this post was submitted on 07 Dec 2023
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[โ€“] SVcross@lemmy.world 7 points 2 years ago (4 children)

People divide America into South America and North America, just to allow themselves to call the USA, America.

[โ€“] funkajunk@lemm.ee 3 points 2 years ago

It's the "United States of America", which is really just 50 countries in a trench coat.

I'm not really sure what your point was though.

[โ€“] lseif@sopuli.xyz 3 points 2 years ago

continental borders are subjective, regional, generational, fuzzy, (and, in my opinion, not that important?)

[โ€“] TheSanSabaSongbird 1 points 2 years ago

That's not why though. Nobody put that much thought into it. The reason why is that in the English-speaking world, due to the British Empire and its "American colonies," the US ended up being called "America," and so far it's stuck. By way of evidence, as early as the war of 1812 the British press was already referring to the Royal Navy's unpopular practice of boarding "American" merchantmen and pressing "American" sailors into service, a practice that ended up being an important cassus belli for the war.

[โ€“] SnipingNinja@slrpnk.net 0 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Tbh one of the continents should have been given a different name, but I blame Columbus

[โ€“] Spendrill@lemm.ee 2 points 2 years ago

Amerigo Vespucci, surely?