Americas (terminology)

1
Americas (terminology)
Subdivisions of the Americas
Map Legend
North America (NA)
South America (SA)
May be included in
either NA or SA
North America (NA)
May be included in NA
Central America
Caribbean
South America
North America (NA)
May be included in NA
Northern America
Middle America (MA)
Caribbean (may be
included in MA)
South America (SA)
May be included
in MA or SA
Anglo-America (A-A)
May be included in A-A
Latin America (LA)
May be included in LA
The Americas, also known as America,
[1]
are the lands of the western hemisphere, composed of numerous entities
and regions variably defined by geography, politics, and culture.
The Americas are recognised in the English-speaking world to comprise two separate continents: North America and
South America. The Americas are also considered to comprise a single continent (named Amrica), in Latin America
and some other areas.
Physical geography
North Americathe continent and associated islands of the northern hemisphere and (chiefly) western
hemisphere. It lies northwest of South America and is bounded by the Atlantic, Arctic, and Pacific Oceans.
Middle Americathe territory between the southern Rocky Mountains and the northern tip of the Andes. This
isthmus marks the transition between North and South America. It may also include the Caribbean.
[2][3]
Central Americathe narrow southern portion of mainland North America connecting with South America,
extending from the Isthmus of Tehuantepec to the Isthmus of Panama; alternatively, the Trans-Mexican
Volcanic Belt may delimit the region on the north.
[4][5]
Caribbeanthe region between southeastern North America and northern South America consisting of the
Caribbean Sea, its islands (most of which enclose the sea), and the surrounding coasts. The
Americas (terminology)
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islandscomposed of the Greater Antilles, Lesser Antilles, and the Bahamasare also known as the West
Indies (or, in some languages, the Antilles); they are often included in the region of Middle America.
South Americathe continent and associated islands of the western hemisphere. It is chiefly in the southern
hemisphere and lies between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, southeast of North America.
Human geography
Geographical or geopolitical regions
North Americawhen used to denote less than the entire North American continent, this term may include
Canada, Mexico and the United States, or just Canada and the United States together.
[6][7][8][9]
It may also include
the dependencies of Bermuda (U.K.), Greenland (Denmark), and Saint Pierre and Miquelon (France.)
[10]
Middle AmericaMexico and the nations of Central America; often also includes the West Indies. Occasionally,
Colombia and Venezuela are also included in Middle America.
Central Americathe southern region of the North American continent, comprising Belize, Guatemala, El
Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama.
[11]
Sometimes, Central America may be defined to
only include the five countries which gained independence as the United Provinces of Central America. This
definition excludes Belize and Panama.
[12]
West Indiesthe island territories of the Caribbean.
South Americacontains the nations of Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay,
Peru, Suriname, Uruguay, and Venezuela, and the French overseas department of French Guiana. Also includes
the insular territories of the Falkland Islands (U.K.), the South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (U.K.),
Fernando de Noronha (Brazil), Trindade and Martim Vaz (Brazil), the Galpagos Islands (Ecuador), and the Juan
Fernndez Islands (Chile).
[13]
Middle America (United States)Middle America may also refer to the midwestern United States or the
middle-class segment of the U.S. population.
United Nations geoscheme
United Nations geoscheme for the Americas
Northern America
Central America
Caribbean
South America
Main article: United Nations geoscheme
Northern Americathe northern region of the North American continent, comprising Canada, the United States,
Greenland, Saint-Pierre and Miquelon, and Bermuda.
Latin America and the Caribbean:
Central Americathe countries south of the Mexico and north of Colombia.
Caribbean.
South Americaall the countries south of Panama.
Within this scheme, the continent of North America comprises Northern America, Central America, and the
Caribbean.
[14]
Americas (terminology)
3
Political divisions
United States of America Confederate States of America
(1861-1865)
Federal Republic of Central
America (1823-1840)
West Indies Federation
(1958-1962)
United States of Americaa federal republic in North America founded in 1776 and comprising 50 states (one of
which, Hawaii, is not considered to be located in North America) and one federal district (the District of
Columbia), with several outlying territories of varying affiliation; commonly referred to as the U.S. or simply
America.
Confederate States of Americaa former confederation in North America from 1861 to 1865, comprising
eleven southern states that attempted to secede from the United States of America: Alabama, Arkansas,
Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia.
Their rebellion precipitated the American Civil War; upon its conclusion, the Confederate States were
readmitted to representation in the United States Congress.
British Americaformer designation for British possessions in the Americas.
British North Americaformer designation for territories in North America colonised by Great Britain in the
18th and 19th centuries, particularly after 1783 and in reference to Canada. At the start of the American
Revolution in 1775, the British Empire in North America included twenty colonies north of Mexico. In 1783, the
Treaty of Paris ended the American Revolution and established boundaries between the United States and British
North America; East Florida and West Florida were also ceded to Spain in the treaty, and then ceded by Spain to
the US in 1819. From 1867 to 1873, all but one of the remaining colonies of British North America confederated
(through a series of eponymous acts) into the Dominion of Canada. Newfoundland joined Canada in 1949.
British West Indiesthe islands and territories of the Caribbean under British colonial influence.
Federal Republic of Central Americaformerly the United Provinces of Central America, a federal republic in
Central America from 1823 to 1840 comprising the newly independent Spanish territories: Costa Rica, El
Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and (later) Los Altos. In 1838, the federation succumbed to civil war
and dissolved.
Americas (terminology)
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Northern America (Amrica Septentrional)-the first official name of Mexico.
[15]
Mexican America (Amrica Mexicana)-a name chosen and drafted in the first Mexican constitution.
[16]
United Provinces of South America, denomination of Argentina during the early developments of the Argentine
War of Independence, and official denomination of the country as per the 1819 Constitution (rejected 1820).
West Indies Federationa federation of several Caribbean island colonies and territories of the United Kingdom
(see also: British West Indies) from 1958 to 1962. This was followed by the West Indies Associated States, a
smaller, looser polity, from 1967 to 1981.
Linguistic/cultural regions
Anglo-Americathe region of the Americas having significant historical, linguistic, and cultural links to England
or the British Isles, e.g., where English (a Germanic language) is officially or primarily spoken; often just Canada
and the United States.
Latin Americathe region of the Americas where Romance languages derived from Latinnamely Spanish,
Portuguese, and variably Frenchare officially or primarily spoken. Though French is spoken in Quebec, it is
typically not included due to Canada's links to Britain.
Ibero-Americathe region of the Americas having significant historical, linguistic, and cultural links to Spain
or Portugal (both on the Iberian peninsula.)
Hispanic America (also Spanish America)those countries inhabited by Spanish-speaking populations.
[17]
Mesoamericaa region of the Americas extending from central Mexico southeast to Nicaragua and Costa Rica; a
term used especially in archaeology and ethnohistory for the region where an array of civilizations had flourished
during the pre-Columbian era, and which shared a number of historical and cultural traditions.
Mesoamerican Linguistic Areaa sprachbund, or linguistic region, defined as the area inhabited by speakers
of a set of indigenous languages which have developed certain similarities as a result of their historic and
geographical connections; roughly co-terminate with the archaeological/ethnohistorical Mesoamerica.
Aridoamericaan archaeological/ethnohistorical regional division, essentially comprising the arid/semi-arid
northern portion of present-day Mexico, whose historical peoples are generally characterised by a nomadic
existence and minimal reliance on agriculture.
Oasisamericaan occasionally used archaeological/ethnohistorical term for a (pre-Columbian) cultural region of
North America.
References
[1] "America." The Oxford Companion to the English Language (ISBN 0-19-214183-X). McArthur, Tom, ed., 1992. New York: Oxford
University Press, p. 33: "[16c: from the feminine of Americus, the Latinized first name of the explorer Amerigo Vespucci (1454-1512). A
claim is also made for the name of Richard Ameryk, sheriff of Bristol and patron of John Cabot (Giovanni Caboto), the 16c Anglo-Italian
explorer of North America. The name America first appeared on a map in 1507 by the German cartographer Martin Waldseemller, referring
to the area now called Brazil]. Since the 16c, a name of the western hemisphere, often in the plural Americas and more or less synonymous
with the New World. Since the 18c, a name of the United States of America. The second sense is now primary in English: ... However, the
term is open to uncertainties: ..."
[2] " Middle America (http:/ / www.britannica. com/ eb/ article-9052538/ Middle-America)", Encyclopdia Britannica, on line. Accessed
October 12, 2007.
[3] " Middle America (http:/ / www.m-w. com/ dictionary/ Middle America)." Merriam-Webster's Online Dictionary. Accessed October 11,
2007.
[4] Nord-Amrica, in Gran Enciclopdia Catalana (http:/ / www. grec. cat)
[5] " Central America (http:/ / www.britannica. com/ eb/ article-9110092/ Central-America)". Encyclopdia Britannica, on line. Accessed
October 12, 2007.
[6] pp. 3031, Geography: Realms, Regions, and Concepts, H. J. de Blij and Peter O. Muller, Wiley, 12th ed., 2005 (ISBN 0-471-71786-X.)
[7] [7] p. 168, Lewis and Wigen.
[8] Burchfield, R. W., ed. 2004. "America." Fowler's Modern English Usage (ISBN 0-19-861021-1) New York: Oxford University Press, p. 48
Americas (terminology)
5
[9] McArthur, Tom. 1992."North American." The Oxford Companion to the English Language (ISBN 0-19-214183-X) New York: Oxford
University Press, p. 707.
[10] " North America (http:/ / encarta.msn.com/ encyclopedia_761562468/ North_America. html)", MSN Encarta, Microsoft. Accessed on line
October 10, 2007. Archived (http:/ / www.webcitation. org/ 5kwKFMQnF) 2009-10-31.
[11] " Central America (http:/ / encarta. msn.com/ encyclopedia_761574502/ Central_America. html)", MSN Encarta, Microsoft. Accessed on
line October 12, 2007. Archived (http:/ / www.webcitation. org/ 5kwKFvtVa) 2009-10-31.
[12] "Central America", Encyclopedia Americana, Grolier: 2002.
[13] " South America (http:/ / encarta.msn.com/ encyclopedia_761574914/ South_America. html)", MSN Encarta, Microsoft. Accessed on line
October 12, 2007. Archived (http:/ / www.webcitation. org/ 5kwKGUvhy) 2009-10-31.
[14] Composition of macro geographical (continental) regions, geographical sub-regions, and selected economic and other groupings (http:/ /
unstats. un. org/ unsd/ methods/ m49/ m49regin.htm). United Nations Statistics Division, Country and Region Codes. Revised August 28,
2007. Accessed on line October 12, 2007.
[15] Mexican Congress (http:/ / www. diputados.gob. mx/ cedia/ museo/ sala3_mas. htm)
[16] Decreto Constitucional para la Libertad de la Amrica Mexicana (http:/ / www. juridicas. unam. mx/ infjur/ leg/ conshist/ pdf/ 1814. pdf)
[17] What's the difference between North, Latin, Central, Middle, South, Spanish and Anglo America? (http:/ / geography. about. com/ library/
faq/ blqzamericas. htm) Geography at about.com. Accessed on line October 12, 2007.
Additional sources
The Columbia Gazetteer of the World Online (http:/ / www. columbiagazetteer. org/ ). 2005. New York:
Columbia University Press (proprietary; limited access).
Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, 11th ed. 2003. (ISBN 0-87779-809-5) New York: Merriam-Webster,
Inc.
Oxford English Reference Dictionary, 2nd ed. (rev.) 2002. (ISBN 0-19-860652-4) Oxford, UK: Oxford University
Press.
What's the difference between North, Latin, Central, Middle, South, Spanish and Anglo America? (http:/ /
geography. about. com/ library/ faq/ blqzamericas. htm) Geography at about.com.
Map of North an Middle America (http:/ / north-america. atlas-map. com/ )
Article Sources and Contributors
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Article Sources and Contributors
Americas (terminology) Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=603910321 Contributors: A the 0th, Aaronbrick, Abakerp, AbelM7, Acjelen, Ajd, AlexCovarrubias, Barek, BilCat,
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Quizimodo, R'n'B, RVJ, Raleresa, Ram4eva, Rjwilmsi, Rmhermen, Robdurbar, Rwalker, S.K., Sardanaphalus, Shadowy Crafter, Silversink, Spacepotato, Squakbox, Supaman89, Tabletop, The
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Image Sources, Licenses and Contributors
File:LocationNSAm.png Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:LocationNSAm.png License: Public Domain Contributors: Spacepotato
File:LocationNSAm2.png Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:LocationNSAm2.png License: Public Domain Contributors: Spacepotato
File:LocationNSAm3.png Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:LocationNSAm3.png License: Public Domain Contributors: Spacepotato
File:LocationNSAngloLatin.png Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:LocationNSAngloLatin.png License: Public Domain Contributors: Spacepotato
File:LocationNSAmUNGeoscheme.png Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:LocationNSAmUNGeoscheme.png License: Public Domain Contributors: Spacepotato
Image:LocationWHUnitedStatesofAmerica.png Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:LocationWHUnitedStatesofAmerica.png License: Public Domain Contributors:
User:E Pluribus Anthony, User:Marvin01
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Image:LocationWHFederalRepublicofCentralAmerica.png Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:LocationWHFederalRepublicofCentralAmerica.png License: Public
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Image:LocationWHWestIndiesFederation.png Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:LocationWHWestIndiesFederation.png License: Public Domain Contributors: User:E
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