document_title: Bottled water

question_text: when did bottled water start being sold in the uk

question_tokens: when did bottled water start being sold in the uk

text: Bottled water

text: History[edit]

text: Although vessels to bottle and transport water were part of the earliest human civilizations,[1]  bottling water began in the United Kingdom with the first water bottling at the Holy Well in 1621.[2] The demand for bottled water was fueled in large part by the resurgence in spa-going and water therapy among Europeans and American colonists in the 17th and 18th centuries.[3]  The first commercially distributed water in America was bottled and sold by Jackson’s Spa in Boston in 1767.[4]  Early drinkers of bottled spa waters believed that the water at these mineral springs had therapeutic properties and that bathing in or drinking the water could help treat many common ailments.[3]

text: The popularity of bottled mineral waters quickly led to a market for imitation products.  Carbonated waters developed as means for approximating the natural effervescence of spring-bottled water, and in 1809 Joseph Hawkins was issued the first U.S. patent for “imitation” mineral water.[5]  As technological innovation in nineteenth century lowered the cost of making glass and improved production speed for bottling, bottled water was able to be produced on a larger scale and the beverage grew in popularity.[4]  Bottled water was seen by many as a safer alternative to 19th century municipal water supplies that could be contaminated with pathogens like cholera and typhoid.[6] By the middle of the century, one of America’s most popular bottlers, Saratoga Springs, was producing more than 7 million bottles of water annually.[4]

text: In the United States, the popularity of bottled water declined in the early 20th century, when the advent of water chlorination reduced public concerns about water-borne diseases in municipal water supplies.[4]  However, it remained popular in Europe, where it spread to cafes and grocery stores in the second half of the century.[6]  In 1977, Perrier launched a successful advertisement campaign in the United States, heralding a rebirth in popularity for bottled water.[4]  Today, bottled water is the second most popular commercial beverage in the United States, with about half the domestic consumption as soft drinks.[7]

text: Water chemistry[edit]

text: Many of the early developments in the field of chemistry can be attributed to the study of natural mineral waters and attempts to replicate them for commercial sale.  Joseph Priestley, who would discover oxygen in 1775, made his first contributions to the field of chemistry by dissolving carbon dioxide in water, for which he was awarded the Copley Medal in 1773. He would go on to work with Johann Jacob Schweppe, founder of Schweppes, in developing “aerated” waters for commercial sale.[8]

text: PET Plastic Bottles[edit]

text: In 1973, DuPont engineer Nathaniel Wyeth patented Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles, the first plastic bottle to be able to withstand the pressure of carbonated liquids.[9]  Today, PET plastic has replaced glass as the preferred material for single-serving bottled water containers due to its light weight and resistance to breaking.[10][11]

text: Types[edit]

text: Some of the more common types of bottled water are:[12][13]

text:
Artesian water – this is water that originates from a confined aquifer that has been tapped and in which the water level stands at some height above the top of the aquifer.
Fluoridated – this type of water contains added fluoride. This category includes water classified as "For Infants" or "Nursery."
Groundwater – this type of water is from an underground source that is under a pressure equal to or greater than atmospheric pressure.
Mineral water – water from a mineral spring that contains various minerals, such as salts and sulfur compounds. It comes from a source tapped at one or more bore holes or spring, and originates from a geologically and physically protected underground water source. No minerals may be added to this water.
Purified water – this type of water has been produced by distillation, deionization, reverse osmosis, or other suitable processes. Purified water may also be referred to as "demineralized water".
Sparkling water – Sparkling water contains the same amount of carbon dioxide that it had at emergence from the source. The carbon dioxide may be removed and replenished after treatment.
Spring water – this type of water comes from an underground formation from which water flows naturally to the Earth's surface.
Sterile water – this type of water meets sterilization requirements, for example, those specified under "sterility tests" in the United States Pharmacopoeia.
Well water – well water is taken from a hole tapping, etc. This hole may be bored, drilled, or otherwise constructed in the ground.[14]

tag: ul

text: Product Forms[edit]

text: The Beverage Marketing Corporation defines the bottled water market segment as "retail PET, retail bulk, home and office delivery, vending, domestic sparkling and imports", but excluding "flavored and enhanced water."[15]

text: Purified water vending machines[edit]

text: A number of cities and companies worldwide have vending machines that dispense purified water into customer's own containers. All dispensers filter the location's tap water. In North America, these machines are typically located outside of supermarkets.

text: Of all the water vending companies, Glacier Water is the largest. Since its inception in 1983, Glacier Water has experienced significant growth in machine placements.[citation needed]

text: Bottled water service[edit]

text: It is not uncommon for business or individuals to subscribe to a bottled water service. These services deliver water either monthly or weekly, sometimes even daily. Traditionally, water in glass bottles (jugs) was provided to electric coolers in areas of businesses without plumbing. Plastic containers have replaced those glass jugs, however, dispensers at businesses now may stand alongside existing water taps or fountains.

text: Storage[edit]

text: Bottled water is often stored as part of an emergency kit in case of natural disaster. The U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) says the "safest" and "most reliable" source of drinking water is store bought bottled water.[16] Commonly, disaster management experts recommend storing 1-US-gallon (3.8 L) of water per person, per day for at least three days.[17] This amount is intended to include water for drinking and cooking as well as water for hand washing, washing dishes, and personal hygiene. Factory-containers of water have an indefinite shelf life, as long as they remain unopened and undamaged.[18] The sell-by date is voluntarily and individually set by manufacturers to indicate the length of time that they believe the water will taste and smell fresh, rather than to indicate any issue of contamination or food safety.

text: PET Recycling[edit]

text: The most common packaging material for single-serve, non-carbonated bottled water in the United States and Europe is Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic.[19][20]] Marked in many countries with resin identification code number “1,” PET is 100% recyclable,[21] though recycling rates vary by region. In 2014, approximately 1.8 billion pounds of post-consumer PET bottles were collected in the United States and 1.75 million metric tons (approximately 3.9 billion pounds) were collected in the European Union, making it the most recycled plastic in both the United States and Europe.[22][23] In the United States, the recycling rate for PET packaging was 31.8% in 2014;[24] in the European Union, the recycling rate for PET packaging for the same period was approximately 52%.[25]

text: The National Association for PET Container Resources (NAPCOR), the trade association for the PET plastic packaging industry in the United States and Canada, identifies five major, generic end-use categories for recycled PET plastic: 1) packaging applications, including new bottles; 2) sheet and film applications, including some thermoforming applications; 3) strapping; 4) engineered resins applications; and 5) fiber applications.[26] According to the nonprofit Recycling Across America, five individual serving PET plastic bottles provide enough fiber to make one square foot of carpet or to fill one ski jacket.[27]

text: In Europe, more than one-third of recovered PET plastic is used to produce polyester fibers, and another quarter is used in the production of preformed plastic containers—such as egg cartons, fruit boxes, and other plastic beverage bottles.[28]

text: Water and Energy Usage[edit]

text: On average, it takes 1.32 litres (L) of water to produce 1 L of bottled water.[29]  This includes 1 L of ingredient water and 0.32 L of water used in facility processes such as treatment, bottling, and maintenance.[29]  Small pack facilities (facilities that package water in containers between 8 oz. and 2.5 gallons) use the least amount of water (1.26 L per 1 L), followed by mixed packaging facilities (1.46 L per 1 L). Facilities that package water for home and office delivery in sizes of 2.5 gallons to 5 gallons use the most water (1.56 L per 1 L).[29]

text: Bottled water has lower water usage than bottled soft drinks, which average 2.02 L per 1 L, as well as beer (4 L per 1 L) and wine (4.74 L per 1 L). The larger per-litre water consumption of these drinks can be attributed to additional ingredients and production processes, such as flavor mixing and carbonization for soft drinks and fermentation for beer and wine.[30][29] In the United States, bottled water production represents 0.011% of annual water consumption.[31]

text: Critics of bottled water argue that the industry should take in to account not just water used in its production and packaging process, but the total water footprint of its supply chain, which includes water used in the production of its packaging.[30]

text: A 2011 IBWA lifecycle inventory study found that the production, packaging, and transportation of bottled water within the United States consumes 107.4 trillion BTUs of energy annually, which represents about .07% of yearly energy consumption in the country.[32]  According to the same study, 6.8 million tons of CO2 eq are emitted by the bottled water industry a year in the United States, about .08% of annual emissions.[32]  An Aetna Group study in 2015 concluded that each litre of bottled water requires 0.24 megajoules of energy to produce.[29]  The lifecycle carbon footprint for a half litre of small pack bottled water is 111 grams CO2 eq.[32]  By comparison, the same sized PET plastic-bottled soft drink produces 240 grams CO2 eq.  Soft drink bottles require much thicker plastic due to carbonation, and therefore many more grams of CO2 eq.

text: Regulation[edit]

text: Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS)

text: The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) is the national Standards Body of India working under the aegis of Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution, Government of India. It is established by the Bureau of Indian Standards Act, 1986 which came into effect on 23 December 1986. The Minister in charge of the Ministry or Department having administrative control of the BIS is the ex-officio President of the BIS.

text: Food and Drug Administration[edit]

text: Bottled water is comprehensively regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as a packaged food product.[33] By law, the FDA regulations for bottled water must be at least as stringent as the Environmental Protection Agency standards for tap water.[34]

text: The FDA has established "Standards of Identity" for bottled water products sold in the U.S. For a product to be considered “bottled water”, it cannot contain sweeteners or chemical additives (other than flavors, extracts or essences) and must be calorie-free and sugar-free. If flavors, extracts and essences—derived from spice or fruit—are added to the water, these additions must comprise less than 1% by weight of the final product. The FDA Code of Federal Regulations establishes limitations for the amount of fluoride that can be added to water. Mineral water contains at least 250 parts per million total dissolved solids (TDS). "Purified water" is defined in the United States Pharmacopoeia.

text: Food Standards Australia New Zealand[edit]

text: Food Standards Australia New Zealand's Food Standards Code limits fluoride in bottled water to between 0.6 and 1.0 milligrams per litre, and requires any addition to be specified on the product label.[35]

text: Industry reform[edit]

text: The Council of Canadians, a social action organization, stressed the need for bottled water industry reform after launching a boycott of Nestlé in September 2016 after the company outbid a small town aiming to secure a long-term water supply through a local well as the country battles drought and depletion of ground water reserves.[36][37][38][39] Premier Kathleen Wynne stated that her government will look for ways to put community needs ahead of bottled water corporations, saying "as we look at the water bottling industry, that has to be a question because we're talking about what we could argue is our most precious resource" that they have this "discussion about our water, the status of and the treatment of water bottling companies, that needs to be taken into consideration".[40]

text: Markets[edit]

text: Global sales[edit]

text: Global bottled water sales have increased dramatically over the past several decades, reaching a valuation of around $60 billion and a volume of more than 115,000,000 cubic metres (3.0×1010 US gal) in 2006.[41] U.S. sales reached around 30 billion bottles of water in 2008, a slight drop from 2007 levels [42]

text: The rate of consumption more than quadrupled between 1990 and 2005.[43] Spring water and purified tap water are currently the leading global sellers. By one estimate, approximately 50 billion bottles of water are consumed per year in the U.S. and around 200 billion bottles globally.[44]

text: Australia[edit]

text: The Australasian Bottled Water Institute is a regional member of the International Council of Bottled Water Associations. The bottled water industry in Australia is worth approximately $400 million per year,[45]

text: An upmarket restaurant in Sydney has stopped selling bottled water and started using a machine costing A$5000 to filter, chill and carbonate tap water to get the same quality water.[46]

text: European Union[edit]

text: Directive 2009/54/EC[47] deals with the marketing and exploitation of natural mineral waters in the European Union. The two main types of bottled water recognized are mineral water and spring water.

text: Broadly speaking, "mineral water" is groundwater that has emerged from the ground and flowed over rock. Treatment of mineral water is restricted to removal of unstable elements such as iron and sulfur compounds. Treatment for such minerals may extend only to filtration or decanting with oxygenation. Free carbon dioxide may be removed only by physical methods, and the regulations for introduction (or reintroduction) of CO2 are strictly defined. Disinfection of natural mineral water is completely prohibited, including the addition of any element that is likely to change bacterial colony counts. If natural mineral water is effervescent, it must be labelled accordingly, depending on the origin of the carbon dioxide: naturally carbonated natural mineral water (no introduction of CO2); natural mineral water fortified with gas from the spring (reintroduction of CO2); carbonated natural mineral water (CO2 added following strict guidelines).

text: Directive 2001/83/EC[48] deals with bottled water that is considered a "medicinal product" and is thus excluded from the scope of the other regulation.

text: India[edit]

text: The bottled water industry in India witnessed a boom in the late 1990s soon after Bisleri launched its packaged drinking water in the country. This significant growth was fuelled by a surge in advertising by the industry players that "bottled water was pure and healthy".[49]

text: The total market was valued at ₹60 billion (US$840 million) in 2013, of which the top five players (Bisleri, PepsiCo, Coca-Cola and Parle) accounted for 67% of the market share. This market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 22%, to reach ₹160 billion (US$2.2 billion) in 2018.[49]

text: In 2016, Sikkim announced restrictions on the usage of plastic water bottles (in government functions and meetings) and styrofoam products as it is associated with adverse health and environment impacts.[50]

text: Available Sizes : 20 L (jar), 5 L (bottle), 1 L (bottles - pack of 12), 500 mL (bottles - pack of 24), 250 mL (bottles - pack of 48 or 36), 200 mL (bottles - pack of 48 or 36).

text: Lebanon[edit]

text: Lebanon has one of the fastest growth rate of per capita consumption of bottled water.[51] Lebanon has seven major brands of bottled mineral water for local consumption and for exportation to the water-starved countries on the Arabian Peninsula and in the Persian Gulf.[52]

text: New Zealand[edit]

text: Bottled water in New Zealand is regulated by Food Standards Australia New Zealand and must comply with the Food Act 1981. From July 2009 fluoride was allowed to be present in bottled water as an additive or as a natural occurring mineral.

text: Pakistan[edit]

text: Due to contaminated water being widespread, in the mid-1980s urban families started installing filtration units at home. This later developed into companies providing mineral water delivery services at home. Use of these 1-US-gallon (3.8 L) bottles that could be attached to a dispenser is still widespread.

text: Bottled water was made famous by one of the largest marketing campaigns in Pakistan history undertaken by Nestle. Eventually, other bottlers including dozens of local ones, Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Mineral Drops by water icon, Nature, Vey, Nova Pure Water Larkana, Mina Water, Great Water Islamabad, Dew Drop,[53] and other imported brands such as Evian began marketing in the country.

text: United States[edit]

text: The U.S. is the second largest consumer market for bottled water in the world, followed by Mexico, Indonesia, and Brazil. China surpassed the United States to take the lead in 2013.[54] In 2008, U.S. bottled water sales topped 8.6 billion US gallons (33,000,000 m3) for 28.9% of the U.S. liquid beverage market, exceeding sales of all other beverages except carbonated soft drinks, they are followed by fruit juices, and sports drinks.[15] Americans drink 21 US gallons (79 L) of bottled water per capita per year.[55]

text: In the United States, bottled water and tap water are regulated by different federal agencies: the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates bottled water and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulates the quality of tap water. The International Bottled Water Association (IBWA) is headquartered in Alexandria, VA.

text: From 1970 (16 brands) over 1998 (50 brands) to 2012 (195 brands), the number of mineral water brands in the U.S. has grown exponentially.[56]

text: Consumer information[edit]

text: Labeling[edit]

text: In the United States, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates all packaged foods and beverage products, including bottled water, and mandates labeling requirements. FDA labeling requirements include a statement of the type of water in the container, compliance with the applicable definitions in the FDA Standards of Identity, ingredient labeling, name and place of business of the manufacturer, packer or distributor, net weight, and, if required, nutrition labeling.[57]

text: Consumer information[edit]

text: Public water systems are required by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to provide households in their service territories with a Consumer Confidence Report (CCR) that provides information on the quality of their water during the previous year.[58] Such disclosures are not required by the FDA of any packaged food or beverage product, including bottled water. All packaged foods and beverages, must be manufactured according to FDA regulations and must meet all applicable quality and safety standards.[57]

text: In Canada, bottled water must meet the standards in the Food and Drugs Act & Regulations (FDAR) as it is considered a food. The FDAR works in partnership with Health Canada and Canadian in developing the policies regarding bottled water. The CFIA focuses more on regulations pertaining to packaging, labeling, advertising, and other safety practices, whereas the FDAR focuses more on the water itself. For example, the bottled water must meet the Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) Regulations in Division 12, Part B of the Act must be met before it is approved for sale. Some of the regulations include: labeling terms, safety standards (i.e.: what is/isn't acceptable), and microbiological standards (i.e.: chlorine).[59] In addition to this, the type of filtration method the water has gone through must be shown on the label, as stated in Section B.12.009 [60] Additional information regarding regulations can be found on the CFIA website.[61] The regulations specific to bottled water is in Division 12 and 15, which specify what can be added, such as the amount of arsenic and lead.[62] Regulations are always being updated to conform with new scientific data, laws, new products, and new improvements.[62] In terms of the types of water sold, spring and mineral water must meet the following criteria:

text:
originate from an underground source which is not part of a community water supply; and[62]
be naturally fit to drink (potable) at the source; and[62]
before bottling, not be treated in any way that changes the original chemical composition of the water. (The allowable treatments are discussed in section 1.2.)[62]

text: In Canada, there are two categories of bottled water: 1) spring/mineral water, or 2) water other than mineral water or spring water.[citation needed]

text: Emergency preparedness[edit]

text: Emergency preparedness refers to the steps taken prior to a natural disaster or emergency to ensure safety throughout the event.[63] The American Red Cross and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) recommend that individuals and families maintain disaster supply kits in the event that an emergency disrupts food supply or public water systems, blocks roads, or leaves people unable to find essentials.[64][65]    Following disasters such as floods, blizzards, or earthquakes, water sources can be cut off or contaminated, limiting access to safe, clean drinking water.[66]   For this reason, FEMA recommends that all disaster supply kits include one gallon of water per person per day for at least three days for drinking and sanitation.  In hot climates, FEMA recommends doubling this quantity.

text: For the water supply, FEMA recommends commercially bottled water kept in a cool, dark place.  As an alternative, FEMA recommends using disinfected food-grade water containers to store tap water and replacing the water every six months.[66]

text: Bottled water in emergency response[edit]

text: Hurricanes

text: Following Hurricane Sandy, FEMA requested 5.4 million bottles of water from Nestle North America to aid in disaster relief efforts.[67] Nestle donated 3 million bottles of water to Haiti following the 2010 earthquake.[68] In the wake of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, FEMA requested 100 tractor trailers’ worth of bottled water (approximately 200,000 cases) from the American Beverage Association.[69]

text: Tornadoes

text: AmeriCares, an international disaster relief non-profit, donated 109,000 bottles of water to residents in and around Moore, Oklahoma following the May 2013 tornadoes.[70] Members of the International Bottled Water Association donated more than 400,000 additional bottles of water to the victims of the tornadoes.[71]

text: Contamination

text: In August 2014, city officials in Toledo, Ohio banned local tap water after toxins from an algae bloom in Lake Erie were found in the city’s water supply.[72] The American Red Cross and AmeriCares responded by helping coordinate the distribution of bottled water to the 500,000 area residents impacted by the ban.[73][74]

text: Concerns[edit]

text: Bottled water debates[edit]

text: Bottled water is bought for many different reasons including taste, convenience, poor tap water quality and safety concerns, health concerns and as a substitute for sugary drinks.[75] The environmental impact, container safety, water origin, emergency supplies and role of the bottled water industry continue to be areas of concern for many people.

text: Most bottled water containers are made from recyclable PET plastic, and some of these bottles end up in the waste stream in landfills. The financial and environmental costs of transportation of bottled water has been another concern because of the energy used and the consequent release of carbon dioxide and the potential impact on climate change.[76]

text: In some cases it can be shown that bottled water is actually tap water.[77] However, it is also argued that the quality specifications for some bottled waters in some jurisdictions are  more stringent than the standards for tap-water. In the USA, bottled water that comes from municipal suppliers must be clearly labeled as such unless it has been sufficiently processed to be labeled as “distilled” or “purified”.[78]

text: It has been argued that bottled water companies should only exist for emergency situations when public water supplies are unsafe, unavailable or overwhelmed.[79] The contrary view is that if regulations are placed on the availability of bottled water, bottled water companies will not have the sufficient supplies when a water system is compromised, and that the only reason bottled water is readily available during emergencies is because the industry is maintained by routine purchases.[80]

text: One American study showed that "even in areas with safe tap water, African American, Polish American and Latino parents were three times more likely to give their children mostly bottled water compared to non-Latino white children, because of their belief that bottled water is safer, cleaner, better tasting, or more convenient." The economic implications of this also showed serious inequities: as a percentage of household income, whites reported median spending of 0.4% of their income on bottled water; African Americans and Latinos reported median spending to be more than twice as high.”[81]  The study volunteers, "For poor families, the use of bottled water may lead to less availability of resources for other health needs.......by the rather striking levels of expenditure on water relative to household income."[81] On a global scale, markets for bottled water in poorer developing countries are growing rapidly due to increased fears of “contaminated tap water, inadequate municipal water systems, and increased marketing on the part of bottled water companies.”[81] Sales of bottled water in Mexico, China, and parts of India are rising steeply.[81]

text: Perceptions about bottled water[edit]

text: Bottled water is perceived by many as being a safer alternative to other sources of water such as tap water. Bottled water usage has increased even in countries where clean tap water is present.[82]  This may be attributed to consumers disliking the taste of tap water or its organoleptics.[83]  Another contributing factor to this shift could be the marketing success of bottled water. The success of bottled water marketing can be seen by Perrier's transformation of a bottle of water into a status symbol.[83] However, while bottled water has grown in both consumption and sales, the industry’s advertising expenses are considerably less than other beverages. According to the Beverage Marketing Corporation (BMC), in 2013, the bottled water industry spent $60.6 million on advertising. That same year, sports drinks spent $128 million, sodas spent $564 million, and beer spent $1 billion.

text: Consumers tend to choose bottled water due to health related reasons.[83] In communities that experience problems with their tap water, bottled water consumption is significantly higher. The International Bottled Water Association guidelines state that bottled water companies cannot compare their product to tap water in marketing operations. Consumers are also affected by memories associated with particular brands.[83] For example, Coca-Cola took their Dasani product off the UK market after finding levels of bromate that were higher than legal standards because consumers in the UK associated this flaw with the Dasani product.[83]

text: "Bottled water sales are higher amongst African-American, Asians and Hispanic groups, which typically have lower incomes than whites."[83] Some hypothesize that these differences are due to the geographic distribution of ethnic groups. It was theorized that ethnic differences in bottled water usage "mirror the variability of water system quality between urban, suburban and rural areas (Abrahams et al. 2000) and it was also pointed out that they might reflect the memory of past problems caused by deficient tap-water systems in deprived areas (Olson 1999)."[83] In France, a similar geographic study in the early 1970s found that bottled water consumption was found to be much higher in urban areas (Ferrier 2001). This finding was "also explained in terms of the poor quality of urban tap water and of the bad condition of the old lead pipes in French cities. Nonetheless, while poor tap water quality may motivate the public to search for alternative sources, it alone does not necessarily lead to higher consumption of bottled water."[83]

text: Some surveys "found that bottled water, far from being an alternative to tap water, seems to be mostly consumed as a substitute for alcoholic and traditional soft drinks (e.g. AWWA-RF 1993; FWR 1996) – the exception being when water contamination presents serious health risks and the trust in the tap water company is highly eroded (e.g. Lonnon 2004)."[83] Another explanation for the rise in popularity of bottled water is alternative explanation is that "the consumption of 'pure' and 'natural' bottled water in degraded environments may represent a symbolic purging behavior."[83]

text: Many low-income families avoid drinking tap water because they fear it may cause sickness.[84] Bottled, filtered, and tap water are all for the most part safe in the United States.[85] The Environmental Protection Agency regulations for tap water are "actually stricter than the Food and Drug Administration regulations for bottled water."[85] A study of drinking water in Cincinnati, Ohio, discovered that bacterial counts in bottled water were often higher than those in tap water and fluoride concentration was inconsistent.[85]

text: Globally, there is an intensifying environmental backlash against bottled water usage. As global consumption of bottled water soars, environmental groups such as the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and Greenpeace have warned of the huge environmental footprint of the plastic in which the water is packaged.[86]

text: In 2001, a WWF study, "Bottled water: understanding a social phenomenon", warned that in many countries, bottled water may be no safer or healthier than tap water and it sold for up to 1,000 times the price. It said the booming market would put severe pressure on recycling plastics and could lead to landfill sites drowning in mountains of plastic bottles.[86] Also, the study discovered that the production of bottled water uses more water than the consumer actually buys in the bottle itself.[86]

text: Pricing[edit]

text: Bottled water is more expensive than municipally-supplied tap water.  Tap water sources and delivery systems (taps and faucets) are fixed in place while bottled water is available at many differing price points and in a variety of size formats.

text: "The consumption of bottled and filtered water has dramatically increased in the United States during the past decade, with bottled water sales tripling to about $4 billion a year. More than 50% of the US population drinks bottled water and 'people spend from 240 to over 10,000 times more per gallon for bottled water than they typically do for tap water.' An annual supply of bottled water for a person who consumes 8 glasses a day would cost approximately $200; the same amount of tap water would cost approximately $0.33. In general, women are more likely to drink bottled water than men, and Hispanic women are the group most likely to drink bottled water."[85]

text: The Beverage Marketing Corporation (BMC) states that in 2013, the average wholesale price per gallon of domestic non-sparkling bottled water was $1.21. BMC’s research also shows that consumers actually tend to buy bottled water in bulk from supermarkets (25.3%) or large discount retailers (57.9%) because it costs significantly less. Convenience stores are likely to have higher prices (4.5%), as do drug stores (2.8%). The remaining 9.5% is accounted for through vending machines, cafeterias and other food service outlets, and other types of sales.[87]

text: Bans[edit]

text: In response to environmental and financial concerns, a few localities and U.S. colleges are banning bottled water sales.

text: In 2009, the small New South Wales town of Bundanoon voted to become the first town in the world to ban the selling or dispensing of bottled water.[45][88] Bundanoon caught the attention of many other cities around the world.[45][89]

text:
After a Sydney-based beverage company wanted to open a water extraction plant in the New South Wales town Bundanoon, residents outlawed the sale of bottled water. The town continues to fight the company's proposal in court.[86]
"In the same week the New South Wales state premier also banned all state departments and agencies from buying bottled water because of its huge environmental footprint, joining more than 70 cities in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom that have banned bottled water in their departments."

text: In 2012, the town of Concord, Massachusetts became the first in the United States to ban the sale of bottled water. Specifically, sales of non-sparkling, unflavored drinking water in single-serving Polyethelyne terephthalate (PET) bottles of 1 litre (34 ounces) or less are prohibited. The ban went into effect on 1 January 2013.

text: Health concerns[edit]

text: In the United States, bottled water and tap water are regulated by different federal agencies: the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates bottled water and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulates the quality of tap water. Under the Safe Drinking Water Act the EPA has set maximum contaminant levels for approximately 90 contaminants that might be found in drinking water and 15 secondary maximum contaminant levels.[90]

text: In some areas, tap water may contain added fluoride, which helps prevent tooth decay and cavities.[91] Some bottled water manufacturers in the United States add fluoride to their product, or provide a fluoridated bottled water product. The Food and Drug Administration of the United States does not require bottled water manufacturers to list the fluoride content on the label. However, unlike tap water where the amount of fluoride added by municipalities to drinking water is not federally regulated, the FDA has set specific limits for how much fluoride may be found in bottled water.[92] Water fluoridation remains controversial in countries that require it (the United States, United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada, Australia, and a handful of other countries).Several studies have examined the content of fluoride and other chemicals  in bottled water as well as the accuracy of these values as printed on the labels showing some significant difference between labeled and measured value.[93]

text: According to a 1999 NRDC study, in which roughly 22 percent of brands were tested, at least one sample of bottled drinking water contained chemical contaminants at levels above strict state health limits. Some of the contaminants found in the study could pose health risks if consumed over a long period of time.[94] The NRDC report conceded that "most waters contained no detectable bacteria, however, and the level of synthetic organic chemicals and inorganic chemicals of concern for which [they] were tested were either below detection limits or well below all applicable standards."[95] Meanwhile, a report by the Drinking Water Research Foundation found that of all samples tested by NRDC, "federal FDA or EPA limits were allegedly exceeded only four times, twice for total coliforms and twice for fluorides."[96]

text: Studies show that the plastics used for bottles contain chemicals having estrogenic activity, even when they claim otherwise.[97]  Although some of the bottled water contained in glass were found polluted with chemicals as well, the researchers believe some of the contamination of water in the plastic containers may have come from the plastic containers.[98] Leaching of chemicals into the water is related to the plastic bottles being exposed to either low or high temperatures.

text: A study has recently found that the vast majority of bottled water contains microplastics.  Following this, the World Health Organization has launched a review into the safety of drinking microplastics.[99] Analysis of some of the world’s most popular bottled water brands found that more than 90% contained tiny pieces of plastic[100]

text: The tests were carried out at the State University of New York in Fredonia as part of a project involving original research and reporting by the US-based journalism organization Orb Media. Using a dye called Nile Red, which binds to free-floating pieces of plastic, the university's Prof Sherri Mason found an average of 10 plastic particles per litre of water, each larger than the size of a human hair. Smaller particles assumed to be plastic but not positively identified were found as well - an average of 314 per litre.[101]

text: Safety[edit]

text: There have been no major outbreaks of illness or serious safety concerns associated with bottled water in the past decade, an FDA official stated in testimony before a 9 July 2009 Congressional hearing.[102] Conversely, as noted in the Drinking Water Research Foundation's (DWRF) 2013 report, Microbial Health Risks of Regulated Drinking Waters in the United States, EPA researchers reported an estimated 16.4 million cases of acute gastrointestinal illness per year are caused by tap water. Subsequent research has estimated that number of illnesses to be closer to 19.5 million cases per year.[103] In addition, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that waterborne diseases, such as Cryptosporidiosis and Giardiasis, cost the U.S. healthcare system as much as $539 million a year in hospital expenses.[104]

text: Bottled water versus carbonated beverages[edit]

text: Bottled noncarbonated drinking water competes in the marketplace with carbonated beverages (including carbonated water) sold in individual plastic bottles.[105] Consumption of water often is considered a healthier substitute for sodas.[106]

text: According to the Container Recycling Institute, sales of flavoured, non-carbonated drinks are expected to surpass soda sales by 2010.[107] In response, Coca-Cola and Pepsi-Cola have introduced new carbonated drinks that are fortified with vitamins and minerals, Diet Coke Plus and Tava, marketed as "sparkling beverages."[108]

text: Bottled water versus tap water[edit]

text: Bottled water may have reduced amounts of copper, lead, and other metal contaminants since it does not run through the plumbing pipes where tap water is exposed to metal corrosion; however, this varies by the household and plumbing system.[109]

text: In much of the developed world, chlorine often is added as a disinfectant to tap water. If the water contains organic matter, this may produce other byproducts in the water such as trihalomethanes and haloacetic acids, which has shown to increase the risk of cancer.[110] The level of residual chlorine found at around 0.0002 g per litre, which is too small to cause any health problems directly.[109] The chlorine concentration recommended by World Health Organization is between 0.0005 and 0.0002 g/L.[111]

text: The Natural Resources Defense Council, Sierra Club, and World Wildlife Fund have urged their supporters to consume less bottled water. Anti-bottled-water-campaigns and organizations, such as Corporate Accountability International, typically argue that bottled water is no better than tap water, and emphasize the detrimental environmental side-effects of disposable plastic bottles.

text: In a 2003 episode of the Showtime series Penn & Teller: Bullshit!, restaurant diners appeared unable to discern between bottled water and water from a garden hose behind the restaurant.[112]

text: The recent documentary Tapped argues against the bottled water industry, asserting that tap water is healthier, more environmentally sustainable, and more ecologically sound than bottled water. The film focuses on the bottled water industry in the United States. The film has received largely positive reviews, and has spawned college campus groups such as Beyond the Bottle. Yet, as many people remain generally unaware of the negative health and environmental impacts associated with bottled water, recent research in environmental psychology has started to investigate how to reduce the public's consumption of bottled water.[113][114][115]


document_title: North America

question_text: name the continent with which north america has a land link

question_tokens: name the continent with which north america has a land link

root

text: North America

text: Name

tag: p

text: The Americas are usually accepted as having been named after the Italian explorer Amerigo Vespucci by the German cartographers Martin Waldseemüller and Matthias Ringmann.[7] 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:[8]

text: ... ab Americo inventore ... quasi Americi terram sive Americam (from Americus the discoverer ... as if it were the land of Americus, thus America).

text: For Waldseemüller, no one should object to the naming of the land after its discoverer. He used the Latinized version of Vespucci's name (Americus Vespucius), but in its feminine form "America", following the examples of "Europa", "Asia" and "Africa".

text: 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.[9]

text: Some argue that the convention is to use the surname for naming discoveries except in the case of royalty and so a derivation from "Amerigo Vespucci" could be problematic.[10] Ricardo Palma (1949) proposed a derivation from the "Amerrique" mountains of Central America—Vespucci was the first to discover South America and the Amerrique mountains of Central America, which connected his discoveries to those of Christopher Columbus.

text: Alfred E. Hudd proposed a theory in 1908 that the continents are named after a Welsh merchant named Richard Amerike from Bristol, who is believed to have financed John Cabot's voyage of discovery from England to Newfoundland in 1497. A minutely explored belief that has been advanced is that America was named for a Spanish sailor bearing the ancient Visigothic name of 'Amairick'. Another is that the name is rooted in a Native American language.[9]

text: Extent

text: 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.[11] Alternatively, usage sometimes includes Greenland[12][13][14] and Mexico (as in the North American Free Trade Agreement),[13][15][16][17][18] 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.

text: In France, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Romania, Greece, and the countries of Latin America, the cognates of North America usually designate a subcontinent of the Americas comprising Canada, the United States, and Mexico, and often Greenland, Saint Pierre et Miquelon, and Bermuda.[19][20][21][22][23]

text: 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.[24]

text: Regions

text: Geographically the North American continent has many regions and subregions. These include cultural, economic, and geographic regions. Economic regions included those formed by trade blocs, such as the North American Trade Agreement bloc and Central American Trade Agreement. Linguistically and culturally, the continent could be divided into Anglo-America and Latin America. Anglo-America includes most of Northern America, Belize, and Caribbean islands with English-speaking populations (though sub-national entities, such as Louisiana and Quebec, are Francophone in composition).

text: The southern North American continent is composed of two regions. These are Central America and the Caribbean.[25][26] 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.[12][13][14][15][27]

text: 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.[28][29] Although the term does not refer to a unified region,[30] Middle America—not to be confused with the Midwestern United States—groups the regions of Central America, the Caribbean, and Mexico.[31]

text: The largest countries of the continent, Canada and the United States, also contain well-defined and recognized regions. In the case of Canada these are the British Columbia Coast, Canadian Prairies, Central Canada, Atlantic Canada, and Northern Canada. These regions also contain many subregions. In the case of the United States – and in accordance with the US Census Bureau definitions – these regions are: New England, Mid-Atlantic, East North Central States, West North Central States, South Atlantic States, East South Central States, West South Central States, Mountain States, and Pacific States. Regions shared between both nations included the Great Lakes Region. Megalopolises have also formed between both nations in the case of the Pacific Northwest and the Great Lakes Megaregion.

text: Countries, territories, and dependencies

text:
Flag
Country or territory[16][17][18]
Area
(km2)[32]
Population
(2016 est.)[33]
Population density
(per km2)
Capital

Anguilla (UK)
7001910000000000000♠91
14,764
164.8
The Valley

Antigua and Barbuda
7002442000000000000♠442
100,963
199.1
St. John's

Aruba (NLD)[note 2]
7002180000000000000♠180
104,822
594.4
Oranjestad

The Bahamas[note 3]
7004139430000000000♠13,943
391,232
24.5
Nassau

Barbados
7002430000000000000♠430
284,996
595.3
Bridgetown

Belize
7004229660000000000♠22,966
366,954
13.4
Belmopan

Bermuda (UK)
7001540000000000000♠54
61,666
1203.7
Hamilton

Bonaire (NLD)[note 2]
7002294000000000000♠294
7004120930000000000♠12,093[34]
41.1
Kralendijk

British Virgin Islands (UK)
7002151000000000000♠151
30,661
152.3
Road Town

Canada
7006998467000000000♠9,984,670
36,289,822
3.4
Ottawa

Cayman Islands (UK)
7002264000000000000♠264
60,765
212.1
George Town

Clipperton Island (FRA)
7000600000000000000♠6
5000000000000000000♠0
0.0
—

Costa Rica
7004511000000000000♠51,100
4,857,274
89.6
San José

Cuba
7005109886000000000♠109,886
11,475,982
102.0
Havana

Curaçao (NLD)[note 2]
7002444000000000000♠444
159,371
317.1
Willemstad

Dominica
7002751000000000000♠751
73,543
89.2
Roseau

Dominican Republic
7004486710000000000♠48,671
10,648,791
207.3
Santo Domingo

El Salvador
7004210410000000000♠21,041
6,344,722
293.0
San Salvador

Greenland (Denmark)
7006216608600000000♠2,166,086
56,412
0.026
Nuuk

Grenada
7002344000000000000♠344
107,317
302.3
St. George's

Guadeloupe (FRA)
7003162800000000000♠1,628
449,975
246.7
Basse-Terre

Guatemala
7005108889000000000♠108,889
16,582,469
128.8
Guatemala City

Haiti
7004277500000000000♠27,750
10,847,334
361.5
Port-au-Prince

Honduras
7005112492000000000♠112,492
9,112,867
66.4
Tegucigalpa

Jamaica
7004109910000000000♠10,991
2,881,355
247.4
Kingston

Martinique (FRA)
7003112800000000000♠1,128
385,103
352.6
Fort-de-France

Mexico
7006196437500000000♠1,964,375
127,540,423
57.1
Mexico City

Montserrat (UK)
7002102000000000000♠102
5,152
58.8
Plymouth (Brades)[note 4]

Navassa Island (United States)
7000500000000000000♠5[35]
5000000000000000000♠0[36]
0.0

Nicaragua
7005130373000000000♠130,373
6,149,928
44.1
Managua

Panama[note 2][note 5]
7004754170000000000♠75,417
4,034,119
45.8
Panama City

Puerto Rico (United States)
7003887000000000000♠8,870
3,667,903
448.9
San Juan

Saba (NLD)
7001130000000000000♠13
7003153700000000000♠1,537[34]
118.2
The Bottom

Saint Barthélemy (FRA)
7001210000000000000♠21[35]
7003744800000000000♠7,448[36]
354.7
Gustavia

Saint Kitts and Nevis
7002261000000000000♠261
54,821
199.2
Basseterre

Saint Lucia
7002539000000000000♠539
178,015
319.1
Castries

Saint Martin (FRA)
7001540000000000000♠54[35]
7004298200000000000♠29,820[36]
552.2
Marigot

Saint Pierre and Miquelon (FRA)
7002242000000000000♠242
6,305
24.8
Saint-Pierre

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
7002389000000000000♠389
109,643
280.2
Kingstown

Sint Eustatius (NLD)
7001210000000000000♠21
7003273900000000000♠2,739[34]
130.4
Oranjestad

Sint Maarten (NLD)
7001340000000000000♠34
39,537
1176.7
Philipsburg

Trinidad and Tobago[note 2]
7003513000000000000♠5,130
1,364,962
261.0
Port of Spain

Turks and Caicos Islands (UK)[note 6]
7002948000000000000♠948
34,900
34.8
Cockburn Town

United States[note 7]
7006962909100000000♠9,629,091
322,179,605
32.7
Washington, D.C.

United States Virgin Islands (United States)
7002347000000000000♠347
104,913
317.0
Charlotte Amalie

Total
7007245009950000000♠24,500,995
7008541720440000000♠541,720,440
22.9

tag: table

text: History

text: Geologic history

text: 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.[37] 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.[38] 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,[39] and the Great Lakes (as well as many other northern freshwater lakes and rivers) were carved by receding glaciers about 10,000 years ago.

text: North America is the source of much of what humanity knows about geologic time periods.[40] The geographic area that would later become the United States has been the source of more varieties of dinosaurs than any other modern country.[40] According to paleontologist Peter Dodson, this is primarily due to stratigraphy, climate and geography, human resources, and history.[40] Much of the Mesozoic Era is represented by exposed outcrops in the many arid regions of the continent.[40] The most significant Late Jurassic dinosaur-bearing fossil deposit in North America is the Morrison Formation of the western United States.[41]

text: Pre-Columbian

text: 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.[42] 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.[43] 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.[44] 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.[45] Some genetic research indicated secondary waves of migration occurred after the initial Paleo-Indian colonization,[46] but prior to modern Inuit, Inupiat and Yupik expansions.[47]

text: Before contact with Europeans, the natives of North America were divided into many different polities, from small bands of a few families to large empires. They lived in several "culture areas", which roughly correspond to geographic and biological zones and give a good indication of the main lifeway or occupation of the people who lived there (e.g., the bison hunters of the Great Plains, or the farmers of Mesoamerica). Native groups can also be classified by their language family (e.g., Athapascan or Uto-Aztecan). Peoples with similar languages did not always share the same material culture, nor were they always allies. Anthropologists think that the Inuit people of the high Arctic came to North America much later than other native groups, as evidenced by the disappearance of Dorset culture artifacts from the archaeological record, and their replacement by the Thule people.

text: During the thousands of years of native habitation on the continent, cultures changed and shifted. One of the oldest cultures yet found is the Clovis culture of modern New Mexico. Later cultures include the Mississippian culture and related Mound building cultures, found in the Mississippi river valley and the Pueblo culture of what is now the Four Corners. The more southern cultural groups of North America were responsible for the domestication of many common crops now used around the world, such as tomatoes and squash. Perhaps most importantly they domesticated one of the world's major staples, maize (corn).

text: The earliest verifiable instance of pre-Columbian trans-oceanic contact by any European culture with the landmasses that geologically constitute the "mainland" of modern North America has been dated to the end of the 10th century CE – this site, situated at the northernmost extent of the island named Newfoundland, is known as L'Anse aux Meadows, where unmistakable evidence of Norse settlement was uncovered in the early 1960s.[48]

text: 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.[49] 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.[50]

text: Colonial period

text: During the Age of Discovery, Europeans explored and staked claims to various parts of North America. Upon their arrival in the "New World", the Native American population declined substantially, because of violent conflicts with the invaders and the introduction of European diseases to which the Native Americans lacked immunity.[51] Native culture changed drastically and their affiliation with political and cultural groups also changed. Several linguistic groups died out, and others changed quite quickly. The names and cultures that Europeans recorded were not necessarily the same as the names they had used a few generations before, or the ones in use today.

text: Britain, Spain, and France took over extensive territories in North America – and fought over them. In the late 18th century and beginning of the 19th, independence movements that sprung up across the continent, led to the creation of the modern countries in the area. The 13 British colonies on the North Atlantic coast declared independence in 1776, becoming the United States of America. Canada was formed from the unification of northern territories controlled by Britain and France. New Spain, a territory that stretched from modern-day southern US to Central America, declared independence in 1810, becoming the First Mexican Empire. In 1823 the former Captaincy General of Guatemala, then part of the Mexican Empire, became the first independent state in Central America, officially changing its name to the United Provinces of Central America.

text: Geography

text: North America occupies the northern portion of the landmass generally referred to as the New World, the Western Hemisphere, the Americas, or simply America (which, less commonly, is considered by some as a single continent[52][53][54] with North America a subcontinent).[55] North America's only land connection to South America is at the Isthmus of Panama. The continent is delimited on the southeast by most geographers at the Darién watershed along the Colombia-Panama border, placing all of Panama within North America.[56][57][58] Alternatively, some geologists physiographically locate its southern limit at the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, Mexico, with Central America extending southeastward to South America from this point.[59] The Caribbean islands, or West Indies, are considered part of North America.[3] The continental coastline is long and irregular. The Gulf of Mexico is the largest body of water indenting the continent, followed by Hudson Bay. Others include the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and the Gulf of California.

text: 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.

text: 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.

text: The vast majority of North America is on the North American Plate. Parts of western Mexico, including Baja California, and of California, including the cities of San Diego, Los Angeles, and Santa Cruz, lie on the eastern edge of the Pacific Plate, with the two plates meeting along the San Andreas fault. The southernmost portion of the continent and much of the West Indies lie on the Caribbean Plate, whereas the Juan de Fuca and Cocos plates border the North American Plate on its western frontier.

text: The continent can be divided into four great regions (each of which contains many subregions): the Great Plains stretching from the Gulf of Mexico to the Canadian Arctic; the geologically young, mountainous west, including the Rocky Mountains, the Great Basin, California and Alaska; the raised but relatively flat plateau of the Canadian Shield in the northeast; and the varied eastern region, which includes the Appalachian Mountains, the coastal plain along the Atlantic seaboard, and the Florida peninsula. Mexico, with its long plateaus and cordilleras, falls largely in the western region, although the eastern coastal plain does extend south along the Gulf.

text: The western mountains are split in the middle into the main range of the Rockies and the coast ranges in California, Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia, with the Great Basin—a lower area containing smaller ranges and low-lying deserts—in between. The highest peak is Denali in Alaska.

text: The United States Geographical Survey (USGS) states that the geographic center of North America is "6 miles [10 km] west of Balta, Pierce County, North Dakota" at about 48°10′N 100°10′W / 48.167°N 100.167°W / 48.167; -100.167, about 24 kilometres (15 mi) from Rugby, North Dakota. The USGS further states that "No marked or monumented point has been established by any government agency as the geographic center of either the 50 States, the conterminous United States, or the North American continent." Nonetheless, there is a 4.6-metre (15 ft) field stone obelisk in Rugby claiming to mark the center. The North American continental pole of inaccessibility is located 1,650 km (1,030 mi) from the nearest coastline, between Allen and Kyle, South Dakota at 43°22′N 101°58′W / 43.36°N 101.97°W / 43.36; -101.97 (Pole of Inaccessibility North America).[60]

text: Geology

text: Canadian geology

text: Geologically, Canada is one of the oldest regions in the world, with more than half of the region consisting of precambrian rocks that have been above sea level since the beginning of the Palaeozoic era.[61] Canada's mineral resources are diverse and extensive.[61] Across the Canadian Shield and in the north there are large iron, nickel, zinc, copper, gold, lead, molybdenum, and uranium reserves. Large diamond concentrations have been recently developed in the Arctic,[62] making Canada one of the world's largest producers. Throughout the Shield there are many mining towns extracting these minerals. The largest, and best known, is Sudbury, Ontario. Sudbury is an exception to the normal process of forming minerals in the Shield since there is significant evidence that the Sudbury Basin is an ancient meteorite impact crater. The nearby, but less known Temagami Magnetic Anomaly has striking similarities to the Sudbury Basin. Its magnetic anomalies are very similar to the Sudbury Basin, and so it could be a second metal-rich impact crater.[63] The Shield is also covered by vast boreal forests that support an important logging industry.

text: United States geology

text: The lower 48 US states can be divided into roughly five physiographic provinces:

text:
The American cordillera
The Canadian Shield[61] Northern portion of the upper midwestern United States.
The stable platform
The coastal plain
The Appalachian orogenic belt

tag: ol

text: The geology of Alaska is typical of that of the cordillera, while the major islands of Hawaii consist of Neogene volcanics erupted over a hot spot.

text: Central American geology

text: 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.

text: Volcanic eruptions are common in the region. In 1968 the Arenal Volcano, in Costa Rica, erupted and killed 87 people. Fertile soils from weathered volcanic lavas have made it possible to sustain dense populations in the agriculturally productive highland areas.

text: 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.

text: Climate

text: 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).[64] 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.[65]

text: Stretching from the East Coast to eastern North Dakota, and stretching down to Kansas, is the continental-humid climate featuring intense seasons, with a large amount of annual precipitation, with places like New York City averaging 50 inches (1,300 mm).[66] Starting at the southern border of the continental-humid climate and stretching to the Gulf of Mexico (whilst encompassing the eastern half of Texas) is the subtropical climate. This area has the wettest cities in the contiguous U.S. with annual precipitation reaching 67 inches (1,700 mm) in Mobile, Alabama.[67] Stretching from the borders of the continental humid and subtropical climates, and going west to the Cascades Sierra Nevada, south to the southern tip of durango, north to the border with tundra climate, the steppe/desert climate is the driest climate in the U.S.[68]

text: Ecology

text: This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (March 2015)

text: Notable North American fauna include the bison, black bear, prairie dog, turkey, pronghorn, raccoon, coyote and monarch butterfly.

text: Notable plants that were domesticated in North America include tobacco, maize, squash, tomato, sunflower, blueberry, avocado, cotton, chile pepper and vanilla.

text: Demographics

text: Economically, Canada and the United States are the wealthiest and most developed nations in the continent, followed by Mexico, a newly industrialized country.[69] The countries of Central America and the Caribbean are at various levels of economic and human development. For example, small Caribbean island-nations, such as Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, and Antigua and Barbuda, have a higher GDP (PPP) per capita than Mexico due to their smaller populations. Panama and Costa Rica have a significantly higher Human Development Index and GDP than the rest of the Central American nations.[70] Additionally, despite Greenland's vast resources in oil and minerals, much of them remain untapped, and the island is economically dependent on fishing, tourism, and subsidies from Denmark. Nevertheless, the island is highly developed.[71]

text: Demographically, North America is ethnically diverse. Its three main groups are Caucasians, Mestizos and Blacks.[citation needed] There is a significant minority of Indigenous Americans and Asians among other less numerous groups.[citation needed]

text: Languages

text: The dominant languages in North America are English, Spanish, and French. Danish is prevalent in Greenland alongside Greenlandic, and Dutch is spoken side by side local languages in the Dutch Caribbean. The term Anglo-America is used to refer to the anglophone countries of the Americas: namely Canada (where English and French are co-official) and the United States, but also sometimes Belize and parts of the tropics, especially the Commonwealth Caribbean. Latin America refers to the other areas of the Americas (generally south of the United States) where the Romance languages, derived from Latin, of Spanish and Portuguese (but French speaking countries are not usually included) predominate: the other republics of Central America (but not always Belize), part of the Caribbean (not the Dutch-, English-, or French-speaking areas), Mexico, and most of South America (except Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana (France), and the Falkland Islands (UK)).

text: The French language has historically played a significant role in North America and now retains a distinctive presence in some regions. Canada is officially bilingual. French is the official language of the Province of Quebec, where 95% of the people speak it as either their first or second language, and it is co-official with English in the Province of New Brunswick. Other French-speaking locales include the Province of Ontario (the official language is English, but there are an estimated 600,000 Franco-Ontarians), the Province of Manitoba (co-official as de jure with English), the French West Indies and Saint-Pierre et Miquelon, as well as the US state of Louisiana, where French is also an official language. Haiti is included with this group based on historical association but Haitians speak both Creole and French. Similarly, French and French Antillean Creole is spoken in Saint Lucia and the Commonwealth of Dominica alongside English.

text: Religions

text: Christianity is the largest religion in the United States, Canada and Mexico. According to a 2012 Pew Research Center survey, 77% of the population considered themselves Christians.[72] Christianity also is the predominant religion in the 23 dependent territories in North America.[73] The United States has the largest Christian population in the world, with nearly 247 million Christians (70%), although other countries have higher percentages of Christians among their populations.[74] Mexico has the world's second largest number of Catholics, surpassed only by Brazil.[75] A 2015 study estimates about 493,000 Christian believers from a Muslim background in North America, most of them belonging to some form of Protestantism.[76]

text: According to the same study religiously unaffiliated (include agnostic and atheist) make up about 17% of the population of Canada and the United States.[77] No religion make up about 24% of the United States population, and 24% of Canada total population.[78]

text: Canada, the United States and Mexico host communities of both Jews (6 million or about 1.8%),[79] Buddhists (3.8 million or 1.1%)[80] and Muslims (3.4 million or 1.0%).[81] The biggest number of Jewish individuals can be found in the United States (5.4 million),[82] Canada (375,000)[83] and Mexico (67,476).[84] The United States host the largest Muslim population in North America with 2.7 million or 0.9%,[85][86] While Canada host about one million Muslim or 3.2% of the population.[87] While in Mexico there were 3,700 Muslims in the country.[88] In 2012, U-T San Diego estimated U.S. practitioners of Buddhism at 1.2 million people, of whom 40% are living in Southern California.[89]

text: The predominant religion in Central America is Christianity (96%).[90] 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%).[90] Other religious groups in the region are Hinduism, Islam, Rastafari (in Jamaica), and Afro-American religions such as Santería and Vodou.

text: Populace

text: The most populous country in North America is the United States with 318.4 million persons.[91] The second largest country is Mexico with a population of 112,322,757.[92] Canada is the third most populous country with 32,623,490.[93] The majority of Caribbean island-nations have national populations under a million, though Cuba, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Puerto Rico (a territory of the United States), Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobago each have populations higher than a million.[94][95][96][97][98] Greenland has a small population of 55,984 for its massive size (2,166,000 km² or 836,300 mi²), and therefore, it has the world's lowest population density at 0.026 pop./km² (0.067 pop./mi²).[99]

text: While the United States, Canada, and Mexico maintain the largest populations, large city populations are not restricted to those nations. There are also large cities in the Caribbean. The largest cities in North America, by far, are Mexico City and New York. These cities are the only cities on the continent to exceed eight million, and two of three in the Americas. Next in size are Los Angeles, Toronto,[100] Chicago, Havana, Santo Domingo, and Montreal. Cities in the sunbelt regions of the United States, such as those in Southern California and Houston, Phoenix, Miami, Atlanta, and Las Vegas, are experiencing rapid growth. These causes included warm temperatures, retirement of Baby Boomers, large industry, and the influx of immigrants. Cities near the United States border, particularly in Mexico, are also experiencing large amounts of growth. Most notable is Tijuana, a city bordering San Diego that receives immigrants from all over Latin America and parts of Europe and Asia. Yet as cities grow in these warmer regions of North America, they are increasingly forced to deal with the major issue of water shortages.[101]

text: Eight of the top ten metropolitan areas are located in the United States. These metropolitan areas all have a population of above 5.5 million and include the New York City metropolitan area, Los Angeles metropolitan area, Chicago metropolitan area, and the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex.[102] Whilst the majority of the largest metropolitan areas are within the United States, Mexico is host to the largest metropolitan area by population in North America: Greater Mexico City.[103] Canada also breaks into the top ten largest metropolitan areas with the Toronto metropolitan area having six million people.[104] The proximity of cities to each other on the Canada–United States border and Mexico–United States border has led to the rise of international metropolitan areas. These urban agglomerations are observed at their largest and most productive in Detroit–Windsor and San Diego–Tijuana and experience large commercial, economic, and cultural activity. The metropolitan areas are responsible for millions of dollars of trade dependent on international freight. In Detroit-Windsor the Border Transportation Partnership study in 2004 concluded US$13 billion was dependent on the Detroit–Windsor international border crossing while in San Diego-Tijuana freight at the Otay Mesa Port of Entry was valued at US$20 billion.[105][106]

text: North America has also been witness to the growth of megapolitan areas. In the United States exists eleven megaregions that transcend international borders and comprise Canadian and Mexican metropolitan regions. These are the Arizona Sun Corridor, Cascadia, Florida, Front Range, Great Lakes Megaregion, Gulf Coast Megaregion, Northeast, Northern California, Piedmont Atlantic, Southern California, and the Texas Triangle.[107] Canada and Mexico are also the home of megaregions. These include the Quebec City – Windsor Corridor, Golden Horseshoe – both of which are considered part of the Great Lakes Megaregion – and megalopolis of Central Mexico. Traditionally the largest megaregion has been considered the Boston-Washington, D.C. Corridor, or the Northeast, as the region is one massive contiguous area. Yet megaregion criterion have allowed the Great Lakes Megalopolis to maintain status as the most populated region, being home to 53,768,125 people in 2000.[108]

text: The top ten largest North American metropolitan areas by population as of 2013, based on national census numbers from the United States and census estimates from Canada and Mexico.

text:
Metro Area
Population
Area
Country

Mexico City
21,163,226†
7,346 km2 (2,836 sq mi)
 Mexico

New York City
19,949,502
17,405 km2 (6,720 sq mi)
 United States

Los Angeles
13,131,431
12,562 km2 (4,850 sq mi)
 United States

Chicago
9,537,289
24,814 km2 (9,581 sq mi)
 United States

Dallas–Fort Worth
6,810,913
24,059 km2 (9,289 sq mi)
 United States

Houston
6,313,158
26,061 km2 (10,062 sq mi)
 United States

Toronto
6,054,191†
5,906 km2 (2,280 sq mi)
 Canada

Philadelphia
6,034,678
13,256 km2 (5,118 sq mi)
 United States

Washington, D.C.
5,949,859
14,412 km2 (5,565 sq mi)
 United States

Miami
5,828,191
15,896 km2 (6,137 sq mi)
 United States

text: †2011 Census figures.

text: Economy

text:
Rank
Country
GDP (PPP, peak year)
millions of USD
Peak year

1
 United States
19,362,129
2017

2
 Mexico
2,406,087
2017

3
 Canada
1,763,785
2017

4
 Cuba
254,865
2015

5
 Dominican Republic
172,576
2017

6
 Guatemala
138,276
2017

7
 Puerto Rico
130,578
2014

8
 Panama
99,430
2017

9
 Costa Rica
85,203
2017

10
 El Salvador
56,903
2017

text:
Rank
Country
GDP (nominal, peak year)
millions of USD
Peak year

1
 United States
19,362,129
2017

2
 Canada
1,842,627
2013

3
 Mexico
1,298,466
2014

4
 Puerto Rico
105,035
2016

5
 Cuba
87,133
2015

6
 Dominican Republic
74,873
2017

7
 Guatemala
70,806
2017

8
 Costa Rica
58,909
2017

9
 Panama
59,051
2017

10
 Trinidad and Tobago
27,870
2008

text: North America's GDP per capita was evaluated in October 2016 by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to be $41,830, making it the richest continent in the world,[1] followed by Oceania.[109]

text: Canada, Mexico, and the United States have significant and multifaceted economic systems. The United States has the largest economy of all three countries and in the world.[109] In 2016, the U.S. had an estimated per capita gross domestic product (PPP) of $57,466 according to the World Bank, and is the most technologically developed economy of the three.[110] The United States' services sector comprises 77% of the country's GDP (estimated in 2010), industry comprises 22% and agriculture comprises 1.2%.[109] The U.S. economy is also the fastest growing economy in North America and the Americas as a whole,[111][1] with the highest GDP per capita in the Americas as well.[1]

text: Canada shows significant growth in the sectors of services, mining and manufacturing.[112] Canada's per capita GDP (PPP) was estimated at $44,656 and it had the 11th largest GDP (nominal) in 2014.[112] Canada's services sector comprises 78% of the country's GDP (estimated in 2010), industry comprises 20% and agriculture comprises 2%.[112] Mexico has a per capita GDP (PPP) of $16,111 and as of 2014 is the 15th largest GDP (nominal) in the world.[113] Being a newly industrialized country,[69] Mexico maintains both modern and outdated industrial and agricultural facilities and operations.[114] Its main sources of income are oil, industrial exports, manufactured goods, electronics, heavy industry, automobiles, construction, food, banking and financial services.[115]

text: The North American economy is well defined and structured in three main economic areas.[116] These areas are the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), Caribbean Community and Common Market (CARICOM), and the Central American Common Market (CACM).[116] 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.

text: The North America Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) forms one of the four largest trade blocs in the world.[117] Its implementation in 1994 was designed for economic homogenization with hopes of eliminating barriers of trade and foreign investment between Canada, the United States and Mexico.[118] While Canada and the United States already conducted the largest bilateral trade relationship – and to present day still do – in the world and Canada–United States trade relations already allowed trade without national taxes and tariffs,[119] NAFTA allowed Mexico to experience a similar duty-free trade. The free trade agreement allowed for the elimination of tariffs that had previously been in place on United States-Mexico trade. Trade volume has steadily increased annually and in 2010, surface trade between the three NAFTA nations reached an all-time historical increase of 24.3% or US$791 billion.[120] The NAFTA trade bloc GDP (PPP) is the world's largest with US$17.617 trillion.[121] This is in part attributed to the fact that the economy of the United States is the world's largest national economy; the country had a nominal GDP of approximately $14.7 trillion in 2010.[122] The countries of NAFTA are also some of each other's largest trade partners. The United States is the largest trade partner of Canada and Mexico;[123] while Canada and Mexico are each other's third largest trade partners.[124][125]

text: The Caribbean trade bloc – CARICOM – came into agreement in 1973 when it was signed by 15 Caribbean nations. As of 2000, CARICOM trade volume was US$96 billion. CARICOM also allowed for the creation of a common passport for associated nations. In the past decade the trade bloc focused largely on Free Trade Agreements and under the CARICOM Office of Trade Negotiations (OTN) free trade agreements have been signed into effect.

text: Integration of Central American economies occurred under the signing of the Central American Common Market agreement in 1961; this was the first attempt to engage the nations of this area into stronger financial cooperation. Recent implementation of the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) has left the future of the CACM unclear.[126] The Central American Free Trade Agreement was signed by five Central American countries, the Dominican Republic, and the United States. The focal point of CAFTA is to create a free trade area similar to that of NAFTA. In addition to the United States, Canada also has relations in Central American trade blocs. Currently under proposal, the Canada – Central American Free Trade Agreement (CA4) would operate much the same as CAFTA with the United States does.

text: These nations also take part in inter-continental trade blocs. Mexico takes a part in the G3 Free Trade Agreement with Colombia and Venezuela and has a trade agreement with the EU. The United States has proposed and maintained trade agreements under the Transatlantic Free Trade Area between itself and the European Union; the US-Middle East Free Trade Area between numerous Middle Eastern nations and itself; and the Trans-Pacific Strategic Economic Partnership between Southeast Asian nations, Australia, and New Zealand.

text: Transport

text: 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).

text: The First Transcontinental Railroad in the United States was built in the 1860s, linking the railroad network of the eastern US with California on the Pacific coast. Finished on 10 May 1869 at the famous golden spike event at Promontory Summit, Utah, it created a nationwide mechanized transportation network that revolutionized the population and economy of the American West, catalyzing the transition from the wagon trains of previous decades to a modern transportation system.[127] Although an accomplishment, it achieved the status of first transcontinental railroad by connecting myriad eastern US railroads to the Pacific and was not the largest single railroad system in the world. The Canadian Grand Trunk Railway (GTR) had, by 1867, already accumulated more than 2,055 km (1,277 mi) of track by connecting Ontario with the Canadian Atlantic provinces west as far as Port Huron, Michigan, through Sarnia, Ontario.

text: Communications

text: A shared telephone system known as the North American Numbering Plan (NANP) is an integrated telephone numbering plan of 24 countries and territories: the United States and its territories, Canada, Bermuda, and 17 Caribbean nations.

text: Culture

text: Canada and the United States were both former British colonies. There is frequent cultural interplay between the United States and English-speaking Canada. Greenland shares some cultural ties with the indigenous people of Canada but is considered Nordic and has strong Danish ties due to centuries of colonization by Denmark. Spanish-speaking North America shares a common past as former Spanish colonies. In Mexico and the Central American countries where civilizations like the Maya developed, indigenous people preserve traditions across modern boundaries. Central American and Spanish-speaking Caribbean nations have historically had more in common due to geographical proximity.

text: Northern Mexico, particularly in the cities of Monterrey, Tijuana, Ciudad Juárez, and Mexicali, is strongly influenced by the culture and way of life of the United States. Of the aforementioned cities, Monterrey has been regarded as the most Americanized city in Mexico.[128] Immigration to the United States and Canada remains a significant attribute of many nations close to the southern border of the US. The Anglophone Caribbean states have witnessed the decline of the British Empire and its influence on the region, and its replacement by the economic influence of Northern America. In the Anglophone Caribbean. This is partly due to the relatively small populations of the English-speaking Caribbean countries, and also because many of them now have more people living abroad than those remaining at home. Northern Mexico, the Western United States and Alberta, Canada share a cowboy culture.

text: Sports

text: Canada, Mexico and the US submitted a joint bid to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The following table shows the most prominent sports leagues in North America, in order of average revenue.[129][130]

text:
League
Sport
Primary
country
Founded
Teams
Revenue
US$ (bn)
Average
Attendance

National Football League (NFL)
American football
United States
1920
32
$9.0
7004676040000000000♠67,604

Major League Baseball (MLB)
Baseball
United States
Canada
1869
30
$8.0
7004304580000000000♠30,458

National Basketball Association (NBA)
Basketball
United States
Canada
1946
30
$5.0
7004173470000000000♠17,347

National Hockey League (NHL)
Ice hockey
United States
Canada
1917
31
$3.3
7004177200000000000♠17,720

Liga MX
Football (soccer)
Mexico
1943
18
$0.6
7004255570000000000♠25,557

Major League Soccer (MLS)
Football (soccer)
United States
Canada
1994
20[sn 1]
$0.5
7004215740000000000♠21,574

text: Jump up ^ MLS plans to expand to 21 teams in 2017, and to 24 teams by 2020.