North America

== Culture ==
[[File:Yankee Stadium upper deck 2010.jpg|thumb|[[Baseball]] is known as the national pastime of the United States, and is also played in Canada and many Latin American countries.]]
The cultures of North America are diverse. The U.S. and English Canada have many cultural similarities, while French Canada has a distinct culture from Anglophone Canada, which is protected by law. Since the U.S. was formed from portions previously part of the Spanish Empire and then independent Mexico, and there has been considerable and continuing immigration of Spanish speakers from south of the U.S.–Mexico border. In the southwest of the U.S. there are many Hispanic cultural traditions and considerable bilingualism. Mexico and Central America are part of [[Latin America]] and are culturally distinct from anglophone and francophone North America. However, they share with the United States the establishment of post-independence governments that are federated representative republics with written constitutions dating from their founding as nations. Canada is a federated parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy.

Canada's [[Constitution of Canada|constitution]] dates to 1867, with confederation, in the British North America Act, but not until 1982 did Canada have the power to amend its own constitution. Canada's Francophone heritage has been enshrined in law since the British parliament passed the [[Quebec Act]] of 1774. In contrast to largely Protestant Anglo settlers in North America, French-speaking Canadians were Catholic and with the Quebec Act were guaranteed freedom to practice their religion, restored the right of the Catholic Church to impose [[tithes]] for its support, and established French civil law in most circumstances.

The distinctiveness of French language and culture has been codified in Canadian law, so that both English and French are designated official languages. The U.S. has no official language, but its national language is English.

The Canadian government took action to protect [[Canadian culture]] by limiting non-[[Canadian content]] in broadcasting, creating the [[Canadian Radio and Telecommunications Commission]] to monitor Canadian content. In Quebec, the provincial government established the [[Quebec Office of the French Language]], often called the "language police" by Anglophones, which mandates the use of French terminology and signage in French.<ref>[https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/yes-the-quebec-language-police-does-serve-a-purpose/article36329861/ "Yes, the Quebec language police does serve a purpose"]. Accessed 5 July 2021 {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210814033935/https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/yes-the-quebec-language-police-does-serve-a-purpose/article36329861/ |date=14 August 2021 }}</ref> Since 1968 the unicameral legislature has been called the [[Quebec National Assembly]]. [[Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day]], 24 June, is the national holiday of Quebec and celebrated by francophone Canadians throughout Canada. In Quebec, the [[education in Quebec|school system]] was divided into Catholic and Protestant, so-called confessional schools. Anglophone education in Quebec has been increasingly undermined.<ref>[https://theconversation.com/quebecs-bill-40-further-undermines-the-provinces-english-language-school-system-131595 Quebec's Bill 40 further undermines the province's English language school system"]. Accessed 5 July 2021 {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210709184520/https://theconversation.com/quebecs-bill-40-further-undermines-the-provinces-english-language-school-system-131595 |date=9 July 2021 }}</ref>

[[Latino culture]] is strong in the southwest of the U.S., as well as Florida, which draws Latin Americans from many countries in the hemisphere. Northern Mexico, particularly in the cities of [[Monterrey]], Tijuana, [[Ciudad Juárez]], and [[Mexicali]], is strongly influenced by the [[Culture of the United States|culture]] and [[American way|way of life of the U.S.]] Monterrey, a modern city with a significant industrial group, has been regarded as the most [[Americanized]] city in Mexico.<ref name="MonterreyFall">{{cite news |title=Special report: If Monterrey falls Mexico falls – Reuters |agency=Reuters |date=1 June 2011 |last=Emmot |first=Robert}}</ref> Northern Mexico, the Western U.S. and [[Alberta]], Canada share a [[cowboy]] culture.

The [[Anglophone Caribbean|Anglophone Caribbean states]] have witnessed and participated in 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 [[expatriate|living abroad]] than those remaining at home.{{citation needed|date=July 2021}}

Greenland has experienced many immigration waves from [[Northern Canada]], e.g. the [[Thule people]]. Therefore, Greenland shares some cultural ties with the indigenous peoples of Canada. Greenland is also considered [[Nordic countries|Nordic]] and has strong Danish ties due to [[Danish colonization of the Americas|centuries of colonization by Denmark]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://arcticfriend.dk/bag-om-groenland/|title=BAG OM GRØNLAND|website=Arctic Friend|language=da-DK|access-date=18 April 2020|archive-date=4 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200804211108/https://arcticfriend.dk/bag-om-groenland/|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Popular culture – sports ===
{{See also|Sport in North America}}
The U.S. and Canada have major sports teams that compete against each other, including baseball, basketball, hockey, and soccer/football. Canada, Mexico and the U.S. [[North America 2026 FIFA World Cup bid|will host]] the [[2026 FIFA World Cup]].

The following table shows the most prominent sports leagues in North America, in order of average revenue.<ref>[http://fivethirtyeight.com/datalab/theres-a-big-five-in-north-american-pro-sports/ "The 'Big Five' in North American Pro Sports"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150522024423/http://fivethirtyeight.com/datalab/theres-a-big-five-in-north-american-pro-sports/ |date=22 May 2015 }}, FiveThirtyEight, Nate Silver, 4 April 2014.</ref><ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/football/2014/mar/12/mls-soccer-nfl-nba-mlb-nhl-epl-business "MLS vs the major leagues: can soccer compete when it comes to big business?"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161119005010/https://www.theguardian.com/football/2014/mar/12/mls-soccer-nfl-nba-mlb-nhl-epl-business |date=19 November 2016 }}, Guardian.com, 12 March 2014.</ref> Canada has a separate [[Canadian Football League]] from the U.S. teams.

The Native American game of [[Lacrosse in Canada|lacrosse]] is considered a national sport in Canada. [[Curling]] is an important winter sport in Canada, and the Winter Olympics includes it in the roster. The English sport of [[Cricket in Canada|cricket]] is popular in parts of anglophone Canada and very popular in parts of the former British empire, but in Canada is considered a minor sport. Boxing is also a major sport in some countries, such as Mexico, Panama and Puerto Rico, and it is considered one of the main individual sports in the U.S.

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
|-
!League || Sport || Primary<br/>country || Founded || Teams || Revenue<br/>US$ (bn) || Average<br/>attendance
|-
| align=left | [[National Football League]] (NFL) || [[American football]] || align=left | United States || 1920 || 32 || $9.0 || {{nts|67,604}}
|-
| align=left | [[Major League Baseball]] (MLB) || [[Baseball]] || align=left | United States<br/>Canada || 1869 || 30 || $8.0 || {{nts|30458}}
|-
| align=left | [[National Basketball Association]] (NBA) || [[Basketball]] || align=left | United States<br/>Canada || 1946 || 30 || $5.0 || {{nts|17,347}}
|-
| align=left | [[National Hockey League]] (NHL) || [[Ice hockey]] || align=left | United States<br/>Canada || 1917 || 32 || $3.3 || {{nts|17,720}}
|-
| align=left | [[Liga MX]]|| [[Association football|Football (soccer)]] || align=left | Mexico || 1943 || 18 || $0.6 || {{nts|25,557}}
|-
| align=left | [[Major League Soccer]] (MLS) || [[Association football|Football (soccer)]] || align=left | United States<br/>Canada || 1994 ||  28 || $0.5 || {{nts|21574}}
|-
| align=left | [[Canadian Football League]] (CFL) || [[Canadian football]] || align=left | Canada || 1958 || 9 || $0.3 || {{nts|23890}}
|}
{{reflist|group=sn}}