North American History Quiz

The Aztec Empire fell in 1521 to Spanish conquistador Hernan Cortes. At its peak, the empire covered over 80,000 square miles.

Mexico City is located in the Valley of Mexico. Almost 22 million people live in Greater Mexico City.

The Alaska Highway connects Alaska with the rest of the United States. Mile 0 is at Dawson Creek, British Columbia. It ends at Historical Mile 1,422 in Delta Junction, Alaska.

On January 1, 1994, NAFTA went into effect. It replaced the 1988, Canada-United States Free Trade Engagement between Canada and the United States.

Mexico does not have an official national language. However, Spanish is the de facto national language. Nahuatl is the second most widely spoken language with 1.4 million speakers.

Canada is one of the 53 countries that are part of the Commonwealth. The Commonwealth is home to over 2 billion people.

Belize and Mexico share a border that is 155 miles long. Most of the border follows the course of the Hondo River.

The United States-Canada border minus Alaska is 3,987 miles. The Alaska-Canada border is 1,538 miles.

Prior to 1965, Canada used the Union Jack and then the Canadian Red Ensign. On February 15, 1965, the current Canadian flag with a maple leaf flew over Parliament Hill for the first time.

Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Belize make up Central America. Ecuador and El Salvador use the U.S. dollar as their currency.

In the Mexican-American War, Mexico lost approximately one-third of its territory. The United States gained the territory that today makes up California, Utah, Nevada, Arizona, and New Mexico.

The Official Languages Act of 1969 gave both English and French official federal status throughout Canada. Quebec and New Brunswick have French as their official language. New Brunswick also has English as an official language.

In 1518, Hernan Cortes set up a base at Veracruz. His troops then marched inland, set up an alliance with the city of Tlaxcala, and captured modern-day Mexico City.

The center of the Maya Empire was in modern-day Guatemala. This empire reached its peak around the sixth century A.D.

The Philippines became independent in 1946. From November 15, 1935 to July 4, 1946, the Philippines was under United States control.

Juan Ponce de Leon went to Florida looking for gold. He would later become Puerto Rico's first governor.

Calixa Lavallée wrote the music of "O Canada." Sir Adolphe-Basile Routhier wrote the French lyrics. In 1908, Robert Stanley Weir would write English lyrics for the song.

On October 24, 1945, the United Nations Charter was ratified. Currently , the United Nations has 193 member states.

Ontario is the most populated province in Canada. It is home to the largest city, Toronto, and the capital, Ottawa.

In September 26, 1826, Ottawa was founded as Bytown. In 1855, the city was incorporated as Ottawa.

Mexica and the Aztecs are both names used to describe the people who ruled what we call the Aztec empire. The Aztecs also called themselves Tenocha.

The Parliament of Canada is made up of the Senate and the House of Commons. Members of the House of Commons are called members of parliament.

Mexico has 31 states. Like Washington, D.C. in the United States, Mexico City is a federal entity, but is not considered a state itself.

There are six countries whose flags have flown over Texas. The first flag was Spain, who had control from 1519 to 1685 and again from 1690 to 1821.

The Battle of New Orleans took place after the United States and the United Kingdom agreed to a peace treaty. However, the battle occurred in January of 1815 and the War of 1812 did not officially end until February of 1815.

The vice president's two constitutional duties are to preside over the Senate and succeed the president in cases of death or resignation. When the vice president is not available, the president pro tempore presides over the Senate in his place.

First Nations, Inuit, and Metis are collectively known as Aboriginal Canadians or indigenous Canadians. First Nations technically refers to natives who are not Inuit or Metis.

Leif Erikson landed at L'Anse aux Meadows around 1000 A.D. This Viking settlement was discovered in the early-1960s.

In 1608, Chaplain founded what would become the city of Quebec. He had 32 colonists with him. However, only nine survived the harsh winter.

An 1818 U.S.-British agreement established the 49th parallel as the U.S.-Canadian border. While President James K. Polk's campaign did not coin it, he became associated with "Fifty Four Forty or Fight" because his supporters favored expansion into Canada.

In September 1977, President Carter and Panamanian dictator Omar Torrijos signed a treaty to return control of the Panama Canal to Panama by the end of the 20th century. On December 31, 1999, at noon, control of the Panama canal returned to Panama.

Canada Day commemorates the 1867 joining of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and the Canada province. The Canada province was comprised of modern-day Ontario and Quebec.

Mexican independence day is September 16. In Mexico, Cinco de Mayo is a minor holiday.

Sir John Macdonald emigrated to Canada from Scotland. He was prime mister from 1867 to 1873 and again from 1878 to 1891.

The ten provinces of Canada are Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Manitoba, British Columbia, Prince Edward Island, Saskatchewan, Albert, and Newfoundland and Labrador. Canada also has three territories: Yukon, Northwest Territories, and Nunavut.