name means only the part north of Mexico. This quiz uses the whole continent.
Where does North America end?
At the border between Panama and Colombia, in the Darién Gap, the only land link between North and South America. South America has its own page with 12 countries, and the two together work as an Americas geography quiz of 35 countries.
Why is Mexico in a group with Central America?
The regions under Start from follow the United Nations geoscheme, which files Mexico under Central America. In everyday use Central America means the seven countries from Guatemala and Belize to Panama, so the set is named Mexico and Central America and asks 8 countries.
Why are Greenland and Puerto Rico not asked?
Neither is a member state of the United Nations. Greenland is an autonomous territory in the Kingdom of Denmark, and Puerto Rico is a territory of the United States. Both are drawn as land and never lit.