Why "America" instead of "United States of America"?
Feb 8th, 2005, 12:50 AM
#141
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2004
Posts: 1,694
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
In any case, the word American has been lexicalized in most of the world to nominate somebody from the USA. Not a big deal, true, but seems kind of unfair to the rest of the countries in the continent. Thank you for all your answers.
Feb 9th, 2005, 09:03 PM
#143
Join Date: Jul 2004
Posts: 224
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I have not read all the responses so I hope I am not being redundant. Your point is well taken regarding America being a continent. However, calling folks from USA, Americans, is not done only by people from USA. I have noticed in all countries I have at least travelled to, they refer to folks from USA, Americans. I am not sure anyone wants to go through the trouble of learning how to say United States of America in Spanish, Italian, French, Greek, Arabic, Chinese, etc. when the host country recognizes you simply as American!!! Some of it is the languauge barrier. When traveling, most of us try to use the shortest and easiest way to communicate.
.So...
Feb 15th, 2005, 09:49 AM
#146
Join Date: Jan 2005
Posts: 363
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I am from the USA. That is the term that I always use when I travel outside the country and have often been corrected by someone in the country that I am visiting. Oh, you are an American.
I think that Mexico is the only place that I have been that United States Americans are not called Americans. Rather they lump us in with Canadians and call us North Americans (although, I always thought that Mexico was part of North America).
I have been called American in Canada as well.
Sometimes we from the USA are called Yankee by, I think, other English speaking people. That is a term that I take no offence to (I am not a Confederate).
In terms of geography, there is no continent called America, only North America and South America. And as already been said, what other country has the word America in it?
Feb 16th, 2005, 04:55 AM
#149
Join Date: Feb 2005
Posts: 218
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
>To my knowledge, there are five continents: Africa, America, Asia, Europe and Oceania
>In europe we're taught there are 5 continents
That's because you consider Europe to be a continent even though it is only bound by religion and politics. Real continents are bound by tectonic plates.
No central america is not a continent. It is divided by the tectonic plates for north and south america.
In reality, Europe is part of Asian continent (according to geology not geography). All other continents have their own distinct tectonic plates.
It is incorrect to suggest 'oceanea' is a continent. Australia is a continent. Not every nation and island is part of a continent.
Geological Continents:
Antarctica
Australia
North America
South America
Africa
Asia (sometimes referred to as Eurasia)
India is a sub-continent
>In europe we're taught there are 5 continents
That's because you consider Europe to be a continent even though it is only bound by religion and politics. Real continents are bound by tectonic plates.
No central america is not a continent. It is divided by the tectonic plates for north and south america.
In reality, Europe is part of Asian continent (according to geology not geography). All other continents have their own distinct tectonic plates.
It is incorrect to suggest 'oceanea' is a continent. Australia is a continent. Not every nation and island is part of a continent.
Geological Continents:
Antarctica
Australia
North America
South America
Africa
Asia (sometimes referred to as Eurasia)
India is a sub-continent
Feb 16th, 2005, 07:49 AM
#151
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 6,098
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
By general agreement among geographers, Europe is still considered a continent, even though it shouldn't really be in strictly geographical terms.
Of course, the Caspian Sea isn't really a sea (or maybe it is, depending on the geographer)--there are many inconsistencies in geographical labels that are generally accepted for a variety of reasons--political and cultural reasons among them.
The term "Eurasia" or just "Asia" for Europe and Asia is being used more and more. It seems likely that Europe will not be generally accepted as a separate continent sometime in the not too distant future.
Of course, the Caspian Sea isn't really a sea (or maybe it is, depending on the geographer)--there are many inconsistencies in geographical labels that are generally accepted for a variety of reasons--political and cultural reasons among them.
The term "Eurasia" or just "Asia" for Europe and Asia is being used more and more. It seems likely that Europe will not be generally accepted as a separate continent sometime in the not too distant future.
Feb 16th, 2005, 08:20 AM
#152
Join Date: Feb 2005
Posts: 218
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
>In europe we're taught there are 5 continents
Just did some investigation into this and you wrong. I know ppl educated in the UK and in Ireland both recently and back as far as the 1950s. They all say they learned of 7 continents like I did. Oceania is not a continent, never has been and isn't considered to be on any of the continental models (including the 6 continent model). Oceania is a term used by sporting bodies to regionise the south pacific islands and Australia.
Just did some investigation into this and you wrong. I know ppl educated in the UK and in Ireland both recently and back as far as the 1950s. They all say they learned of 7 continents like I did. Oceania is not a continent, never has been and isn't considered to be on any of the continental models (including the 6 continent model). Oceania is a term used by sporting bodies to regionise the south pacific islands and Australia.
Feb 16th, 2005, 08:40 AM
#154
Join Date: Feb 2005
Posts: 218
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Encyclopedia Britannica says...
one of the larger continuous masses of land, namely, Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica, Europe, and Australia, listed in order of size. (Europe and Asia are sometimes considered a single continent, Eurasia.)
one of the larger continuous masses of land, namely, Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica, Europe, and Australia, listed in order of size. (Europe and Asia are sometimes considered a single continent, Eurasia.)
Feb 16th, 2005, 01:51 PM
#155
Join Date: Oct 2003
Posts: 380
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
The division in continent is essentially completely arbitrary, and isn't based on any geographical fact.
Americans are normally taught that America is divided in two continents. Europeans are normally taught that America is only one continent.
Concerning the division of Eurasia in "Asia" and "Europe", it's only an heirloom of the antiquity. What was south of the mediterranean sea was "Africa". What was east was "Asia", and what was north was "Europe".
And of course, we could arbitrarily decide that Greenland or Iceland are continents too.
Americans are normally taught that America is divided in two continents. Europeans are normally taught that America is only one continent.
Concerning the division of Eurasia in "Asia" and "Europe", it's only an heirloom of the antiquity. What was south of the mediterranean sea was "Africa". What was east was "Asia", and what was north was "Europe".
And of course, we could arbitrarily decide that Greenland or Iceland are continents too.
Feb 16th, 2005, 11:53 PM
#156
Join Date: Feb 2005
Posts: 218
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I can't speak for all of europe but in Ireland we're taught there are 7 continents.
Antarctica
Australia
North America
South America
Africa
Asia
Europe
As I mentioned, I know ppl educated as far back as the 1950s who confer.
Antarctica
Australia
North America
South America
Africa
Asia
Europe
As I mentioned, I know ppl educated as far back as the 1950s who confer.
Feb 17th, 2005, 12:22 AM
#157
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2004
Posts: 1,694
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
wow, this thread seems to be endless...
1) No, I havenīt yet started the thread on the Basque country, but I will.
2) Still, in Spain we are taught that there are 5 continents. I have been reading a lot on this subject and found out that there is a non-fixed number of continents, it can be 5, 6 or 7, depending on the country you live in.
3) As I would like people to call me a Basque and not a Spaniard, let Unitedstatesofamericans call themselves Americans and letīs be friends...
1) No, I havenīt yet started the thread on the Basque country, but I will.
2) Still, in Spain we are taught that there are 5 continents. I have been reading a lot on this subject and found out that there is a non-fixed number of continents, it can be 5, 6 or 7, depending on the country you live in.
3) As I would like people to call me a Basque and not a Spaniard, let Unitedstatesofamericans call themselves Americans and letīs be friends...
Feb 17th, 2005, 05:29 AM
#158
Join Date: May 2004
Posts: 257
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Every single post above fails to understand the history correctly. The original conception of "United States of America" was that there would be 13 independent entitities, the states. It was never intended that there would be a single country made out of the colornies. There was going to a "country" of Georgia, of Pennsylvania, etc. Therefore, they called them "The United States of America" in the same sense that the European states call themselves "The European Union.
As time passed, especially with the Marbury vs. Madison supreme court decision, the states move closer together and formed a single political entitity. (For our foreign friends, the Marbury case decided that the federal authority was allowed to enact laws and enforce on the states, even if they were no spelled out in the constitution. This essentially killed the notion that there could be 13 independent governments. If it had gone the other way, there would now be no single country of America.) The name "United States of American" then persisted at the name of the group, since it had been around for a long time and it was a little late in the game to come up with something.
The other funny thing is that I seldom hear Americans use the term "America." Most people I know say U. S.
As time passed, especially with the Marbury vs. Madison supreme court decision, the states move closer together and formed a single political entitity. (For our foreign friends, the Marbury case decided that the federal authority was allowed to enact laws and enforce on the states, even if they were no spelled out in the constitution. This essentially killed the notion that there could be 13 independent governments. If it had gone the other way, there would now be no single country of America.) The name "United States of American" then persisted at the name of the group, since it had been around for a long time and it was a little late in the game to come up with something.
The other funny thing is that I seldom hear Americans use the term "America." Most people I know say U. S.
Feb 17th, 2005, 05:45 AM
#159
Join Date: Jul 2004
Posts: 1,602
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
About the only time you hear Americans use the term "America" is when politicians want to stir patriotic pride (or nationalistic fervor-take your pick) in the citizenry of the country-"Americans can take pride in a strong America," etc. The British, on the other hand, always use the term America-I've never ever heard them use the term "from the U.S."-sometimes they don't know what you mean when you say "from the States." The French, to their credit, generally do employ "des Etats Unis," only very rarely "d'Amerique."
Feb 20th, 2005, 07:29 AM
#160
Join Date: Feb 2005
Posts: 5
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Ladies and Gentlemen,
In order to understand how the United States of America became more commonly known as just "America", we must see the historical country.
Even though the continent was discovered in 1492, during the following 15 years no one knew that Colon was arrived to a new continent, as far as the Spanish knew they just had arrived to the Indies using a different route. It wasn't until 1507 when a very famous document known as the Cosmographiae Introductio, was published by the Vosgo Academy, in that document pointed that the recently discovered Indies were in fact a new continent as it was demonstrated by the Florentine seaman Amerigo Vespucci, in addition the document provided a continent profile along with one of Europe and Asia, and finally they suggested that the continent must be called after its discoverer: America.
That notable document was quickly translated in several languages, and the news spread everywhere, including England. In the next few years rumors and facts about the wealthy new continent ran throughout the old continent, and nobody was happy about Spain being the only ones enjoying them.
In that years Spain, together with the Portuguese kingdom, were the rulers of the Atlantic Ocean, so the navigation routes to the new continent were only known by the first one, and they knew that it was only a matter of time until all the enemies, mainly England and France, could find their ways to America. Based on that situation, is understandable that they were reluctant to accept anything threatening the Status Quo, therefore, they kept calling the new continent "The Indies", only that they add the word "West" for differentiation purposes, so they discarded the name "America" (at least officially) and used the name "West Indies".
On the English side, it happened the opposite, when the finally reached the North American shores and the conquest and colonization process began, they wouldn't definitively call the continent "West Indies", so the used the now common name of America. So, for a good while, the Spanish maps would say "West Indies" and the others "America".
When the North American revolution came, and they liberate form the English crown, they usually refer as Americans, the same way the English called them. That never happen in any other country of the continent, in the other colonies they refer to themselves usually using the name of the country they were expecting to establish after they were free: Colombians, Argentineans, etc. and this situation prevailed over the time. Nowadays, after the expansion North American cultural influence over the world, using the term "Americans" to refer to the North American people, is a common place for nationals of all the continents, except for the American "sub-continents" (South and Central America).
In order to understand how the United States of America became more commonly known as just "America", we must see the historical country.
Even though the continent was discovered in 1492, during the following 15 years no one knew that Colon was arrived to a new continent, as far as the Spanish knew they just had arrived to the Indies using a different route. It wasn't until 1507 when a very famous document known as the Cosmographiae Introductio, was published by the Vosgo Academy, in that document pointed that the recently discovered Indies were in fact a new continent as it was demonstrated by the Florentine seaman Amerigo Vespucci, in addition the document provided a continent profile along with one of Europe and Asia, and finally they suggested that the continent must be called after its discoverer: America.
That notable document was quickly translated in several languages, and the news spread everywhere, including England. In the next few years rumors and facts about the wealthy new continent ran throughout the old continent, and nobody was happy about Spain being the only ones enjoying them.
In that years Spain, together with the Portuguese kingdom, were the rulers of the Atlantic Ocean, so the navigation routes to the new continent were only known by the first one, and they knew that it was only a matter of time until all the enemies, mainly England and France, could find their ways to America. Based on that situation, is understandable that they were reluctant to accept anything threatening the Status Quo, therefore, they kept calling the new continent "The Indies", only that they add the word "West" for differentiation purposes, so they discarded the name "America" (at least officially) and used the name "West Indies".
On the English side, it happened the opposite, when the finally reached the North American shores and the conquest and colonization process began, they wouldn't definitively call the continent "West Indies", so the used the now common name of America. So, for a good while, the Spanish maps would say "West Indies" and the others "America".
When the North American revolution came, and they liberate form the English crown, they usually refer as Americans, the same way the English called them. That never happen in any other country of the continent, in the other colonies they refer to themselves usually using the name of the country they were expecting to establish after they were free: Colombians, Argentineans, etc. and this situation prevailed over the time. Nowadays, after the expansion North American cultural influence over the world, using the term "Americans" to refer to the North American people, is a common place for nationals of all the continents, except for the American "sub-continents" (South and Central America).
