The Americas consist of the continents of North America and South America and their associated islands, located entirely within the Western Hemisphere. They are often referred to as the New World, juxtaposed with the Old World, as they were unknown to the civilizations of Europe, Asia and Africa until 1492.

The term is a relatively recent and less ambiguous alternative to the term America, which may refer to either the entire landmass or the colloquial name for the United States of America. The original usage to describe what is sometimes considered a single continent or supercontinent is deprecated for clarity, for which the Americas is used to collectively refer to the landmass and various regions of it. When used to describe a single landmass, analogous terms to America or (the) Americas are Eurasia, which consists of Europe and Asia collectively, and Eurafrasia, which is Eurasia and Africa.

Naming of America

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The earliest known use of the name America for this particular landmass dates from 1507. It appears on a globe and a large map created by the German cartographer Martin Waldseemüller in Saint-Dié-des-Vosges. 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.

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World Briefing | The Americas: Venezuela: Indians Die From Swine Flu http://bit.ly/3LSHaz
nytimeshealth (NYTimes Health) Fri, 06 Nov 2009 05:57:30 -0000
World Briefing | The Americas: Venezuela: Indians Die From Swine Flu http://bit.ly/3LSHaz
-bbc americas- US hits China pipes with tariffs: The United States imposes high anti-dumping tariffs on Chinese pipe... http://bit.ly/2cnX1x
xalfeed (xalfeed) Fri, 06 Nov 2009 05:50:20 -0000
-bbc americas- US hits China pipes with tariffs: The United States imposes high anti-dumping tariffs on Chinese pipe... http://bit.ly/2cnX1x
Malaria: Health Spectator » Blog Archive » Malaria Day in the Americas 2009 http://bit.ly/DeeqB
authornley (Norwort Princeton) Fri, 06 Nov 2009 05:48:17 -0000
Malaria: Health Spectator » Blog Archive » Malaria Day in the Americas 2009 http://bit.ly/DeeqB
Mili Bermejo: Love Songs of the Americas: Tuesday, November 10, 8:15 pm at Berklee Performance Center A collect.. http://bit.ly/1LJwes
berklee251 (Berklee -II, V, I) Fri, 06 Nov 2009 05:43:47 -0000
Mili Bermejo: Love Songs of the Americas: Tuesday, November 10, 8:15 pm at Berklee Performance Center A collect.. http://bit.ly/1LJwes
Where does Americas next generation land on (figurative language) understanding the current state of union? Its hard to say to say the least
English103 (English103) Fri, 06 Nov 2009 05:37:04 -0000
Where does Americas next generation land on (figurative language) understanding the current state of union? Its hard to say to say the least
@USelaine There needs to be a fresh documentary abt. peopling of the Americas. This. And new stuff coming from Yucatan...
CliftonWiens (Clifton Wiens) Fri, 06 Nov 2009 05:34:54 -0000
@USelaine There needs to be a fresh documentary abt. peopling of the Americas. This. And new stuff coming from Yucatan...

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