How many people lived on the north american continent before european settlement?
No one really knows. But this article has several estimates.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Population_history_of_indigenous_peoples_of_the_Americas
To determine how many people lived on the North American continent before European settlement, we can refer to historical records and archaeological evidence. It's important to note that estimating the population of pre-Columbian America is challenging due to limited data, varying research methods, and the diversity of indigenous cultures. However, scholars have made estimates based on available information.
One widely cited estimate is provided by the historian Henry F. Dobyns, who suggested a pre-contact population of around 10 million in 1492. Dobyns arrived at this figure by evaluating available data on indigenous population density, carrying capacity of the land, food resources, and other factors. His research focused primarily on the area that is now the United States.
Another researcher, William M. Denevan, proposed a somewhat higher estimate of around 54 million people for the entire American continent in 1492. Denevan based his estimates on similar factors but took into account a broader range of ecological zones and applied a different set of assumptions.
It's important to remember that these estimates are approximations and subject to ongoing research and debate. They provide a general sense of the population size but may not be definitive.