2 ms·

In English, singular "America" normally refers to the United States of America, not the entire western hemisphere.

SOLAR_FIELDS 3y ago
Indeed, if you wanted to refer to MEX, CAN + USA as one entity you would use “North America”. But America is colloquially understood to mean USA
- toomuchtodo 3y ago
  North American Alliance has a ring to it like the European Union.
jdmg94 3y ago
It also means the entire _Continent_ your take is pretty US-centric
- dragonwriter 3y ago
  > It also means the entire _Continent No, it doesn't. "North America" is the continent the USA is on, and South America is a neighboring continent. There is no continent called "America" alone.
  - defrost 3y ago
    That depends entirely upon your philosophy Horatio: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continent#Number https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continent#Number "Continent" isn't remotely as straightforward as many may think and the teaching on what and what isn't a continent (or counted as such) varies globally. Different models are taught in different countries.
  - AnimalMuppet 3y ago
    North and South America, together, are called "the Americas", not "America".
- deleted 3y ago
  [deleted]
- friend_and_foe 3y ago
  "Germany" means "land of the Germans" but last I checked there's also Austria, Luxembourg, Switzerland, and also Prussia to be historically accurate.
rgarciah 3y ago
[flagged]
- trealira 3y ago
  In English, it doesn't. The names of those continents are North America and South America. It feels weird to them because they're used to calling the Americas "America", the US "Estados Unidos" and Americans "estadounidenses". Well, it seems weird to me as a (United States of) American that they use those names. Our cultures are just different.
- TMWNN 3y ago
  The United States of America is the only country in the world with "America" in its name. Calling the US "America" is no more "abnormal" than calling Americans norteamericanos (Even setting aside Mexico also being part of North America, what about Canadians?) or estadounidenses (given Mexico also being the "United Mexican States").

Indeed, if you wanted to refer to MEX, CAN + USA as one entity you would use “North America”. But America is colloquially understood to mean USA

toomuchtodo 3y ago
North American Alliance has a ring to it like the European Union.

jdmg94 3y ago

It also means the entire _Continent_ your take is pretty US-centric

dragonwriter 3y ago
> It also means the entire _Continent No, it doesn't. "North America" is the continent the USA is on, and South America is a neighboring continent. There is no continent called "America" alone.
- defrost 3y ago
  That depends entirely upon your philosophy Horatio: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continent#Number https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continent#Number "Continent" isn't remotely as straightforward as many may think and the teaching on what and what isn't a continent (or counted as such) varies globally. Different models are taught in different countries.
- AnimalMuppet 3y ago
  North and South America, together, are called "the Americas", not "America".
deleted 3y ago
[deleted]
friend_and_foe 3y ago
"Germany" means "land of the Germans" but last I checked there's also Austria, Luxembourg, Switzerland, and also Prussia to be historically accurate.

rgarciah 3y ago

[flagged]

trealira 3y ago
In English, it doesn't. The names of those continents are North America and South America. It feels weird to them because they're used to calling the Americas "America", the US "Estados Unidos" and Americans "estadounidenses". Well, it seems weird to me as a (United States of) American that they use those names. Our cultures are just different.
TMWNN 3y ago
The United States of America is the only country in the world with "America" in its name. Calling the US "America" is no more "abnormal" than calling Americans norteamericanos (Even setting aside Mexico also being part of North America, what about Canadians?) or estadounidenses (given Mexico also being the "United Mexican States").