There are seven traditional continents in geography. In no particular order, they are:
* North America * South America * Europe * Africa * Asia * Australia (the "island continent") * Antarctica (no inhabitants but penguins and a handful of researchers)
This leaves two issues: 1. Where do the various islands go? 2. What about geographical vs. cultural/political distinctions?
To answer the second question first: as a matter of GEOGRAPHY, the North American "continent" consists of 10 major countries:
* Canada * United States (excluding Hawaii) * Mexico * The 7 Central American countries: Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica & Panama
The South American "continent" begins with Columbia, Venezuela & Peru and has several more (sorry, can't list 'em off the top of my head).
HOWEVER:
Culturally or politically, Latin America crosses continental boundaries and adds Central America and Mexico to South America where there is a primarily "Latino" population (Spanish & Portuguese speakers) who refer to citizens of Canada & the US as 'norteamericanos' (i.e., 'North Americans').
Obviously, this means that [[North America]] can be either a "continent" or a linguistic/cultural/political region.
BUT: This leaves the first question unanswered, and I now yield the floor to my betters...
Ed Poor