Editing North America (section)

== Early history ==

North America was inhabited by many Indigenous peoples long before European colonization. These societies developed many forms of settlement, trade, agriculture, hunting, fishing, political organization, and cultural life across the continent.

From the late 15th century onward, European colonization reshaped the continent through settlement, warfare, forced displacement, trade systems, plantation economies, missionary activity, and the formation of colonial governments. Over time, several independent states emerged, including the United States, Mexico, and Canada, while many Caribbean and island territories followed separate colonial and post-colonial paths.

By the 19th and 20th centuries, North America had become one of the major centers of industrial development, migration, finance, military planning, and international trade.