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)
"Along the way, we even lost the right to call ourselves Americans, although Haitians and Cubans had already entered history, as new towns, a century before the Mayflower pilgrims settled on the shores of Plymouth. Now America is, for the rest of the world, nothing more than the United States: we inhabit, at most, a sub-America, a second-class America, of nebulous identification."
Eduardo Galeano
“...as new peoples...”, not “...as new towns...”. Cubans and Haitians are people, not towns.
You haven’t lost the right to call yourselves Americans. You do it all the time. You can be quite the hyperbolic whiners.
¡¡¡Américaaaaaaa Américaaaaaa!!!
¡¡Todo un inmenso jardín!! ¡¡Eso es América!!
(From song of Nino Bravo, "América, América")
Mrs. Anonymous, how is it that your conception of continents is true and different conceptions are false? Do you have proof of this? There are several different ideas of how the world is divided into continents. Is only your conception correct? Do you have factual evidence that only your conception is true? Please enlighten us.
David,
We know that is true that the new world was named "America" as one continent. This is supported by many historical facts. Right? So, when and how did it turn into two continents and was there a treaty or something of that sort to make sure all parties (nations) agreed on dividing the continent? At least in Asia/Europe there was a mutual agreement on where the divisory line between Asia and Europe would be between the nations involved. In America, the U.S. used to call it a one continent, America until it decided to change it without any agreements, nor treaties nothing. So, for the rest of the nations in America is still the original one continent accepted by the world as it was then, today other nations have moved to accept the English version/USA of two continents by teaching it that way or who knows how. The question should be not what is truth, but if it was correct to do it like that.
Description of the book America and the Americas of the research professor of history emeritus of the Georgia University Lester D. Langley:
In this completely revised and updated edition of America and the Americas, Lester D. Langley covers the long period from the colonial era into the twenty-first century, providing an interpretive introduction to the history of U.S. relations with Latin America, the Caribbean, and Canada. Langley draws on the other books in the series to provide a more richly detailed and informed account of the role and place of the United States in the hemisphere. In the process, he explains how the United States, in appropriating the values and symbolism identified with “America,” has attained a special place in the minds and estimation of other hemispheric peoples.
What does this mean to you?
Check the comment on the bottom of this publication...
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/quick-guide-videoconferencing-latin-americans-castro-fontoura
Gabriela Castro Fontoura... poor girl
In Europe, there's the UK, the one country into countries. How many countries UK?, or, is UK in the same situations as USA?, how is it that they do it?
Brazil is them, UK is them, now. Do you still might include America?, you! still stupid.
If them are them, why America is America.
the idea of saying american, people already know!
United States Of America
United States, forever "America"
America vs Guatemala, you got it! do not be a fooled.
the cartographer Martin Waldseemüller, so quoted in the United States to explain the origin of the word America or the sea, the "name" of his country (actually nickname), put it on what they now call South America !!! or sea! we are the original America!!!!
This is why I suggest that we follow their advice and leave them America, we declare ourselves a continent! and that we rename ourselves ... ORIGINAL AMERICA!!!!
(North America and Original America)
*"that is" not "or the sea", translator error
Learn more English please
¡No quiero! ¿para qué? ¡Si entendiste!
keep learning English, ridiculous.
!!!!Viva América Original!!!!
Some people here do not go by history, they are only going by what people do and say thanks to the conditioning of a nation to use the name of the continent for its name.
We should all follow the “history” that taught you that the US didn’t spread into Mexico. Your knowledge of history is beyond reproach. We can all learn so much from you.
What about the “history” you are always spouting that ‘America’ originally referred to all of the Americas, even though you know perfectly well that it originally referred only to South America. I know you know this fact because I was the one who educated you about it. Just like I educated you about the US taking half of Mexico. Just like I educated you about many other things. Your “arguments” are based on BS.
Look, Mexico did not become part of the U.S. When I say Mexico I mean Mexico as a nation. You are silly with your interpretation of the map of 1507 and having the name America in where Brazil is today, if you read the written piece of Matthias Ringmann and Martin Waldseemuller, you will see that they were referring to the entire new world, a new continent, a fourth part of the world, not just south of the new world.
You are the most hardheaded student I have had...lol
America is the name given to the one continent in the Western Hemisphere. Or does anyone have a different story on how the name America was not given to the continent but to a nation? Where did the name America originated from? Where is the history behind this name? and how does it fit with the United States?
they originated the name for the continent initially, later they created the greatest American Union besides other countries acquiring names, no one else could keep America as an name other than the same people that brought that word to the western hemisphere. The eastern hemisphere was already messed up with slavery and colonies, they navigated through the world doing what they knew what to do, colonized less civilized people.
Who knows where the word "America" originated, maybe the dude tried to say -"A miracle" when he saw ground, his slaves that were navigating with him got to their conclusion that he said "America".