Indeed, U.S.A. is not America!
America is the name of a whole continent. United States of America means that the United States belongs to America and NOT that America belongs to the United States. So, next time you want to refer to The United States of America, you can do it as U.S. or the States or whatever you want but not as only America. Gotcha?
How should I use the term America then?
Here we will show you some wrong and correct uses of the term America:
This is how we do it in America.
This is how we do it in the States.
- America is my country and I love it.
- The United States is my country and I love it.
- America lost the Vietnam war.
- U.S.A. lost the Vietnam war.
- Here in America we love Mc Donald's.
- Here in the U.S. we love Mc Donald's.
Please, note that this page in not about demonyms (gentilics) but about the way to call a country.
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Comments (1251)
America is the name of the continent. America was coined by German Cartographers Waldseemuller and Mattias Ringmann. At the time of the 1507 map, the North lands of America were not totally mapped. As the lands got known the continent was spreading to other parts not known by the early navigators/cartographers. If the name did not cover all the new lands, like North America, then it would had been given a different name but it was accepted as part of the same continent they discovered from the start beginning in the south of the landmass, hence Brazil.
“If the name did not cover all the new lands, like North America, then it would had been given a different name....”
The name (America) did not cover all the new lands, and North America was given a different name (Parias).
Look at the Waldseemüller map of 1507. South America is clearly labeled ‘America’, and North America is clearly labeled ‘Parias’. So ‘America’ has not always referred to all of the Americas. If we have to follow the Waldseemüller map, then it is incorrect to use ‘America’ to name the Americas. If we have to use the original meaning of ‘America’, then only South America is ‘America’.
It was probably named Parias because those lands weren't really known back then. Once the lands were known and mapped, then it was obvious to the cartographers of the day, that the whole landmass was a continent and so since the very first name for that continent was chosen as "America" hence, the rest of the unknown lands, called Parias, became known as America as well.
Then stop calling the United States "America" and start calling it "Parias" and begin a fight with Canada and Mexico because they are also Parias, and let all those truly original Americans (those on the south of the continent) to be happy regaining their continent's name for themselves and not stealed by the US as its unofficial name.
No, thanks. People all over the world will continue to use ‘America’ and ‘American’ to refer to the USA and its citizens. We have become quite accustomed to it. Also, it is such a beautiful word.
And, of course, it has always been an absurd claim that the first meaning of a word is the only “correct” or “true” meaning. It is a common feature of human language that words can and do have multiple meanings. This is obvious. ‘America’ is an example of this. ‘America’ has multiple meanings. Deal with it.
David, the ones who turned it into the new meaning are the humans because they start using the word in a different way. This is what probably happened so the USA began using it to name the country but in no way does this mean that the original meaning of the world would change just because of that. Look at the word "hate". It used to be a really bad action/feeling to hate someone, now is misused and abused so much that the word "hate" is synonym to "Don't like". I dislike the cookies...I hate the cookies. See the change? Just because the people are misusing the word "Hate" does not mean that words like: dislike or not like have seized to exits. But, perhaps this example is not the same as the issue with the name "America" however it is to show how easy it is for a word to be misused and abused by humans where the word looses its original meaning like for example the word "Hate".
“Parias was described by Waldseemüller's follower, Johannes Schöner as: "The island of Parias, which is not a part or portion of the foregoing [America] but a large, special part of the fourth part of the world", indicating uncertainty as to its situation.”
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waldseemüller_map
Graciela Borges wrote: “Since 1507, America is the name of the whole continent, from Canada to Argentina.”
This is factually inaccurate. In 1507 the Waldseemüller map named South America as ‘America’, not the whole of the Americas from Canada to Argentina.
Graciela, please do some proper research and gain some proper knowledge before commenting. Your factual inaccuracies aren’t helping anyone.
Usonians think that South Americans are not American. This is like saying that South Europeans are not European! My God!
They really are like children.
Okay (((Henry Weinstein)))
If you hadn’t noticed The entirety of Europe is smaller than North America... How are those two situations even remotely comparable? But regardless, it’s good to see you cry cause you’ll never be American
If we have to follow the Waldseemüller map, then you are wrong to use the name ‘America’ for the Americas. The Waldseemüller map names North America as ‘Parias’ and South America as ‘America’. So, since we have to follow Waldseemüller, it is INCORRECT to use the name ‘America’ for all of the Americas. ‘America’ is only the name for South America. THE AMERICAS ARE NOT AMERICA!!!!! WE MUST FOLLOW THE WALDSEEMÜLLER MAP!!!!
This is a highly detailed scan of the Waldseemüller map of 1507:
https://www.loc.gov/resource/g3200.ct000725C/?r=-0.092,-0.043,1.009,0.569,0
A better link: https://www.loc.gov/resource/g3200.ct000725C/
“The Caribbean Islands, including ‘Isabella’ (Cuba) and ‘Spagnolla’ (Hispaniola), are shown off the eastern coast, in a sea labelled for the first time as ‘Oceanus Occidentalis’, or Western Sea. The continent supports Spanish claims to the region by flying the flag of Castile, but is not given the name of America. Instead, in its southern regions, it is named ‘Parias’ in capital letters. So the great birth certificate of America actually calls North America ‘Parias’, a word taken from Vespucci’s account of his meeting with the local inhabitants who used it to designate their homeland.
The map reserves the name ‘America’ to describe the southern land mass, and is placed in the location of modern-day Brazil.”
From: A History of the World in 12 Maps by Jerry Brotton; p. 174
THE NAME ‘CUBA’ IS WRONG! WE HAVE TO CALL IT ‘ISABELLA’. THAT IS WHAT THE MAP SAYS!
“Waldseemüller’s America actually identified what is today South America. “Parias” is the name Waldseemüller identified with what is today North America.”
https://www.nationalgeographic.org/thisday/apr25/america-beautiful/
“Parias was described by Waldseemüller's follower, Johannes Schöner as: "The island of Parias, which is not a part or portion of the foregoing [America] but a large, special part of the fourth part of the world", indicating uncertainty as to its situation.”
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waldseemüller_map
“The name America, such a natural poetic counterpart to Asia, Africa and Europa, had filled a vacuum, and there was no going back, especially not after the young Gerardus Mercator, destined to become the century's most influential cartographer, decided that the whole of the New World, not just its southern part, should be so labeled. The two names he put on his 1538 world map are the ones we've used ever since: North America and South America.”
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-waldseemuller-map-charting-the-new-world-148815355/
Since we HAVE TO follow the Waldseemüller map, we CANNOT call the Caribbean Sea the Caribbean Sea. THAT NAME IS WRONG. We have to call it either the Oceanus Occidentalis or the Occidentalis Oceanus, as it is named on the Waldseemüller map. WE HAVE TO FOLLOW THE MAP!!!!
The Waldseemüller map was printed in 1507. The word ‘Caribbean’ originated roughly 250 years later. THE WORD CARIBBEAN IS WRONG!!!! YOU CANNOT USE IT!!!!
Caribbean (adj.)
"of or pertaining to the Caribs," also "of the sea between the West Indies and the South American mainland," by 1750s, from Carib, indigenous people's name for themselves, + -ean.
https://www.etymonline.com/word/caribbean
First Known Use of Caribbean
1772, in the meaning defined above
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Caribbean
Most people believe that summer is hottest than winter because "the Earth is closer to the sun in summer". What the less learned believe does not matter; even if they are majority. US citizens are the less authorized to talk about Geography. In a world contest about Geography, they would come last. A CBS news channel showed a map of Colombia to illustrate the election of Pope Francis, who is from Argentina. Ask a US citizen what the capital of Argentina is, and they will tell you "Rio".