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.
Add Comment
These terms and conditions contain rules about posting comments. By submitting a comment, you are declaring that you agree with these rules:
- Although the administrator will attempt to moderate comments, it is impossible for every comment to have been moderated at any given time.
- You acknowledge that all comments express the views and opinions of the original author and not those of the administrator.
- You agree not to post any material which is knowingly false, obscene, hateful, threatening, harassing or invasive of a person's privacy.
- The administrator has the right to edit, move or remove any comment for any reason and without notice.
Failure to comply with these rules may result in being banned from submitting further comments.
These terms and conditions are subject to change at any time and without notice.
Comments (1254)
A little bit of geography of the top of my head: America is a continent subdivided into three subregions: North, Central and South. North America: Greenland, Canada, USA and Mexico.
Central America: Guatemala, Honduras, Belize, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama.
South America, Colombia, Venezuela, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, Las Guyanas, Chile. El Caribe: Cuba, Haiti, Rep.Domenicana, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, Bahamas, Islas Virgenes, etc. etc.
What did I miss?
Las Americas was a nickname in plural in Spanish that the Spaniards would call the 3 subregions as they would call Las Europas when they also meant subregions like south, east ,west etc. Las Indias, Las Africas, that was how the Spaniards talked about the continents. Not that it was two continents in America as people think today.
You missed El Salvador from Central America!
Are people from Honduras and Guatemala North Americans or Central Americans, you decide according to the USA view and what is convenient at certain times. However if you ask a Honduran or Guatemalan, they will say, from Central America.
Lol, Central America is not a continent when comparing it to North America and South America. Central America is only 1 of 3 sub-regions located in North America!
Therefore, people from Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama ARE ALL North Americans because they are all Central Americans!
So if you ask a Guatemalan, Belizean, El Salvadorian, Honduran, Nicaraguan, Costa Rican or Panamanian "where are they from?" and they say “from Central America” - then right away, they have confirmed that they are from North America.
Thus, they all are BOTH Central Americans and North Americans!
Central America(n) is a Sub-Region Identity and North America(n) is a Continent Identity!
Overall, I’m really proud to be 3 different types of American myself!!! :D
I know there is a total of 8 different Americas in all!!!!!!!!
If there are two continents according to the USA in America, why is it that Central America is not considered part of the North American Trade? Why is convenient to leave Central America when it is not useful and when it is convenient it is rapidly put into a map as if it is part of the supposed North American continent? They can't decide on what to accept and what not to accept when it comes to project their own view to the world.
from wiki: "Central America, also called Central America, Central America or Isthmic Central America, is the geographical region within the American continent comprised between North America and South America. It is surrounded by the Pacific Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean" Noticed that they referred to "the American continent" and not the Americas or the American continentS. How do you explain that there is a Central America in the continent of America but it is not in the U.S.A???
The nation called "The United States of America", its name is all that sentence, but they have an official abbreviated form that indicates the central part, "United States" or "U.S." as can be seen in all the writings on buildings and insignia of public officials and the military. Calling the country America is a totally unofficial way to abbreviate its real and complete name, it is just a kind of informal nickname.
As for the name, not to change it so much because they are already too used to it, the best thing would be if only US, "the US Americans" were added. Since in the English language itself American continues to be used for what belongs to the Americas, as the Organization of American States.
In America and for America, you would always be an Argentinian. That's the fact. For Americans, you would always be an Argentinian, forever Argentinian.
Remember, the world is not that complicated after all.
Americans became complicated within themselves because of them.
For Americans, you are still another Argentinian!.
Have you heard about "Argentina of America?", or Brazil of America?, Sorry, their name does not have "of America" in it.
Accept it. I know it hurts!.
United States Of America
vague too vague for historical fact!
I second what this poster said: "By the time the country was named (The United States of America) for the English language, America was also a continent, and it was until the middle of the 20th century, so the "of America" part of the name is totally in reference to the continent, which continues to be the case for the vast majority of countries of other languages."
the real case is that America is my country.
Yes, I get it, you have been raised with that in mind so you can't think of anything else that would be against what you have been taught. But, if you were a little inquisitive, and researched a bit on why is this an issue, you would find more answers from what you have been conditioned to know.
America, my beautiful country!
Sorry but I'm gonna have to disagree with you. The terms you are looking for are North America and South America maybe even The Americas but America by its self does indeed refer to the United States of America.
The reason is because we where the first & only country to currently use the term as part of our name.
In English, ‘America’ also refers to the Americas. This meaning is far less common in English than the meaning of the USA, but it definitely exists. Look in the dictionary for proof. We get enough lies from Mrs. Anonymous and others. Let’s not stoop to their level.
No lies, its all about the history, you are the ones who can't support a made up lie of taking the name of a continent to name the country.
Hahaha!Sure you can disagree with anything you would like but first you need to go back to social history, actually, to the history of the world. Unless they had already took that part out of your class curriculum, if so then, it figures. Okay if you are soooo sure of your statement show us the history of what you claim.
By the time the country was named (The United States of America) for the English language, America was also a continent, and it was until the middle of the 20th century, so the "of America" part of the name is totally in reference to the continent, which continues to be the case for the vast majority of countries of other languages.