Americas (terminology)
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The Americas, also known as America, are the lands of the western hemisphere, composed of numerous entities and regions variably defined by geography, politics, and culture.
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Geophysical regions
- North America – the continent and associated islands of the northern hemisphere and (chiefly) western hemisphere, lying northwest of South America and bounded by the Atlantic, Arctic, and Pacific Oceans
- Central America – the narrow southern portion of mainland North America connecting with South America, extending from the Isthmus of Tehuantepec to the Isthmus of Panama
- Caribbean – the region between southeastern North America and northern South America consisting of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (most of which enclose the sea), and the surrounding coasts. The islands – comprised of the Greater Antilles, Lesser Antilles, and the Bahamas – are also known as the West Indies
- South America – the continent and associated islands of the western hemisphere and chiefly in the southern hemisphere, lying between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans and southeast of North America
Geopolitical divisions
- Northern America – the northern region of North America comprising Canada, the United States, Greenland, Saint-Pierre and Miquelon, and Bermuda
- Central America – the southernmost region of North America, comprised of Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama; the UN includes Mexico in this subregion, while the EU excludes Mexico and Belize
- Caribbean – as above
- South America – as above, excluding Panama
Overlapping units:
- North America – Northern America, Central America (including all of Panama), and the Caribbean
- also Middle America – the region including Central America and the Caribbean
- Note: Middle America can also refer to a portion of the United States.
Political divisions
- United States of America – a federal republic in North America founded in 1776 and comprising 50 states and one federal district (the District of Columbia), with several outlying territories of varying affiliation; commonly referred to as America
- Confederate States of America – a confederation in North America from 1861 to 1865, comprising eleven southern states that seceded from the United States of America: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia. Their secession precipitated the American Civil War; upon its conclusion, the Confederate States were reunited with the United States.
- Federal Republic of Central America – formerly the United Provinces of Central America, a federal republic in Central America from 1823 to 1840 comprising the newly independent Spanish territories: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and (later) Los Altos. In 1838, the federation succumbed to civil war and dissolved.
- West Indies Federation – a federation of several Caribbean island colonies and territories of the United Kingdom (see also: British West Indies) from 1958 to 1962. This was followed by the West Indies Associated States, a smaller, looser polity, from 1967 to 1981.
Linguistic/cultural regions
- Anglo-America – the region of the Americas having significant historical, linguistic, and cultural links to England or the British Isles, e.g., where English (a Germanic language) is officially or primarily spoken; often just Canada and the United States
- Ibero-America – the region of the Americas having significant historical, linguistic, and cultural links to Spain or Portugal (both on the Iberian peninsula)
- Hispanic America - those parts of the Americas inhabited by Spanish-speaking populations
- Latin America – the region of the Americas where Romance languages derived from Latin, namely Spanish and Portuguese, are officially or primarily spoken
- Mesoamerica – a region of the Americas extending from central Mexico southeast to Nicaragua, especially in archaeology as a region where diverse pre-Columbian civilisations and native cultures flourished
Sources
- The Columbia Gazetteer of the World Online. 2005. New York: Columbia University Press (proprietary; limited access).
- Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, 11th ed. 2003. (ISBN 0-87779-809-5) New York: Merriam-Webster, Inc.
- Oxford English Reference Dictionary, 2nd ed. (rev.) 2002. (ISBN 0-19-860652-4) Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.
- Composition of macro geographical (continental) regions, geographical sub-regions, and selected economic and other groupings. United Nations Statistics Division, Country and Region Codes.
- What's the difference between North, Latin, Central, Middle, South, Spanish and Anglo America? Geography at about.com.
See also
- Americas
- use of the word American
- Columbia
- continent, supercontinent, subcontinent, microcontinent, and continental shelf
- region, subregion, and trade block
- geography
 | Africa | Central • Eastern • Northern • Southern • Western | |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Americas | Caribbean • Central • Latin • North • Northern • South | |
 | Asia | Central • Eastern • Northern • Southern • Southeastern • Western | |
 | Europe | Central • Eastern • Northern • Southern • Western | |
 | Oceania | Australasia • Melanesia • Micronesia • Polynesia | |
| | |||
 | Polar | Arctic • Antarctic | |
 | Oceans | Pacific • Atlantic • Indian • Southern • Arctic | |
Categories
Americas | Geography (terminology)