The North America Nebula is large, but its surface brightness is low, so normally it cannot be seen with the unaided eye. Its prominent shape and especially its reddish color (from the hydrogen Hα emission line) show up only in photographs of the area.
The lower portion of the nebula resembling Mexico and Central America is known as the Cygnus Wall. This region exhibits the most concentrated star formation. Distance 1800 light years.

Technical info: 
TS 80mm f6 APO triplet refractor - Canon 40D - IDAS Light Pollution Filter LP2
Exposure: 45x 240sec total (3hours)