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why are you talking about America ? Parent did not. You also seem to confuse America with USA.

• briandear 10y ago
  America is the USA. Mexico is Mexico, the United States of Mexico to be exact. If you're thinking of the continent North America and South America, that's a different thing. Besides, America is a common name for the USA. You don't call Peruvians "Americans." But you do call the United States nationality "American." North America isn't "the north part of America" -- the continent is named "North America." So the nationality is American but citizens of the continent are North American or South American respectively. The people's of North and South Americans aren't collectively known as "Americans." In French americain refers to "one who is from the United States." It's the same in multiple languages. Even Spanish refers to people from the US as americanos. This is a subtle thing and in the grand scheme really makes no difference unless someone feels so strongly about it that they want to change multiple languages. The American Embassy is not referred to anywhere (in English) as The United States Embassy -- edit: actually "US Embassy" is common, sorry for the misstatement. However American Embassy is very commonly used by diplomatic personnel and in general conversation. -- I don't understand why a certain subset of people, generally from South and Central America have such an obsession with this. Canadians never refer to themselves as Americans. In fact, many would resent such a thing.
  • rodorgas 10y ago
    Basically, USA is a country without name. Every federalist country from America is an united states of America. South America, Central America and North America are subcontinents. The continent is called America.
    • seppin 10y ago
      > The continent is called America. Never, not once in writing or in speaking heard it referenced this way. American by itself references the USA, North or South America references the regions.
      • rodorgas 10y ago
        From en.Wikipedia: "North America is a continent entirely within the Northern Hemisphere and almost all within the Western Hemisphere. It can also be considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas." In most countries (including Brazil), we are taught that America is a single continent and North, Central and South Americas are subcontinents (classical view).[1] Now I see that people from USA are taught that North America is a single continent, and the reason seems obvious now. https://www.quora.com/Are-people-taught-that-the-Americas-North-and-South-are-a-single-continent-in-some-countries https://www.quora.com/Are-people-taught-that-the-Americas-No...
        • tathougies 10y ago
          The Americas is the name of the entire continent. For example, you cannot say "I'm going to America" to mean you're going to north or South America but you can say "I'm going to the Americas". This is similar to how you can say "I'm going to the Philippines" but you cannot say "I'm going to phillipines"
    • abiox 10y ago
      it seems to me that north and south america (setting aside central for a moment) are as much of "a whole continent" as what you might call "afro-eurasia". we're talking entirely different tectonic plates - plates that don't even touch. plates that will eventually shift such that you there will be no possible land travel, and a widening gulf (admittedly in the distant future). not to mention different cultures, hemispheres, etc.