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The Americas, also known as America,〔"America." ''The Oxford Companion to the English Language'' (ISBN 0-19-214183-X). McArthur, Tom, ed., 1992. New York: Oxford University Press, p. 33: "(from the feminine of ''Americus'', the Latinized first name of the explorer Amerigo Vespucci (1454-1512). A claim is also made for the name of Richard Ameryk, sheriff of Bristol and patron of John Cabot (Giovanni Caboto), the 16c Anglo-Italian explorer of North America. The name ''America'' first appeared on a map in 1507 by the German cartographer Martin Waldseemüller, referring to the area now called Brazil ). Since the 16c, a name of the western hemisphere, often in the plural ''Americas'' and more or less synonymous with ''the New World''. Since the 18c, a name of the United States of America. The second sense is now primary in English: ... However, the term is open to uncertainties: ..."〕 are lands of the western hemisphere, composed of numerous entities and regions variably defined by geography, politics, and culture. The Americas are recognised in the English-speaking world to comprise two separate continents: North America and South America. The Americas are also considered to comprise a single continent (named ), in Latin America and some other areas. ==Physical geography== * North America—the continent and associated islands of the northern hemisphere and (chiefly) western hemisphere. It lies northwest of South America and is bounded by the Atlantic, Arctic, and Pacific Oceans. * * Middle America—the territory between the southern Rocky Mountains and the northern tip of the Andes. This isthmus marks the transition between North and South America. It may also include the Caribbean.〔"(Middle America )", ''Encyclopædia Britannica'', on line. Accessed October 12, 2007.〕〔"(Middle America )." ''Merriam-Webster's Online Dictionary''. Accessed October 11, 2007.〕 * * * 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; alternatively, the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt may delimit the region on the north.〔Nord-Amèrica, in ''(Gran Enciclopèdia Catalana )〕〔"(Central America )". ''Encyclopædia Britannica'', on line. Accessed October 12, 2007.〕 * * * 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—composed of the Greater Antilles, Lesser Antilles, and the Bahamas—are also known as the West Indies (or, in some languages, the Antilles); they are often included in the region of Middle America. * South America—the continent and associated islands of the western hemisphere. It is chiefly in the southern hemisphere and lies between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, southeast of North America. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Americas (terminology)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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