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Note that this article interchangeably uses EU and Europe when referring to the European Union and its member countries. It might seem silly, but I think it be
by zith 3y ago
Note that this article interchangeably uses EU and Europe when referring to the European Union and its member countries.
It might seem silly, but I think it bears repeating that not all countries in Europe are part of the European union.
- jgilias 3y agoPeople also often say America, when talking _only_ about a single country there called “United States of America”.
- School-Cotton 3y ago“America” means “the United States of America” in English despite that not being its original meaning, nor its meaning in various other languages (Romance languages especially). “Europe” doesn’t mean “the EU” in any language, though maybe it will shift and mean that someday.
- jgilias 3y agoApparently it’s shifting as we speak, Wikipedia disambiguation page for “Europe” already lists “European Union” as one possible meaning: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Europe_(disambiguation) https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Europe_(disambiguation)
- hoorible 3y agoYeah in French it’s the same (at least here in CAN); if someone says “en Amérique” nobody is confused about whether they mean the continent, or asks “du Nord ou Sud?” We all just get that we’re talking about the US.
- ndsipa_pomu 3y agoI don't mind the usage of "America" so much, but the term "American" just seems to be appropriated for U.S. citizens. Unfortunately, there isn't a decent term that refers to U.S. citizens, but not e.g. Mexicans or Canadians. It's possible to separate out Brazilians, Peruvians etc. by using "North Americans", but there seems to be a missing word.
- ReptileMan 3y agoThe same way USA is America so Eu is Europe. And when people say Africa they mean Subsaharan Africa. And asia is what is east of the Middle East. Language works like that way sometimes.
- beebeepka 3y agoI hadn't even heard of a "middle east" until I started using the internet. If that's what the anglosphere calls the middle, then what's the near east? Turns out near east is the "middle east". Same with Africa. These may be relevant to you but are in no way universal
- JumpCrisscross 3y ago> If that's what the anglosphere calls the middle, then what's the near east? Turns out near east is the "middle east" Near East was traditionally the former Ottoman Empire [1]. It’s why Turkey straddles Europe (and Egypt North Africa). It’s a synonym for the Middle East more in contemporary American English than British. [1] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Near_East https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Near_East
- TRiG_Ireland 3y agoThese days, many are preferring "Western Asia" over "Middle East".
- seydor 3y agoNot really the same. 'America' is less used than "north america" and "south america" or 'Americas', and nobody would call the US "North america". Since important countries such as UK and Switzerland are not part of the EU, and since individual countries are just as well known as EU itself, "Europe" or "Western europe" does not stand for EU , except when the context makes it clear.
- RobotToaster 3y ago> And when people say Africa they mean Subsaharan Africa I don't think I've ever seen someone use "Africa" in a way that excludes the Sahara?