Why U.S. Citizens call "America" to the U.S.?

Question

Why do they take the name of the whole continent? America extends from the top of Canada to Patagonia uin Argentina, so if tthat is "America" what is "little piece of land attached to it"??

Answer 1

The continent is NORTH America. We are the UNITED STATES of America. Maybe this will help you understand.
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In 1507 a German scholar, Martin Waldseemüller reprinted the letters, Quattuor Americi Navigationes (The Four Voyages of Amerigo) and a pamphlet of his own entitled Cosmographiae Introductio, in which he suggested that the newly discovered world be named 'ab Americo Inventor ... quasi Americi terram sive Americam' ('from Amerigo the discoverer ... as if it were the land of Americus or America'). He stated that 'now another fourth part has been discovered by Americus Vespucius, and therefore I see no reason why we should not call it Amerige or America'.



He also produced a map on which the name America appears for the first time. A thousand copies were printed and sold throughout Europe. Here it was applied only to South America. The name stuck - even though Waldseemüller later changed his mind - and was later used for North America, too. By 1538 Mercator's map of the world used the name for the whole land mass.

Answer 2

Well, because "America" is actually a part of the name of the country. The full name of the country is "The United States of America". No other country on either the northern or the southern continents have the word "America" in the title. For instance: It is not called "Venezuela of America", it is simply "Venezuela". "America" and "The United States" or simply the "US" are just shortened-down versions of the country's title. It is similar to the old "Soviet Union". The actual title of the country there was "The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics". But, people worldwide called the country "The Soviet Union" or even shorter, "Russia" which was only one of the thirteen major states that made up the union.

The question you are asking is inflamatory, at best, and is similar to asking "Why did they call it 'Russia'? What about Georgia? What about Khazakhstan? What about the Ukraine? Weren't they important?". If you say that they called it by Russia because Russia was the economic capitol of the area, ok... which country has the best economy on the continent here, then? If you say that it was because the greatest portion of the population in the union came from there, or the largest portion of military strength came from there, or whatever standard you use to measure the reason for the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics to simply be called "Russia", you can likely draw the same conclusion and standard to The United States of America for the rest of the continent.

Another reason that the continents are even called "America" is that it is the original portion of land mass that was called by the name was named after an Italian explorer and geographer, "Amerigo Vespucci" (sp?), who was the first person to travel and map the entirety of what is now the Eastern Seaboard of the US. Vespucci didn't map South America. It was North America, and in particular, the eastern seaboard of the US. South America was not even considered a part of the Americas until Spanish explorers later came and founded colonies in the Central and eventually South American areas. It was not even for some time that it was known of in Europe that the two land masses were connected by the thin strip of land north of Venezuela. When this topography was applied to current maps of the northern continent at the time, named after Vespucci, the name simply was grandfathered into the southern continent, as well.

I have shown here, two good reasons why the United States of America are simply called "America". Here is a good question for you, though: Why is it that other countries just call us "The States", especially when they are trying to be derogatory? Are not all legitimate countries called "state"? Should it be a bad thing to consider yourself a part of a civilized state, or country?

Point is, there is no real reason that it happens except that people worldwide are lazy, or attempting to speed up, or always in a hurry to get things done and are always looking for ways to shorten down long formal names. Why is the Palestinian Liberation Organization called the "PLO", or the United Arab Emirates called the "UAE", The Organization for the Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence called simply "SETI". All for the same reasons...

Hope this helps...

Answer 3

I would like to know why people are making such a HUGE thing about whether we are called America, US, USA or United States. Most countries shorten their name and no one questions that. Why don't you go ask all these countries why they are not referred to by their full name.

China - People's Republic of China
Brazil - Federative Republic of Brazil
Germany - Federal Republic of Germany
Australia - Commonwealth of Australia
Mexico - United Mexican States or United States of Mexico
Belgium - Kingdom of Belgium
Hong Kong - Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
Iran - Islamic Republic of Iran
Jordan - Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan
Switzerland - Swiss Confederation

The list could go on and on. The USA is not the only one who uses an abbreviated form of their name.

Answer 4

If "U.S. citizens" were the only ones doing it, it might seem a bit ego-centric.

However, every credible government and news organization in the world uses the term "American" to designate a person from the United States. This would indicate that the word has a generally accepted meaning globally, and not just within the U.S.

When protesters around the world shout "Death to America!" I seriously doubt that they have an issue with the Argentinians.

Answer 5

The reason is simple.

This country is The United States of America. Folks call it "America" for short. No other country uses or has ever used the same name so it is not confusing.

Those who claim that the USA wants to monopolize the term are a bunch of whiners who are out to lunch and are looking for a reason to criticize.

Newsflash! "America" for us is a nickname - plain and simple! The people who like to get their feathers ruffled over this, politicizing and debating this may seriously need to find something more important and interesting to argue.

(p.s. Sr. Wonka {above}, te recomiendo que te salgas si no te gusta. Tu argumento es infantil).

Answer 6

Because it is the shortened form of our name. We are usually referred to as "Americans"... rarely "citizens of the United States of America" or "United States of Americans" or "United Staters". Its an abbreviation of sorts. I live in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. But, most people refer to it as Pennsylvania, and I'm Pennsylvanian, not a "Commonwealth of Pennsylvanian". Its the accepted terminology. So now we're not even entitled to our name. Geesh.

Answer 7

US citizens calling USA as America is a misnomer because it refers to North and South America as a whole. Nevertheless, they feel that they are the real Americans which should not be the case.

Answer 8

The new world was just called America and immigrants referred to it that way. I do believe the name just stuck and as it is commonplace now that is probably not going to change anytime soon. Besides United Statians just doesn't have the same ring to it.

Answer 9

you scream for accuracy from US citizens because we take the name of the whole continent, but if you wanted acuracy you'd know America is actually 2 continents, and hell central America is almost big enough to be a continent.

Answer 10

It started with the Monroe Doctrine that announced to Old Europe that the U.S. controls America. The policy extended to the Kennedy Doctrine that announced to the whole world that if you don't acquiesce to the will of the U.S. we will help to fight any fight that extends our interests. The Bush Doctrine has extended those doctrines even further to say that if we believe you are thinking about getting ready to seriously think about thwarting our will you are screwed. Before long the Earth will be referred to as America, then the Solar System, the Galaxy, our Universe.