The Americas


The Americas (sometimes referred to as America) is the area including the
land mass located between the Pacific Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean, namely
North America and South America. The term also usually includes the
Caribbean, the islands in and around the Caribbean Sea. The isthmus of
Central America is usually considered geographically part of North America.
The Americas are often also described collectively as the Western Hemisphere
or the New World.

Most references consider there to be two continents, North America and South
America. However, most Spanish language references consider the two to be a
single continent, "America". Even so, many Spanish speakers consider Amˇrica
del norte and Amˇrica del sur to be separate continents. The use of America
to refer to the New World as a whole is also sometimes used in English, such
as in the common phrase "Columbus discovered America".

People who live in the Americas are sometimes referred to as being American,
although the word "American" is more commonly used to refer only to a
citizen of the United States of America.