Before the Europeans arrived in America, the continent was inhabited by diverse Indigenous peoples, often referred to as Native Americans or First Nations. These groups had lived across North, Central, and South America for thousands of years, developing rich and varied cultures, languages, and civilizations. The Indigenous peoples included numerous distinct tribes and nations such as the Iroquois, Cherokee, Sioux, Navajo, Apache, and many others in North America; the Maya, Aztec, and Inca in Central and South America. Each group had its own social structures, traditions, and ways of life adapted to their specific environments. These peoples were not a monolithic group but rather a mosaic of many cultures with complex societies that existed well before European explorers reached the Americas in the late 15th century.