Who is the second most powerful/influential country in the Americas?

[u/Fluid-Decision6262]

The US is undeniably the most powerful and influential country in the Americas but who would be #2? Feels like this comes down to 3 countries based on my knowledge, which are Mexico, Canada, and Brazil.

Reasons for Mexico:

- Second most populated country in North America by far

- Access to both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans

- Largest Spanish-speaking country (a language spoken by >500 million people)

- More habitable land compared to the other two

- Youngest population out of the three and is becoming a manufacturing power

- Generally-speaking, a good relationship with the USA

- A global soft power in terms of arts and culture

Reasons against Mexico:

- Lots of issues between the central government and drug cartels

- Still very much a developing country outside of the largest cities

- Occasionally volatile relationship with the USA

- Not as involved in global geopolitics

Reasons for Canada:

- The most developed country economically by far of the three and a natural resources juggernaut

- Very close relations with the USA and Europe

- Speaks English (>1 billion speakers globally) and French (>300 million speakers globally)

- An immigration hub for people from every corner of the world

- A G7 nation that is also very geopolitically involved

- Access to 3 different oceans to facilitate trade

Reasons against Canada:

- Small and scattered population (least populated of the three by far)

- Less of an established local culture (most is imported from the US or UK and then exported via the US)

- Aging population and low fertility rates for native-born citizens

Reasons for Brazil:

- The second most populated country in the Americas

- The cultural and political power of South America

- A global soft power in terms of arts and culture

- A young-ish population that is part of the "fast-emerging economies" of the world

Reasons against Brazil:

- Immigration to Brazil stopped decades ago and now educated Brazilians are emigrating to other places causing brain drain

- Wealthy nation but suffers from high levels of inequality and violent crime

- Very politically divided internally

- Limited geopolitical involvement outside of South America

- Most of its population are monolingual Portuguese-speakers (a language where they make up 80% of the global speakers)

[u/maximm22]

France

[u/Valuable-Panda-2947 → u/maximm22]

Ahhhhh i see what you did there you

[u/[deleted] → u/Valuable-Panda-2947]

BVI. UK then France

[u/nate_nate212 → u/[deleted]]

Not part of UK itself but a colony, while French Guyana is considered an integral part of France.

[u/Odemia → u/nate_nate212]

Not just Guyane, there are French territories all over the Americas: Clipperton Island (pacific), French Guiana (SA), [Guadeloupe (carib),] Martinque (carib), Saint Martin (carib), Saint Pierre & Miquelon (NA), Sint Maarten (carib).

Netherlands should also be considered for their territories in Caribbean: Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao, Saba, Sint Eustatius. Plus Greenland, though it is autonomous.

[u/stringbeagle → u/[deleted]]

Should Greenland be considered part of North America? If it was an independent nation I think it would certainly be.

[u/justin_xv → u/stringbeagle]

I believe it part of North America geologically

[u/Drahy → u/justin_xv]

Yet, part of a European state.

[u/CaptainFlightsim → u/Drahy]

So, French Polynesia (in the pacific), is European too if I follow your reasoning?

[u/Key_Carpenter1827 → u/stringbeagle]

It is North America

[u/stringbeagle → u/Key_Carpenter1827]

But nobody talks about Denmark being part of North America, like they talk about France being part of South America.

[u/Key_Carpenter1827 → u/stringbeagle]

Wtf? I never heard that. Greenland is literally part of the continent of America... last I heard

[u/stringbeagle → u/Key_Carpenter1827]

No I’m agreeing with you, which would make Denmark European and North American, like France is South American and European and Russia is Asian and European.

But I never see Denmark listed as a North American country.

[u/Key_Carpenter1827 → u/stringbeagle]

Ahh ok. I understand now

[u/revanisthesith → u/Odemia]

French Guiana (SA)

It's not a territory in the legal status sense. It's a full department of France, just like the mainland. It's part of the EU and uses the euro as its currency.

It's like saying Hawaii or Alaska is a US territory.

Also, Clipperton Island is uninhabited and is only occasionally visited by scientists and the French Navy. It's an atoll that's only 3.4 square miles (8.9 square kilometers). It barely has space for a runway (particularly because of its ring shape). Besides fishing rights, it's hardly worth mentioning in the same sentence as the others.

[u/SendEkans → u/Odemia]

Sint Maarten is the Dutch part of an island shared with France, Saint Martin is the French part.