The Americas is an alternative name in the English language for the continent of America, to distinguish it from the United States of America, which is often just called America. It consist of the area including the land mass located between the Pacific Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean, generally divided into North America and South America. The term also usually includes the Caribbean, the islands in and around the Caribbean Sea, and Greenland, though not Iceland, for cultural and historical reasons. The isthmus of Central America is usually considered geographically part of North America. The Americas are often also described collectively as the Western Hemisphere or, during the colonial era, as the New World. The Pacific Ocean (from the Latin name Mare Pacificum, peaceful sea, bestowed upon it by the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan) is the worlds largest body of water. ... The Atlantic Ocean is Earths second-largest ocean, covering approximately one-fifth of its surface. ... World map showing location of North America A satellite composite image of North America North America is the third largest continent in area and in population after Eurasia and Africa. ... South America South America is a continent crossed by the equator, with most of its area in the Southern Hemisphere. ... The Caribbean or the West Indies is a group of islands in the Caribbean Sea. ... Central America and the Caribbean The Caribbean Sea is a body of water adjacent to the Atlantic Ocean, south of the Gulf of Mexico. ... This article is about Greenland, the island dependency of Denmark. ... Iceland (disambiguation). ... Simplified diagram An isthmus is a narrow strip of land, bordered on two sides by water, and connects two larger land masses. ... Central America is the region of North America located between the southern border of Mexico and the northwest border of Colombia, in South America. ... The Western Hemisphere contains The Americas and nearby islands. ... In general, the word colonial means of or relating to a colony. In United States history, the term Colonial is used to refer to the period before US independence. ... The New World is one of the names used for the continents of North and South America and adjacent islands collectively, in use since the 16th century. ...

CIA map of the Americas

Most references in English assume that there are two continents, North America and South America. Originally, however, the name America was used for the continent, and this usage persists in many languages, most notably in Spanish, because to the Spanish (and of course to the inhabitants of Latin America), the focus is on the Spanish-speaking parts, so the word America is usually not used for the USA, so there is no ambiguity. Moreover, the use of America to refer to the New World as a whole is also found, though less often, in English, such as in the common phrase "Christopher Columbus discovered America". The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... Dymaxion map by Buckminster Fuller shows land mass with minimal distortion as only one continuous continent A continent (Latin continere, to hold together) is a large continuous mass of land on the planet Earth. ... Dymaxion map by Buckminster Fuller shows land mass with minimal distortion as only one continuous continent A continent (Latin continere, to hold together) is a large continuous mass of land on the planet Earth. ... This article is about the international language known as Spanish. ... No authentic contemporary portrait of Columbus has been found; this late 19th-century engraving is one of many conjectural images For information about the director, see the article on Chris Columbus. ...

The single-continent concept also appears thematically; for example, the five rings of the Olympic flag represent the habitable continents; only one of the five represents all of the Americas. The Olympic flag The Olympic flag represents the Olympic movement. ...

People who live in the Americas are sometimes referred to as being American, although the word American is used much more commonly in English, and some other languages, to refer to a citizen of the United States of America. The Spanish language uses norteamericano ("North American") or estadounidense (literally "United Statesian") when referring to U.S. citizens. In French, états-unien (états-unienne for women) has been coined, but américain(ne) is more commonly used. In German, the term Amerikaner is commonly used to refer the citizens of the United States, and it is seldom necessary to use the more specific US-Amerikaner. In Italy the term Americano is used to refer to things or people pertaining to the USA but the word Statunitense is also used. American, when used as an adjective, can mean of the United States of America or of or relating to the Americas; when used as a noun, United States citizen, residing in the Americas, or less frequently American English. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... Citizenship is membership in a political community (originally a city but now a state), and carries with it rights to political participation; a person having such membership is a citizen. ... This article is about the international language known as Spanish. ... French (français, langue française) is one of the most important Romance languages, outnumbered in speakers only by Spanish and Portuguese. ... German (called Deutsch in German; in German the term germanisch is equivalent to English Germanic), is a member of the western group of Germanic languages and is one of the worlds major languages. ... The Italian Republic or Italy ( Italian: Repubblica Italiana or Italia) is a country in southern Europe. ...

Map of the American mainland

In Portugal and Brazil, U.S. residents are mostly called americanos (common usage) or norte-americano (formal usage), while estadunidense is less commonly used — presumably as a statement that the term American should not be reserved for the United States. On the other hand, Mexico is properly the "United Mexican States" (Estados Unidos Mexicanos), leading to more potential ambiguity. See American for further discussion. The Federative Republic of Brazil (República Federativa do Brasil in Portuguese) is the largest and most populous country in South America, and fifth largest in the world. ... The United Mexican States or Mexico ( Spanish: Estados Unidos Mexicanos or México; regarding the use of the variant spelling Méjico, see section The name below) is a country located in North America, bordered to the north by the United States of America, to the southeast by Guatemala and Belize, to... American, when used as an adjective, can mean of the United States of America or of or relating to the Americas; when used as a noun, United States citizen, residing in the Americas, or less frequently American English. Immigrants to the United States are usually called first-generation Americans, regardless...

Naming of America

The earliest known use of the name America for the continents of the Americas dates from 1507. It appears on a globe and a large map created by the German cartographer Martin Waldseemüller. An accompanying book, Cosmographiae Introductio, explains that the name was derived from the Latinized version of the explorer Amerigo Vespucci's name, Americus Vespucius, in its feminine form, America, as the other continents all have Latin feminine names. The Italian name Amerigo is a form of the Germanic name Haimirich, meaning "ruler of the home", from the German words haim "home" and rich "powerful". Christopher Columbus, who had first brought the continent's existence to the attention of Renaissance era voyagers, had died in 1506 and could not protest Waldseemüller's decision. Events The western continent is named America on the maps of Martin Waldseemüller. ... The Holy Roman Empire ( German: Heiliges Römisches Reich) ( Italian: Sacro Romano Impero) ( Latin: Sacrum Romanum Imperium) ( Czech: Svatá říše římská) ( French: Saint Empire Romain Germanique) ( Polish: Święte Cesarstwo Rzymskie Narodu Niemieckiego) ( Dutch: Heilige Roomse Rijk) was a political conglomeration of lands in Central Europe in the Middle Ages and the... Martin Waldseemüller (ca. ... Latin - Wikipedia /**/ @import /skins/monobook/IE50Fixes. ... Amerigo Vespucci ( March 9, 1454 - February 22, 1512) was an Italian merchant and cartographer who voyaged to and wrote about the Americas. ... This article is in need of attention. ... No authentic contemporary portrait of Columbus has been found; this late 19th-century engraving is one of many conjectural images For information about the director, see the article on Chris Columbus. ... By Region: Italian Renaissance Northern Renaissance -French Renaissance -German Renaissance -English Renaissance The Renaissance was a great cultural movement which brought about a period of scientific revolution and artistic transformation, at the dawn of modern European history. ... Events Leonardo da Vinci completes the Mona Lisa. ...

A few alternative theories regarding the continent's naming have been proposed, but none of them have any widespread acceptance. One alternative first proposed by a Bristol antiquary and naturalist, Alfred Hudd, was that America is derived from Richard Amerike, a merchant from Bristol, who is believed to have financed John Cabot's voyage of discovery from England to Newfoundland in 1497. Bristol fishermen had been visiting the coast of North America for at least a century before Columbus' voyage and Waldseemüller's maps appear to incorporate information from the early British journeys to North America. The theory holds that a variant of Amerike's name appeared on an early British map (of which however no copies survive) and that this was the true inspiration for Waldseemüller. Bristol is a port city in south-western England, on the River Avon. ... An antiquarian is one concerned with antiquities or things of the past. ... Natural history is an umbrella term for what are now usually viewed as a number of distinct scientific disciplines. ... Richard Amerike (Ameryk or ap Meryk) (c. ... Giovanni Caboto (c. ... Royal motto: Dieu et mon droit (French: God and my right) Official language None; English is de facto Capital London Capitals coordinates 51° 30 N, 0° 10 W Largest city London Area  - Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population  - Total (2001)  - Density Ranked 1st UK 49,138,831... This is about the island in Canada. ... Events May 10 - Amerigo Vespucci allegedly leaves Cádiz for his first voyage to the New World. ...

Another theory, first advanced by Jules Marcou in 1875 and later recounted by novelist Jan Carew, is that the name America derives from the district of Amerrique in Nicaragua. The gold-rich district of Amerrique was purportedly visited by both Vespucci and Columbus, for whom the name became synonymous with gold. According to Marcou, Vespucci later applied the name to the New World, and even changed the spelling of his own name from Alberigo to Amerrigo to reflect the importance of the discovery. Jules Marcou (April 20, 1824 - April 17, 1898), an eminent Swiss-American geologist, was born at Salins, in the départment of Jura, in France. ... 1875 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Nicaragua is a republic in Central America. ...

Yet another theory states that Vespucci named America after Amorica, the continent of ancient Greek and Roman myth. Italian Vespucci would have been familiar with the Roman myth. Early explorers often believed they were rediscovering islands and continents of myth or religion, such as the idea that South America was the Garden of Eden or 'Earthly Paradise'. After Vespucci's death, people forgot where the name America came from, so they changed his name to Amerigo to explain the naming of America. Amorica was originally a fabled continent in ancient Greek myth. ... This article is about the Biblical location. ...

Vespucci's role in the naming issue, like his exploratory activity, is unclear. Some sources say that he was unaware of the widespread use of his name to refer to the new landmass. Others hold that he promulgated a story that he had made a secret voyage westward and sighted land in 1491, a year before Columbus. If he did indeed make such claims, they backfired, and only served to prolong the ongoing debate on whether the "Indies" were really a new land, or just an extension of Asia. Events December 6 - King Charles VIII marries Anne de Bretagne, thus incorporating Brittany into the kingdom of France. ... The Caribbean or the West Indies is a group of islands in the Caribbean Sea. ... World map showing location of Asia A satellite composite image of Asia Asia is the central and eastern part of the continent of Eurasia, defined by subtracting the European peninsula from Eurasia. ...

See also

• Latin America
• Alternative words for American

Latin America consists of the countries of South America and some of North America (including Central America and some the islands of the Caribbean) whose inhabitants mostly speak Romance languages, although Native American languages are also spoken. ... There have been a number of attempts to coin an alternative to American as an adjective (a demonym) for United States nationals. ...

External links

• The Naming of America (http://www.uhmc.sunysb.edu/surgery/america.html)