Western Hemisphere
Columbus's continental discovery
The Western Hemisphere is the half of Earth that includes North and South America, along with surrounding waters.
The term divides the globe along lines of longitude, with the Eastern Hemisphere containing Europe, Africa, and Asia.
In political contexts, the Western Hemisphere often emphasizes shared interests among countries of the Americas: Security concerns in the Western Hemisphere.
Western Hemisphere's northern continent
- South AmericaWestern Hemisphere's southern continent
- Central AmericaIsthmus connecting two continents
- CaribbeanTropical Atlantic region
- Latin AmericaRomance-speaking Western Hemisphere
United States · Canada · Mexico · Brazil · Argentina · Peru · Chile · Colombia
Spanish colonial soldiers
- ColumbusOhio's seat of government
- settlementsEstablished communities or agreements
- colonistsSettlers in new territory
- missionariesReligious workers abroad
indigenous peoples · imperialism · colonialism · plantations · enslavement · trading posts · mercantilism · treaties
East-west angular distance
- latitudeGeographic or personal freedom
- time zonesRegional clock-setting divisions
- equatorMidpoint circle of rotation
- tropicsWarm equatorial region
temperate zones · Atlantic Ocean · Pacific Ocean · Gulf of Mexico · Andes · Rocky Mountains · Great Plains · Patagonia
Coexistence of diverse traditions
- ethnicitiesGroups sharing cultural heritage
- indigenousOriginating in a region
- Afro-descendantHaving African ancestral origins
- mestizoBiracial Latin American
creole · immigration · languages · traditions · cuisines · religions · festivals · folklore
North America
Western Hemisphere's northern continent
- South AmericaWestern Hemisphere's southern continent
- Central AmericaIsthmus connecting two continents
- CaribbeanTropical Atlantic region
Latin America · United States · Canada · Mexico · Brazil · Argentina · Peru · Chile · Colombia · Venezuela
conquistadors
Spanish colonial soldiers
- ColumbusOhio's seat of government
- settlementsEstablished communities or agreements
- colonistsSettlers in new territory
missionaries · indigenous peoples · imperialism · colonialism · plantations · enslavement · trading posts · mercantilism · treaties · expansion
longitude
East-west angular distance
- latitudeGeographic or personal freedom
- time zonesRegional clock-setting divisions
- equatorMidpoint circle of rotation
tropics · temperate zones · Atlantic Ocean · Pacific Ocean · Gulf of Mexico · Andes · Rocky Mountains · Great Plains · Patagonia · cartography
multiculturalism
Coexistence of diverse traditions
- ethnicitiesGroups sharing cultural heritage
- indigenousOriginating in a region
- Afro-descendantHaving African ancestral origins
mestizo · creole · immigration · languages · traditions · cuisines · religions · festivals · folklore · heritage
- AmericasNorth America, Barbados, Argentina, Canada, Brazil
- hemispheresequator, poles, North Pole, South Pole, prime meridian
Western HemisphereEastern Hemisphere
Earth's longitudinal half containing continents oldest-known
Old World · Afro-Eurasia · Eurasia · Eastern Bloc · Asia
western, hemisphere, westernmost, westernize, Western, westernized, westernization, westernizing