World map showing the Americas

CIA political map of the Americas in an equal-area projection

The Americas are the lands of the Western hemisphere or New World, consisting of the continents of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions. The Lambert azimuthal equal-area projection is a particular mapping from a sphere to a disk A map projection is any method of representing the Surface of a sphere or other shape on a plane. The Western Hemisphere, also Western hemisphere or western hemisphere, is a geographical term for the half of the Earth that lies West The New World is one of the names used for the non-Eurasian/non-African parts of the Earth specifically the Americas and Australia. A continent is one of several large Landmasses on Earth. They are generally identified by Convention rather than any strict criteria with seven regions South America is a Continent of the Americas, situated entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a An island (ˈaɪlənd or isle (/ˈaɪl/ is any piece of land that is completely surrounded by water in two dimensions above high tide and isolated from other significant The article is about the geographic sense of the term For other uses including Regions and Regional, see Region (disambiguation. The Americas cover 8. 3% of the Earth's total surface area (28. EARTH was a short-lived Japanese vocal trio which released 6 singles and 1 album between 2000 and 2001 4% of its land area) and contain about 14% of the human population (about 900 million people). The world population is the total number of living Humans on Earth at a given time The Americas may alternatively be referred to as America;^[1][2] however, America may be ambiguous, as it can refer either to the entire landmass or to the United States of America. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the

History

Main article: History of the Americas

Formation

South America broke off from the west of the supercontinent Gondwanaland around 135 million years ago (Ma), forming its own continent. The start of the European colonization of the Americas is typically dated to 1492 although there was at least one earlier colonization effort The history of the Americas is the collective history of North and South America, including Central America and the Caribbean. British colonization of the Americas (including colonization under the Kingdom of England and Kingdom of Scotland before the 1707 Acts of Union created The Duchy of Courland was the smallest nation to colonize the Americas with a colony on the island of Tobago from 1654 to 1659 and intermittently from The Danish-Norwegian monarch headed a small number of countries from the 17th through the 20th centuries large portions of which were in The Americas. During the 17th century Dutch traders established trade posts and plantations throughout the Americas; actual colonization with Dutch settling in the new lands was not as common French colonization of the Americas began in the 14th century and continued in the following centuries as France established a colonial empire in the Western The German colonization of the Americas consisted of failed attempts to settle Venezuela ( Klein-Venedig in German) St Portugal was the leading country in the European exploration of the world in the 15th century Russian colonization of the Americas proceeded in several places Scottish colonization of the Americas consisted of a number of failed or abandoned Scottish settlements in North America, a colony at Darien, The Spanish colonization of the Americas was Spain 's conquest settlement and rule over much of the Western hemisphere. The Swedish colonization of the Americas included a 17th-century colony on the Delaware River in what is now Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania As early as the 10th century Norse sailors (often referred to as Vikings explored and settled areas of the North Atlantic, including the northeastern fringes of Decolonization of the Americas refers to the process by which the countries in North America and South America gained their independence The history of the Americas is the collective history of North and South America, including Central America and the Caribbean. In Geology, a supercontinent is a Landmass comprising more than one Continental core or Craton. Gondwana (ɡɒnˈdwɑːnə originally Gondwanaland) was a southern Supercontinent that existed about 500 to 200 Ma ago Annum is one form of the Latin noun meaning Year, not a form normally used for derivatives in modern languages the accusative singular ^[3] Starting around 15 Ma, the collision of the Caribbean Plate and the Pacific Plate resulted in a series of volcanoes along the border that created a number of islands. The Caribbean Plate is a mostly oceanic Tectonic plate underlying Central America and the Caribbean Sea off the north coast of South The Pacific Plate is an oceanic Tectonic plate beneath the Pacific Ocean. The gaps in the archipelago of Central America filled in with material eroded off North America and South America, plus new land created by continued volcanism. By 3 Ma, the continents of North America and South America were linked by the Isthmus of Panama, thereby forming the single landmass of the Americas. The Isthmus of Panama, also historically known as the Isthmus of Darien, is the narrow strip of land that lies between the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific ^[4]

Settlement

See also: Pre-Columbian trans-oceanic contact

Archaeological finds establish the widespread presence of the Clovis culture in North America and South America around 10000 BCE. Pre-Columbian trans-oceanic contact describes alleged interactions between the Indigenous peoples of the Americas and peoples of other continents – Africa, The Clovis culture (sometimes referred to as the Llano culture) is a Prehistoric Paleoindian culture that first appears in the archaeological ^[5] Whether this is the first migration of humans into North America and South America is disputed, with alternative theories holding that humans arrived in North America and South America as early as 40000 BCE. There are several popular models of migration to the New World proposed by the anthropological community

The Inuit migrated into the Arctic section of North America in another wave of migration, arriving around 1000 CE. Inuit (plural the singular Inuk, means "man" or "person" is a general term for a group of culturally similar Indigenous peoples inhabiting The Arctic is the Region around the Earth 's North Pole, opposite the Antarctic region around the South Pole. ^[6] Around the same time as the Inuit migrated into North America, Viking settlers began arriving in Greenland in 982 and Vinland shortly thereafter. As early as the 10th century Norse sailors (often referred to as Vikings explored and settled areas of the North Atlantic, including the northeastern fringes of Greenland (Kalaallit Nunaat meaning "Land of the Greenlanders" Grønland is a self-governing Danish Province located between the Vinland was the name given to an area of North America by the Norseman Leifr Eiríksson, about the year A ^[7] The Viking settlers quickly abandoned Vinland, and disappeared from Greenland by 1500. ^[8]

Large-scale European colonization of the Americas began shortly after the voyages of Christopher Columbus in 1492. The start of the European colonization of the Americas is typically dated to 1492 although there was at least one earlier colonization effort Christopher Columbus (1451 &ndash May 20 1506 was an Italian Navigator, colonizer The spread of new diseases brought by Europeans and Africans killed most of the inhabitants of North America and South America,^[9][10] with a general population crash of Native Americans occurring in the mid-sixteenth century, often well ahead of European contact. It is thought that up to 100 million indigenous people may have lived in The Americas when the 1492 voyage of Christopher Columbus began a historical period of large-scale ^[11] Native peoples and European colonizers came into widespread conflict, resulting in what David Stannard has called a genocide of the indigenous populations. David Edward Stannard (born 1941 was born to Florence E Harwood Stannard and David L Genocide is the mass killing of a group of people as defined by Article 2 of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (CPPCG as "any of ^[12] Early European immigrants were often part of state-sponsored attempts to found colonies in the Americas. Migration continued as people moved to the Americas fleeing religious persecution or seeking economic opportunities. Religious persecution is the systematic mistreatment of an individual or group of individuals as a response to their religious beliefs of affiliations. Many individuals were forcibly transported to the Americas as slaves, prisoners or indentured servants. As a social-economic system slavery is a legal institution under which a Person (called "a slave" is compelled to work for another A prison, penitentiary, or correctional facility is a place in which individuals are physically confined or interned and usually deprived of a range of An indentured servant is a form of Debt bondage worker The Laborer is under Contract of an Employer for some period of time usually three to

Naming

World Map of Waldseemüller which first named America (in the map over Paraguay). Germany, 1507

The earliest known use of the name America for this particular landmass dates from April 25, 1507. Events 1607 - Eighty Years' War: The Dutch fleet destroys the anchored Spanish fleet at Gibraltar. It appears on a globe and a large map created by the German cartographer Martin Waldseemüller in Saint-Dié-des-Vosges. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. Martin Waldseemüller (Latinized Martinus Ilacomilus or Hylacomylus, c Saint-Dié-des-Vosges, commonly referred to as Saint-Dié, is a commune of northeastern France. The last known surviving copy of the Waldseemüller map was recently acquired by the US Library of Congress for $US 10 million. The Library of Congress is the De facto National library of the United States and the research arm of the United States Congress ^[13] An accompanying book, Cosmographiae Introductio, explains that the name was derived from the Latinized version of the explorer Amerigo Vespucci's name, Americus Vespucius, in its feminine form, America, as the other continents all have Latin feminine names. Cosmographiae Introductio ( Saint-Dié, 1507) was a book published in 1507 to accompany Martin Waldseemüller 's map of the world and Latin ( lingua Latīna, laˈtiːna is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. The Explorer and Cartographer Amerigo Vespucci ( March 9, 1454 - February 22, 1512) was the first person to demonstrate ^[14]

Vespucci's role in the naming issue, like his exploratory activity, is unclear. Some sources say that he was unaware of the widespread use of his name to refer to the new landmass. Waldseemüller may have been misled by the Soderini Letter, now thought to be a forgery, which reports that the New World is populated by giants, cannibals, and sexually insatiable females and implies it was discovered first by Vespucci. The Explorer and Cartographer Amerigo Vespucci ( March 9, 1454 - February 22, 1512) was the first person to demonstrate ^[15] Christopher Columbus, who had first brought the region's existence to the attention of Renaissance era voyagers, had died in 1506 (believing, to the end, that he had discovered and colonized part of India) and could not protest Waldseemüller's decision. The Renaissance (from French Renaissance, meaning "rebirth" Italian: Rinascimento, from re- "again" and nascere

Map of America by Jonghe, c. 1770.

A few alternative theories regarding the landmass's naming have been proposed, but none of them has achieved any widespread acceptance.

One alternative, first advanced by Jules Marcou in 1875 and later recounted by novelist Jan Carew, is that the name America derives from the district of Amerrique in Nicaragua. Jules Marcou ( April 20, 1824 - April 17, 1898) was an eminent Swiss - American Geologist. Jan Rynveld Carew (born 24 September, 1920 in Agricola, Guyana) is a novelist playwright poet and educator Nicaragua (ˌnɪkəˈrɑgwə officially the Republic of Nicaragua () is a representative democratic republic and the largest nation in Central America ^[16] The gold-rich district of Amerrique was purportedly visited by both Vespucci and Columbus, for whom the name became synonymous with gold. According to Marcou, Vespucci later applied the name to the New World, and even changed the spelling of his own name from Alberigo to Amerigo to reflect the importance of the discovery.

Another theory, first proposed by a Bristol antiquary and naturalist, Alfred Hudd, in 1908 was that America is derived from Richard Amerike (Richard ap Meryke), a Welsh merchant from Bristol, who is believed to have financed John Cabot's voyage of discovery from England to Newfoundland in 1497 as found in some documents from Westminster Abbey a few decades ago. Bristol ( ˈbrɪstəl is a city, Unitary authority and ceremonial county in South West England, west of London An antiquarian or antiquary is one concerned with Antiquities or things of the past Natural history is the Scientific research of Plants or Animals leaning more towards the Observational than Experimental methods Richard Amerike (or Ameryk) pronounced America (c 1445&ndash1503 was a wealthy English born merchant Royal customs officer and Sheriff of Welsh Giovanni Caboto ( c 1450 - c 1498 known in English as John Cabot, was an Italian Navigator and explorer commonly credited as the England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Newfoundland — ˈn(jufənˌlænd (Terre-Neuve Talamh an Éisc — is a large island 15 km off the east coast of The Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, which is almost always referred to by its original name of Westminster Abbey, is a large mainly Gothic church Supposedly, Bristol fishermen had been visiting the coast of North America for at least a century before Columbus' voyage and Waldseemüller's maps are alleged to incorporate information from the early English journeys to North America. The theory holds that a variant of Amerike's name appeared on an early English map (of which, however, no copies survive) and that this was the true inspiration for Waldseemüller.

Geography

Further information: Geography of North America and Geography of South America

Extent

The northernmost point of the Americas is Kaffeklubben Island, which is the northernmost point of land on Earth. North America is the third largest continent with an estimated population of around 460 million ca Geographically South America is generally considered a Continent forming the southern portion of the American Landmass, south and east of the Kaffeklubben Island or The Coffee Club Island (Kaffeklubben Ø Inuit Qeqertaat is a small island lying off the northern tip of Greenland. ^[17] The southernmost point is the islands of Southern Thule, although they are sometimes considered part of Antarctica. Southern Thule is a collection of the three southernmost Islands in the South Sandwich Islands: Bellingshausen, Cook, and Thule (Morrell ^[18] The easternmost point is Nordostrundingen. Nordostrundingen (corrupted from Danish: Nordøstrundingen) is a headland on Greenland and the easternmost point in North America The westernmost point is Attu Island. Attu ( Atan in Aleut) is the westernmost and largest Island in the Near Islands group of the Aleutian Islands of

Topography

Aconcagua, the highest mountain in the Americas

The western geography of the Americas is dominated by the American cordillera, with the Andes running along the west coast of South America^[19] and the Rocky Mountains and other Pacific Coast Ranges running the western side of North America. Cerro Aconcagua is the highest mountain in the Americas, and the highest mountain outside Asia. The American cordillera consists of an essentially continuous sequence of Mountain ranges that form the western "backbone" of North America, Central The Andes form the world's longest exposed Mountain range. They lie as a continuous chain of highland along the western coast of South America. Mountain peaks of the Rocky Mountains The Rocky Mountains, often called the Rockies, are a Mountain range in western North America. The Pacific Coast Ranges are the series of Mountain ranges that stretch along the west coast of North America from Alaska to northern and central Mexico ^[20] The 2300 km long Appalachian Mountains run along the east coast of North America from Alabama to Newfoundland. The Appalachian Mountains ( often called the Appalachians, are a vast system of mountains in eastern North America. Alabama (formally the State of Alabama;) is a State located in the southern region of the United States of America. Newfoundland — ˈn(jufənˌlænd (Terre-Neuve Talamh an Éisc — is a large island 15 km off the east coast of ^[21] North of the Appalachians, the Arctic Cordillera runs along the eastern coast of Canada. The Arctic Cordillera, sometimes called the Arctic Rockies, are a vast deeply dissected mountain system running along the northeastern shore of North America ^[22]

Between its coastal mountain ranges, North America has vast flat areas. The Interior Plains spread over much of the continent with low relief. The Interior Plains is a vast physiographic region that spreads across the Laurentian craton of North America ^[23] The Canadian Shield covers almost 5 million km² of North America and is generally quite flat. The Canadian Shield &mdash also called the Laurentian Plateau, or Bouclier Canadien (French &mdash is a large geological shield covered by ^[24] Similarly, the north-east of South America is covered by the flat Amazon Basin. ^[25] The Brazilian Highlands on the east coast are fairly smooth but show some variations in landform, while further south the Gran Chaco and Pampas are broad lowlands. The Brazilian Highlands (or Planalto Brasileiro) are an extensive geographical region covering most of the eastern southern and central portions of Brazil The Gran Chaco ( Quechua chaqu, "hunting land" dubbed by some as "the last South American frontier" is a sparsely populated hot and Laguna de Gomezjpg|thumb|left|240px|Lake Gomez near Junín in the heart of the Pampas grain belt In physical Geography, a lowland is any broad expanse of land with a general low level ^[26]

Hydrology

With coastal mountains and interior plains, the Americas have several large river basins that drain the continents. A drainage basin is an extent of Land where Water from Rain or Snow melt drains downhill into a body of water such as a River, The largest river basin in South America is that of the Amazon, which has the highest volume flow of any river on Earth. ^[27] The largest river basin in North America is that of the Mississippi, covering the second largest watershed on the planet. The Mississippi River is the second longest River in the United States, with a length of from its source in Lake Itasca in Minnesota to A drainage basin is an extent of Land where Water from Rain or Snow melt drains downhill into a body of water such as a River, ^[28] The second largest watershed of South America is that of the Paraná River, which covers about 2. This article is about the second-longest river in South America For the shorter river in Goiás, central Brazil see Paranã River The Paraná River 5 million km². ^[29]

Demography

Population

São Paulo is the most populous city in the Americas

Mexico City is the second most populous city in the Americas

New York City is the third most populous city in the Americas

The total population of the Americas is 858,000,000 people per the United Nations' Population and Vital Statistics Report, and is divided as follows:

• North America: 2001 with 495 million and in 2002 with 501 million (includes Central America and Hawaii)
• South America: 2001 with 352 million and in 2002 with 357 million

See also:

• UN population data by latest available Census: 2007
• List of American countries by population

Ethnology

The population of the Americas is made up of the descendants of eight large ethnic groups and their combinations. São Paulo ( is the largest city in Brazil, with its metropolitan area ranking among the largest urban areas in the world Mexico City (in Spanish: Ciudad de México, México DF, México or simply Méjico) is the Capital city of Mexico The City of New York The State of Hawaii ( or həˈwaɪʔiː Hawaiian: Mokuāina o Hawaii) is a state in the United States located on an Archipelago in the This is a list of countries and dependencies of the Americas by Population.

• 1. The Indigenous peoples of the Americas, being Amerindians, Inuit, and Aleuts. For indigenous peoples in the United States other than Hawaii and Alaska see also Native Americans in the United States. For indigenous peoples in the United States other than Hawaii and Alaska see also Native Americans in the United States. Inuit (plural the singular Inuk, means "man" or "person" is a general term for a group of culturally similar Indigenous peoples inhabiting The Aleuts ( self-denomination from Aleut language allíthuh 'community' older or regional self-denomination Unangax̂, Unangan or
• 2. Europeans, mainly Spanish, British, Irish, Italian, Portuguese, French, Polish, German, Dutch, and Danish people. British people, or Britons, are the native inhabitants of Great Britain and their descendants or citizens of the United Kingdom, of the The Irish people ( Irish: Muintir na hÉireann, na hÉireannaigh, na Gaeil) are a Western European Ethnic group who originate The' Italian people' are a Southern European Ethnic group located primarily in Italy, Switzerland, France and by virtue of a wide-ranging The Portuguese people (os Portugueses literally the Portuguese) are the Ethnic group or Nation native to the country of Portugal, in the west Legal residents and citizens To be French according to the first article of the Constitution is to be a citizen of France regardless of one's origin race or religion ( The Polish people, or Poles, (Polacy) are a Western Slavic Ethnic group of Central Europe, living predominantly in Poland. The German people (Deutsche are an Ethnic group, in the sense of sharing a common German culture, descent and speaking the German language as The Dutch people ( Dutch:) are the dominant Ethnic group of the Netherlands. The term Dane may refer to People with a Danish ancestral or ethnic identity whether living in Denmark, emigrants or the descendants of emigrants
• 3. Mestizos, those of mixed European and Amerindian ancestry. Mestizo is a Spanish term that was coined during the Spanish Empire to refer to people of mixed European and Amerindian ancestry in Latin
• 4. Those of Black African ancestry. The term black people usually refers to a racial group of Humans with dark Skin color, but the term has also been used to categorise a number of diverse
• 5. Mulattoes, people of mixed Black African and European ancestry. Mulatto is a term used to describe a person with one white parent and one black parent or a person whose Ancestry is a mixture of black and white
• 6. Zambos (Spanish) or Cafusos (Portuguese), those of mixed Black African and Amerindian ancestry. Zambo is a Spanish term (the Portuguese language term is Cafuso) that was used in the Spanish Empire and continues to be used today Cafuzo is a term of Portuguese origin describing the first generation offspring of a Black African and an Amerindian (see Zambo)
• 7. Asians, that is, those of Central, Eastern, South, and Southeast Asian ancestry. Asian or Asiatic is a Demonym for people from Asia. However the use of the term varies by country and person often referring to people from a particular Central Asia is a region of Asia from the Caspian Sea in the west to central China in the east and from southern Russia in the north to northern Pakistan in the south
• 8. Those from the Middle East (Middle Easterners). The Middle East is a Subcontinent with no clear boundaries often used as a synonym to Near East, in opposition to Far East.
• 9. Amerasian, those of mixed, usually European, and Asian ancestry. In its original meaning an Amerasian is a person born in Asia, to a U

The majority of the population live in Latin America, named for its dominant languages, Spanish and Portuguese, both of which are descended from Latin. Portuguese ( or língua portuguesa) is a Romance language that originated in what is now Galicia (Spain and northern Portugal. Latin ( lingua Latīna, laˈtiːna is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Latin America is typically contrasted with Anglo-America, where English (a Germanic language) prevails; namely, Canada (with the exception of francophone Canada: see Québec and Acadia) and the United States, both in North America, have predominantly British roots and are quite different in terms of linguistic, cultural, and economic situation from other countries in the Americas. right|250px|right|thumb|Anglo-America dark green indicates countries traditionally included in the region ([[Canada]] and the [[United States]] English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States The Germanic languages are a group of related languages that constitute a branch of the Indo-European (IE Language family. Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page Quebec (kwɨˈbɛk The Association for Computer Aided Design In Architecture ( ACADIA) is a Non-profit organization active in the area of Computer-aided architectural design The United States of America —commonly referred to as the

Religion

The most prevalent faiths in the Americas are as follows:

• 1. Christianity (North America: 85 percent; South America: 93 percent)^[30]
  • Roman Catholicism (practiced by 93 percent of Mexican population; approximately 24 percent of the United States population^[31] and more than 40 percent of all of Canadians)^[32]
  • Protestantism (practiced mostly in United States, where half of the population are Protestant, and Canada, with slightly more than a quarter of the population; there is a growing contingent of Evangelical and Pentecostal movements in predominantly Catholic Latin America^[33])
  • Eastern Orthodoxy (found mostly in the United States and Canada—0. Population of Canada: 31612895 (2006 Census Provinces and territories Metropolitan areas Cities Protestantism refers to the forms of Christian faith and practice that originated in the 16th century Protestant Reformation. Evangelicalism is a theological movement tradition and system of beliefs most closely associated with Protestant Christianity, which identifies with the Gospel Pentecostalism is a renewalist religious movement within Christianity that places special emphasis on the direct personal experience of God through the Baptism The Eastern Orthodox Church is the second largest single Christian Communion in the world 5 percent of the US citizenry; this Christian group is growing faster than many other Christian groups in Canada and now represents roughly 3 percent of the population)
  • Other Christians and non-denominational Christians (some 1,000 different Christian denominations and sects practiced in the Americas)
• 2. Atheism (mostly found in North America—atheists make up 16 percent of Canadians, 12 percent of the U. Atheism S. population, and less than 5 percent of Mexicans; 4 percent of South Americans are atheistic)
• 3. Judaism (practiced by 2 percent of North Americans—approximately 2. Judaism (from the Greek Ioudaïsmos, derived from the Hebrew יהודה Yehudah, " Judah " in Hebrew יַהֲדוּת Yahedut 5 percent of the U. S. population and 1. 2 percent of Canadians^[34]; 0. 23 percent of Latin Americans—Argentina has the largest Jewish communities in Latin America with 200,000 members^[35])
• 4. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Argentina topics. Islam (1. For other meanings including people named 'Islam' see Islam (disambiguation. 9 percent of Canadians (600,000 persons)^[36], 0. 6% percent of Americans (1,820,000 persons)^[37], and 0. 2% of Mexicans (<250,000 persons)^[38]. Together, Islam constitutes approximately 0. 5% of the North American population. North American cities with high concentrations of Muslims include Toronto, Philadelphia, Detroit, and New York City. Toronto (təˈrɒntoʊ colloquially pronounced or) is the largest city in Canada and is the provincial capital of Ontario Philadelphia (ˌfɪləˈdɛlfiə The City of New York ; 0. 3 percent of all Latin Americans)

Other faiths include Sikhism, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Bahá'í in small numbers, plus some native animists. Sikhism ( IPA: or; ਸਿੱਖੀ sikkhī, IPA:) founded on the teachings of Nanak and nine successive gurus in fifteenth century Buddhism is a family of beliefs and practices Hinduism is a religious tradition that originated in the Indian subcontinent. The Bahá'í Faith is a Religion founded by Bahá'u'lláh in nineteenth-century Persia, emphasizing the spiritual unity of all humankind Animism (from Latin anima ( Soul, Life) commonly refers to a religious belief that Souls or Spirits exist in Animals

Languages

Various languages are spoken in the Americas. A language is a dynamic set of visual auditory or tactile Symbols of Communication and the elements used to manipulate them Some are of European origin, others are spoken by indigenous peoples or are the mixture of various idioms like the different creoles.

The dominant language of Latin America is Spanish, though the largest nation in Latin America, Brazil, speaks Portuguese. |utc_offset = -2 to -4 |time_zone_DST = BRST |utc_offset_DST = -2 to -5 |cctld Portuguese ( or língua portuguesa) is a Romance language that originated in what is now Galicia (Spain and northern Portugal. Small enclaves of French- and English-speaking regions also exist in Latin America, notably in French Guiana and Nicaragua's Mosquito Coast, respectively, and Haitian Creole, of French origin, is dominant in the nation of Haiti. French Guiana (Guyane française officially fr ''Guyane'' is an Overseas department (French département d'outre-mer, or DOM) of France Nicaragua (ˌnɪkəˈrɑgwə officially the Republic of Nicaragua () is a representative democratic republic and the largest nation in Central America The Caribbean Mosquito Coast (or Miskito Coast) historically consisted of an area along the Atlantic coast of present-day Nicaragua, named after its native Haitian Creole language ( kreyòl ayisyen) often called simply Creole or Kreyòl ( pronounced) is a language spoken in Haiti Haiti ( English: ˈheɪ·tiː or haɪ·ˈjiː·tiː French Haïti a·i·ti Haitian Creole: Native languages are more prominent in Latin America than in Anglo-America, with Nahuatl, Quechua, Aymara and Guaraní as the most common. Indigenous languages of the Americas (or Amerindian Languages are spoken by indigenous peoples from the southern tip of South America to Alaska and right|250px|right|thumb|Anglo-America dark green indicates countries traditionally included in the region ([[Canada]] and the [[United States]] Nahuatl ( is a group of related languages and dialects of the Aztecan or Nahuan branch of the Uto-Aztecan language family Quechua ( Runa Simi) is a Native American language of South America. Aymara ( Aymar aru) is an Aymaran language spoken by the Aymara people of the Andes. Guaraní /gwaraˈni/ (local name avañe'ẽ) is an indigenous language of South America that belongs to the Tupí-Guaraní subfamily of the Various other native languages are spoken with lesser frequency across both Anglo-America and Latin America. Creole languages other than Haitian Creole are also spoken in parts of Latin America. A creole language, or simply a creole, is a stable Language that originates seemingly as a nativized Pidgin.

The dominant language of Anglo-America, as the name suggests, is English. English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States French is also official in Canada, where it is the predominant language in Québec and an official language in New Brunswick along with English. French ( français,) is a Romance language spoken around the world by 118 million people as a native language and by about 180 to 260 million people Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page Quebec (kwɨˈbɛk New Brunswick ( French: Nouveau-Brunswick /nuvobʁɔnzwik/ is one of Canada 's three Maritime provinces and is the only constitutionally It is also an important language in the U.S. state of Louisiana. A US state is any one of the fifty subnational entities of the United States of America that share Sovereignty with the federal government The State of Louisiana ( or, État de Louisiane, pronounced) is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America Spanish has become widely spoken in parts of the United States due to heavy immigration from Latin America. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the High levels of immigration in general have brought great linguistic diversity to Anglo-America, with over 300 languages known to be spoken in the United States alone, but most languages are spoken only in small enclaves and by relatively small immigrant groups.

The nations of Guyana, Suriname, and Belize are generally considered not to fall into either Anglo-America or Latin America due to lingual differences with Latin America and geographic and cultural differences with Anglo-America; English is the primary language of Guyana and Belize, and Dutch is the primary language of Suriname. Guyana (ɡaɪˈænə or /ɡiːˈɑːnə/ officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana and previously known as British Guiana, is the only Nation state Suriname ( Dutch: Suriname; Sranan Tongo: Sranan) officially the Republic of Suriname (traditionally spelled Surinam by Belize (bəˈliːz formerly British Honduras, is a country in Central America. Dutch ( is a West Germanic language spoken by around 24 million people 22 million of which are from the Netherlands, Belgium and Suriname

• Spanish – spoken by approximately 320 million in many nations, regions, islands, and communities throughout both continents.
• English – spoken by approximately 300 million people in the United States, Canada, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, The Bahamas, Bermuda, Belize, Guyana, and many islands of the Caribbean. Jamaica (ˈdʒəˈmeɪkə} is an Island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length and as much as in width situated in the Caribbean Sea. The Republic of Trinidad and Tobago (ˈtrɪnɪdæd ən təˈbeɪgoʊ is an archipelagic state in the southern Caribbean, lying northeast of the South American The Bahamas, officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an independent sovereign English -speaking country consisting of two thousand Cays and Ba (officially The Bermuda Islands or The Somers Isles) is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. The Caribbean (ˌkærəˡbiən kæ'rəbiən Cariben|Caraïben or Caraïben; Caraïbe or more commonly Antilles; Caribe is a Region consisting
• Portuguese – spoken by approximately 185 million in South America, mostly Brazil^[39]
• French – spoken by approximately 12 million in Canada (majority 7 million in Québec—see also Québec French), and Acadian communities in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia); the Caribbean (Haiti, Guadeloupe, Martinique); French Guiana; the French islands of Saint Pierre and Miquelon; and Acadiana (a Francophone area in southern Louisiana, United States). Quebec French ( le français québécois, le français du Québec) or less often Québécois French, is the predominant varieties This article is about the Acadian people and culture The Acadians (Acadiens are the descendants of the seventeenth-century French Nova Scotia (ˌnəʊvəˈskəʊʃə ( Latin for New Scotland; Alba Nuadh Nouvelle-Écosse is a Canadian province located on Canada 's Guadeloupe is an island group or Archipelago located in the eastern Caribbean Sea at, with a land area of 1628 square kilometres (629  sq Martinique is an Island in the eastern Caribbean Sea, having a land area of 1128 km² The Territorial Collectivity of Saint Pierre and Miquelon (Collectivité territoriale de Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon is a group of small islands in the North Atlantic Ocean, the Acadiana (also called Cajun Country) (L'Acadiane is the official name given to the French Louisiana region that is home to a large Cajun population
• Quechua – native language spoken by 10–13 million speakers in Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, northern Chile, and northwest Argentina. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Ecuador topics. Peru (Perú Piruw Piruw officially the Republic of Peru ( reˈpuβlika del peˈɾu is a country in western South America. The Republic of Bolivia (República de Bolivia) named after Simón Bolívar, is a Landlocked country in central South America. Chile, officially the Republic of Chile ( Spanish:) is a country in South America occupying a long and narrow Coastal strip wedged between the For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Argentina topics. ^[40]
• Haitian Creole – creole language, based in French and various African languages, spoken by 6 million in Haiti and the Haitian Diaspora in Canada and the United States. ^[41]
• Guaraní (avañe'ẽ) – native language spoken by approximately 6 million people in Paraguay, and regions of Argentina, Bolivia, and Brazil. Guaraní /gwaraˈni/ (local name avañe'ẽ) is an indigenous language of South America that belongs to the Tupí-Guaraní subfamily of the Paraguay, officially the Republic of Paraguay ( Spanish: República del Paraguay; Guaraní: Tetã Paraguái) is one of the only For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Argentina topics. The Republic of Bolivia (República de Bolivia) named after Simón Bolívar, is a Landlocked country in central South America.
• Italian – spoken by approximately 4 million people, mostly New England / Mid-Atlantic in the United States, southern Ontario and Quebec in Canada, Argentina, and Brazil, and also includes pidgin dialects of Italian such as Talian (Brazil), and Chipilo (Mexico). Italian ( or lingua italiana) is a Romance language spoken by about 63 million people as a First language, primarily in Italy. History See also History of New England New England's earliest inhabitants were Algonquian -speaking Native Americans including the Southern Ontario is the portion of the Canadian province of Ontario lying south of the French River and Algonquin Park. Talian is a Dialect of the Venetian language spoken mainly in the wine-producing area of the state of Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil.
• German – Some 2. The German language (de ''Deutsch'') is a West Germanic language and one of the world's major languages. 2 million. Spoken by 1. 1 million people in the United States plus another million in parts of Latin America, such as Brazil, Argentina, Chile, and El Salvador. It is the second most studied second language in the United States.
• Aymará – native language spoken by about 2. 2 million speakers in the Andes, in Bolivia and Peru. The Andes form the world's longest exposed Mountain range. They lie as a continuous chain of highland along the western coast of South America.
• Quiché and other Maya languages – native languages spoken by about 1. The K'iche' language ( Quiché in Spanish) is a part of the Mayan language family 9 million speakers in Guatemala and southern Mexico. Guatemala (República de Guatemala) is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west the Pacific Ocean to the southwest The United Mexican States ( or commonly Mexico (ˈmɛksɪkoʊ () is a federal constitutional Republic in North America.
• Nahuatl – native language of central Mexico with 1. 5 million speakers. Also was the language of the Aztec People of Mexico. Aztec is a term used to refer to certain ethnic groups of central Mexico, particularly those groups who spoke the Nahuatl language and who achieved political
• Antillean Creole – spoken by approximately 1. Antillean Creole is a French -lexified Creole language spoken primarily in the Lesser Antilles. 2 million in the Eastern Caribbean (Guadeloupe, Martinique, Dominica, Saint Lucia) and French Guiana. The Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States ( OECS) created in 1981 is an inter-governmental organisation dedicated to economic harmonisation and integration protection of The Commonwealth of Dominica, commonly known as Dominica, is an Island nation in the Caribbean Sea. Saint Lucia (ˌseɪnt ˈluːʃɪə is an Island nation in the eastern Caribbean Sea on the boundary with the Atlantic Ocean.
• American Sign Language – An estimated 100,000–500,000 people within the Deaf Community use ASL as their primary language in the United States and Canada. American Sign Language (or ASL Ameslan is the dominant Sign language of the Deaf community in the United States, in the English-speaking parts ^[42]
• Mapudungun (or Mapuche) – native language spoken by approximately 440,000 people in Chile and Argentina. Mapudungun (from mapu 'earth land' and dungun 'speak speech' is a Language isolate spoken in central Chile and west central Argentina Chile, officially the Republic of Chile ( Spanish:) is a country in South America occupying a long and narrow Coastal strip wedged between the
• Navajo – native language spoken by about 178,000 speakers in the Southwest U. Navajo or Navaho ( native name: Diné bizaad) is an Athabaskan language (of Na-Dené stock spoken in the southwest United States by S. on the Navajo Nation (Indian reservation). The Navajo Nation ( Diné in the Navajo language) is a semi- autonomous Native American homeland covering about 26000 square miles (67339 square ^[43] The tribe's isolation until the early 1900s provided a language used in a military code in World War II. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including
• Dutch – spoken in the Netherlands Antilles, Aruba, and Suriname by about 210,000 speakers. The Netherlands Antilles ( Dutch:) previously known as the Netherlands West Indies or Dutch Antilles/West Indies, is part of the Lesser Antilles Aruba is a -long island of the Lesser Antilles in the southern Caribbean Sea, north of the Paraguaná Peninsula, Falcón State, Venezuela Suriname ( Dutch: Suriname; Sranan Tongo: Sranan) officially the Republic of Suriname (traditionally spelled Surinam by
• Miskito – Spoken by up over 180,000 Miskitos. Miskito is a Misumalpan language spoken by the Miskito people in northeastern Nicaragua, especially in the North Atlantic Autonomous Region The Miskitos are a group of Native Americans in Central America. They are Indigenous people who inhabit the Caribbean coast of Nicaragua and the easternmost region of Honduras. Nicaragua (ˌnɪkəˈrɑgwə officially the Republic of Nicaragua () is a representative democratic republic and the largest nation in Central America Honduras in Spanish, República de Honduras) is a democratic republic in Central America.
• Pennsylvania Dutch – Some descendants of the Pennsylvania Dutch in the Northeast U. The Pennsylvania Dutch (perhaps more strictly Pennsylvania Deitsch, Pennsylvania Germans or Pennsylvania Deutsch) are the descendants of German S. speak a local form of the German language which dates back to the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. They number about 85,000.
• Inuit – native language spoken by about 75,000 across the North American Arctic and to some extent in the subarctic in Labrador. The Inuit language is traditionally spoken across the North American Arctic and to some extent in the Subarctic in Labrador. Modern Labrador Just like its island neighbour Newfoundland early settlement in Labrador was tied to the sea as demonstrated by the Montagnais, Innu and
• Danish – and Greenlandic (Inuit) are the official languages of Greenland; most of the population speak both of the languages (approximately 50,000 people). Danish ( d̥ænsɡ̊ is one of the North Germanic languages (also called Scandinavian languages a sub-group of the Germanic branch of the A minority of Danish migrants with no Inuit ancestry speak Danish as their first, or only, language. Inuit (plural the singular Inuk, means "man" or "person" is a general term for a group of culturally similar Indigenous peoples inhabiting
• Cree – Cree is the name for a group of closely-related Algonquian languages spoken by approximately 50,000 speakers across Canada. Cree (also known as Cree-Montagnais Cree-Montagnais-Naskapi is the name for a group of closely-related Algonquian languages spoken by approximately 117000 people across
• Nicaraguan Creole – Spoken in Nicaragua by up to 30,000 people. Mískito Coast Creole or Nicaragua Creole English is a language spoken in Nicaragua based on English. It is spoken primarily by persons of African, Amerindian, and European descent on the Caribbean Coast. For indigenous peoples in the United States other than Hawaii and Alaska see also Native Americans in the United States.
• Garífuna (or Garinagu) - native language spoken by the Garífuna people who inhabits parts of the caribbean coast of Belize, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. The Garinagu (singular Garifuna) are an ethnic group of mixed ancestry who live primarily in Central America. The vast majority of them live in Honduras.
• Welsh – In Argentina, two towns of Trelew and Rawson were settled by Welsh immigrants in the late nineteenth century and the Welsh language remains spoken by about 25,000, including the towns' older residents. Welsh ( cy Cymraeg or cy y Gymraeg, kəmˈrɑːɨɡ and {{IPA|[ə ɡəmˈrɑːɨɡ]}}, is a member of the Brythonic branch of Celtic Trelew is a city in the province of Chubut, in the Argentine Patagonia, with a population of 93386 as per the. Rawson (originally "Trerawson" is the capital of the Argentine province of Chubut, in Patagonia. The Welsh people ( Welsh: Cymro ("Welshman" Cymraes ("Welsh woman" Cymry ("Welshmen/women" Cymry
• Cherokee – native language spoken in a small corner of Oklahoma, U. The Cherokee (ᎠᏂᏴᏫᏯ a-ni-yv-wi-ya, in the Cherokee language) are a people native to North America, who at the time of European contact Oklahoma ( is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. S. by about 19,000 speakers. The use of this language has rebounded in the late twentieth century. It is known to possess its own alphabet, the Cherokee syllabary.
• Gullah – a creole language based on English with strong influences from West and Central African languages spoken by the Gullah people, an African American population living on the coastal region of the U. The Gullah language (Sea Island Creole English Geechee is a Creole language spoken by the Gullah people (also called "Geechees" an African S. states of South Carolina and Georgia. South Carolina ( is a state in the southern region ( Deep South) of the United States of America. The State of Georgia ( is a state in the United States and was one of the original Thirteen Colonies that revolted against British rule

Most of the non-native languages have, to different degrees, evolved differently from the mother country, but are usually still mutually intelligible. Some have combined, however, which has even resulted in completely new languages, such as Papiamentu, which is a combination of Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch (representing the respective colonizers), native Arawak, various African languages, and, more recently, English. Papiamento (or Papiamentu) is the Language spoken on the Caribbean islands of Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao (the so-called The term Arawak (from aru, the Lokono word for Cassava flour was used to designate the Amerindians encountered by the Spanish in There are an estimated 2000 Languages spoken in Africa. About a hundred of these are widely used for inter-ethnic communication Because of immigration, there are many communities where other languages are spoken from all parts of the world, especially in the United States, Brazil, Argentina, and Canada, four very important destinations for immigrants.

Terminology

Subdivisions of the Americas
Map	Legend
	North America      South America      May be included in      either NA or SA
	North America      May be included in NA      Central America      Caribbean      South America
	North America      May be included in NA        Northern America      Middle America      Caribbean;      may be included in MA      South America      May be included in MA      or South America
	Anglo-America      May be included in A-A      Latin America      May be included in LA

Further information: Americas (terminology)

America/Americas

In many parts of the world, America in the singular is commonly used as a name for the United States of America; however, (the) Americas (plural with s and generally with the definite article) is not and is invariably used to refer to the lands and regions of the Western hemisphere. The Americas, also known as America, are the lands of the Western hemisphere, composed of numerous entities and regions variably defined In linguistics grammatical number is a Grammatical category of nouns pronouns and adjective and verb agreement that expresses count distinctions (such as "one" Plural is a Grammatical number, typically referring to more than one of the Referent in the real world S is the nineteenth letter in the modern Latin alphabet. Its name in English is spelled ess or occasionally es (ɛs generally es- Usage of America to also refer to this collectivity remains fairly common.

While many in the United States of America generally refer to the country as America and themselves as Americans,^[44] many people elsewhere in the Americas resent what they perceive as misappropriation^[45] of the term in this context and, thus, this usage is frequently avoided. ^[46][47][48] In Canada, their southern neighbour is seldom referred to as "America", with the United States, the U. S. , or (informally) the States used instead. ^[47] English dictionaries and compendiums differ regarding usage and rendition. ^[49][50]

American

Main article: Use of the word American

English usage

Whether usage of America or the Americas is preferred, American is a self-referential term for many people living in the Americas. Use of the word American in the English language differs according to the historic geographic and political context in which it is used However, much of the English-speaking world uses the word to refer solely to a citizen, resident, or national of the United States of America. The United States is an urbanized nation with 808 percent of its population of 305186613 residing in cities and suburbs as of mid-year 2005 Nationality is a relationship between a Person and their State of Origin, Culture, association Affiliation and/or Loyalty Instead, the word pan-American is sometimes used as an unambiguous adjective to refer to the Americas.

In addition, many Canadians resent being referred to as Americans because of mistaken assumptions that they are U. S. citizens or an inability—particularly of people overseas—to distinguish Canadian English and American English accents. Canadian English ( CanE, en-CA) is the variety of English used in Canada. Phonology North American English regional phonology In many ways compared to English English, North American English is conservative in its Phonology. In Linguistics, an accent is a manner of Pronunciation of a language ^[47]

Spanish usage

The Spanish American colonies

In Spanish, América is the name of a region considered a single continent composed of the subcontinents of Sudamérica and Norteamérica, the land bridge of Centroamérica, and the islands of the Antillas. Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. The start of the European colonization of the Americas is typically dated to 1492 although there was at least one earlier colonization effort This article deals with the geophysical region in Asia For geopolitical treatments see South Asia. A land bridge, in Biogeography, is an Isthmus or other land connection between otherwise separate areas which allows Animals and Plants The Antilles (the same in French; Antillas in Spanish; Antillen in Dutch) refers to the islands forming the greater part of the Americano/a in Spanish refers to a person from América in a similar way that europeo or europea refers to a person from Europe. The terms sudamericano/a, centroamericano/a, antillano/a and norteamericano/a can be used to more specifically refer to the location where a person may live.

Citizens of the United States of America are normally referred to by the term estadounidense instead of americano or americana. Also, the term norteamericano may refer to a citizen of the United States. This term is primarily used to refer to citizens of the United States, rarely those of other North American countries. ^[51]

Portuguese usage

In Portuguese, the word americano refers to the whole of the Americas. But, in Brazil and Portugal, it is widely used to refer to the citizens of the United States. Sometimes norte-americano is also used, but americano is the most common term employed by people and media at large, while norte-americano (North American) is more common in books. The least ambiguous term, estadunidense (used more frequently in Brazil) or estado-unidense (used more frequently in Portugal), something like "United Statian" or "estadounidense" in Spanish language), and "ianque"—the Portuguese version of "Yankee"—are rarely used.

América, however, is not that frequently used as synonym to the country, and almost exclusively in current speech, while in print and in more formal environments the US is usually called either Estados Unidos da América (i. e. United States of America) or only Estados Unidos (i. e. United States). There is some difference between the usage of these words in Portugal and in Brazil, the Brazilians being less prone than the Portuguese to apply the term América to the country. A well-known example of such use is the translation of the title of Alain Resnais' movie "Mon Oncle d'Amérique": "O Meu Tio da América".

French usage

In French, as in English, the word Américain can be confusing as it can be used to refer either to the United States, or to the American continents.

The noun Amérique sometimes refers to the whole as one continent, and sometimes two continents, southern and northern; the United States is generally referred to as les États-Unis d'Amérique, les États-Unis, or les USA. However, the usage of Amérique to refer to the United States, while technically not correct, does still have some currency in France.

The adjective américain is most often used for things relating to the United States; however, it may also be used for things relating to the American continents. Books by United States authors translated from English are often described as "traduit de l'américain".

Things relating to the United States can be referred to without ambiguity by the words états-unien, étasunien, or étatsunien, although their usage is rare.

Dutch usage

In Dutch, the word Amerika almost always refers to the United States. Although the United States is equally often referred to as de Verenigde Staten or de VS, Amerika only extremely rarely refers to the entire continent of the Americas. There is no alternative and commonly used Dutch word for the Americas. Therefore, in order to stress that something concerns the Americas as a whole, Dutch uses a combination, namely Noord- en Zuid Amerika (North and South America).

Latin America is generally referred to as Latijns Amerika or, less frequently, Zuid Amerika (South America).

The adjective amerikaans is most often used for things or people relating to the United States. There are no alternative words to distinguish between things relating to the United States or to the Americas. Dutch uses the local alternative for things relating to elsewhere in the Americas, such as Argentijns for Argentinian etc.

Countries

Map showing the dates of independence of the countries of the Americas. Black shows areas not independent.

Overseas regions and dependencies

Multinational organizations in the Americas

See also

Footnotes

References

• "Americas". The Columbia Gazetteer of the World Online. 2006. New York: Columbia University Press.
• "Americas". Encyclopædia Britannica, 15th ed. The Encyclopædia Britannica is a general English-language encyclopaedia published by Encyclopædia Britannica Inc 1986. (ISBN 0-85229-434-4) Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
• Burchfield, R. W. 2004. Fowler's Modern English Usage. A Dictionary of Modern English Usage, often referred to as Fowler's Modern English Usage or simply as Fowler's or Fowler (ISBN 0-19-861021-1) Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.
• Fee, Margery and McAlpine, J. 1997. Oxford Guide to Canadian English Usage. (ISBN 0-19-541619-8) Toronto: Oxford University Press.
• Kane , Katie Nits Make Lice: Drogheda, Sand Creek, and the Poetics of Colonial Extermination Cultural Critique, No. 42 (Spring, 1999), pp. 81-103 doi:10. 2307/1354592
• Pearsall, Judy and Trumble, Bill. , ed. 2002. Oxford English Reference Dictionary, 2nd ed. The Oxford English Dictionary ( OED) published by the Oxford University Press (OUP is a comprehensive Dictionary of the English (rev. ) (ISBN 0-19-860652-4) Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.
• Churchill, Ward A Little Matter of Genocide 1997 City Lights Books ISBN 0872863239
• What's the difference between North, Latin, Central, Middle, South, Spanish and Anglo America? Geography at about. Ward LeRoy Churchill (born October 2 1947 is an American writer and political activist. com.

External links

• The naming of America: fragments we've shored against ourselves by Jonathan Cohen
• Organization of American States