Why do people call the U.S. , America?

Question

Wouldn't Mexico and Canada also qualify to be called "America"?

Answer 1

You know what i'm from canada and i can't stand when people call the u.s. america. Its the United States of AMERICA. America techincally includes, Canada, The Ole USA and Mexico.
Poor immigrants are like I want to go to america, the land of the free.. omg!!! it pisses me off. Americans live in the United States and America not both.

Answer 2

Alright guys, there is NO country called America. There are however THE Americas (North, South, and Central.) The U.S. is the United States OF America. America as a culture is amazingly self-obsessed and repulsively arrogant. So while you may call yourselves Americans, you live "in America" as much as Canadians, Mexicans, Cubans and the whole Latin American gang.

HUGE AMERICAN MISCONCEPTION: no, CANADIANS DO NOT WANT TO BE AMERICANS! I am Canadian and am grateful for it. I am grateful that I do not live in a culture where 1 in 4 houses has a gun. I am grateful that I am not part of the self-combusting society that is the U.S. and I thank God for Universal Health Care! Contrary to what the majority of Americans seem to believe: the entire world DOESN'T want to move to the U.S. , they aren't beating down the door! Why do you think Americans are hated throughout the world? It is not because the rest of the world "hates freedom," its because they are tired of being told how great the U.S. is and how inferior every other country is.

I don't mean to offend the sensible Americans out there, but this is how the majority of the world feels. At least all the Canadians and Brits I've met!

Answer 3

Yup your right. Canada is America, Mexico is America, Brazil is America, Panama is America. South, Central, North America is America. So if from anyone of these continents your American. People just called USA America because this place has the big guns.

Answer 4

America is part of the proper name United States of America. Canada and Mexico do not have it in their name. It is just a shorter way of saying it.

Answer 5

Because it is a little awkward to refer to citizens of the U.S. as "Unitedstateanons". The term "American" sounds better.

Besides, "America" is short for "The United States of America". No other American nation uses the term "America" as part of its official name. There is no "Canada of America", or "The Mexico of America", for example. Their official name is just "Canada" or "Mexico", so there is no short name.

Answer 6

A lot of people do that....I think it just shows how little regard we have for other countries...as though they don't even exist. I mean, there is no such thing as "America" anyway. There are the continents of North America and South America (named after Amerigo Vespucci) but we behave as though we are the only people who can call ourselves "Americans". The proper term would be "Citizen of The United States Of America" or if we just want to identify with all of the people we share this hunk of rock with, I suppose we could call ourselves North Americans.

Answer 7

We are the United States of America...neither Canada or Mexico have America in their name.

Answer 8

Mexico and Canada are part of North America, the continent.

Answer 9

Ya your right but every one from canada and mexico wants people to think there from the us so they like that they can just say america and get away with it .

Answer 10

People from the USA refer to themselves as Americans as a nick name of sorts instead of saying "The United States of America". Yes, I do believe that technically anyone living in either North, Central, or South America has the right to refer to themselves as Americans.