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Americas (including recent related patents.)
The Americas(Redirected from Americas) The Americas (sometimes referred to as America) is the area including the land mass located between the Pacific Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean, generally divided into North America and South America. The term also usually includes the Caribbean, the islands in and around the Caribbean Sea, and Greenland, though not Iceland, for cultural and historical reasons. The isthmus of Central America is usually considered geographically part of North America. The Americas are often also described collectively as the Western Hemisphere or the New World. CIA map of the Americas Most references consider there to be two continents, North America and South America. However, most Spanish language references consider the two to be a single continent, "America". Even so, many Spanish speakers consider América del norte and América del sur to be separate continents. The use of America to refer to the New World as a whole is also sometimes used in English, such as in the common phrase "Christopher Columbus discovered America". The single-continent concept also appears thematically; for example, the five rings of the Olympic flag represent the habitable continents; only one of the five represents all of the Americas. People who live in the Americas are sometimes referred to as being American, although the word "American" is more commonly used to refer only to a citizen of the United States of America. A notable exception to this rule is the Spanish language, which uses norteamericano ("North American") or estadounidense (literally "United Statesian") when referring to U.S. citizens. (See also Alternative words for American) Naming of America The earliest known use of the name America for the continents of the Americas dates from 1507. It appears on a globe and a large map created by the German cartographer Martin Waldseemüller. An accompanying book, Cosmographiae Introductio, explains that the name was derived from that of the explorer Amerigo Vespucci, by first Latinizing it to 'Americus Vespucius' and then taking the feminine form 'America'. 'Amerigo' is a form of the German name Haimirich, meaning 'ruler of the Home', from 'haim' (home) and 'rich' (powerful). Christopher Columbus, who had first brought the continent's existence to the attention of Renaissance-era voyagers, had died in 1506 and could not protest Waldseemüller's decision. A few alternative theories have been proposed, but none of them have any widespread acceptance. One alternative first proposed by a Bristol antiquary and naturalist, Alfred Hudd, was that America is derived from Richard Amerike, a merchant from Bristol, England who is believed to have financed John Cabot's voyage of discovery to Newfoundland in 1497. Waldseemüller's maps appear to incorporate information from the early British journeys to North America. The theory holds that a variant of Amerike's name appeared on an early British map (of which however no copies survive) and that this was the true inspiration for Waldseemüller. (See under Richard Amerike). Another theory, first advanced by Jules Marcou in 1875 and later recounted by novelist Jan Carew, is that the name America derives from the district of Amerrique in Nicaragua. The gold-rich district of Amerrique was purportedly visited by both Vespucci and Columbus, for whom the name became synonymous with gold. According to Marcou, Vespucci later applied the name to the New World, and even changed the spelling of his own name from "Alberigo" to "Amerrigo" to reflect the importance of the discovery. Vespucci's role in the naming issue, like his exploratory activity, is unclear. Some sources say that he was unaware of the widespread use of his name to refer to the new landmass. Others hold that he promulgated a story that he had made a "secret voyage" westward and sighted land in in 1491, a year before Columbus. If he did indeed make such claims, they backfired ? only serving to prolong the ongoing debate on whether the ?Indies? were really new land, or just an extension of Asia. See also Latin America. External LinksThis article is adapted from from Wikipedia All Wikipedia article text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License Against All Enemies: Inside America's War on Terror by Richard A. Clarke The Island at the Center of the World : The Epic Story of Dutch Manhattan, the Forgotten Colony that Shaped America by RUSSELL SHORTO One Hundred Years of Solitude (Oprah's Book Club) by Gabriel Garcia Marquez The Working Poor : Invisible in America by DAVID K. SHIPLER The Coming Generational Storm : What You Need to Know about America's Economic Future by Laurence J. Kotlikoff The Devil in the White City : Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America by Erik Larson Against All Enemies : Inside America's War on Terror by Richard Clarke Bushwhacked : Life in George W. Bush's America by Lou Dubose The Enemy Within: Saving America from the Liberal Assault on Our Schools, Faith, and Military by Michael Savage Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America by Barbara Ehrenreich The French Betrayal of America by KENNETH TIMMERMAN The Millionaire Next Door: The Surprising Secrets of America's Wealthy by Thomas J. Stanley The Lovely Bones: A Novel by Alice Sebold The Traveler's Gift : Seven Decisions that Determine Personal Success by Andy Andrews Spin Sisters : How the Women of the Media Sell Unhappiness --- and Liberalism --- to the Women of America by Myrna Blyth Recent Americas related patents From USPTO: 6720043: Receiving sheet for ink-jet printing comprising a gelatin and saccharides combination 6719979: Newcastle disease virus infectious clones, vaccines and diagnostic assays 6717825: Electrical connection system for two printed circuit boards mounted on opposite sides of a mid-plane printed circuit board at angles to each other 6717054: Bus bar with frequency-filtering geometry 6716898: Amber polyester compositions for packaging food and beverages 6716805: HARD SURFACE CLEANING COMPOSITIONS, PREMOISTENED WIPES, METHODS OF USE, AND ARTICLES COMPRISING SAID COMPOSITIONS OR WIPES AND INSTRUCTIONS FOR USE RESULTING IN EASIER CLEANING AND MAINTENANCE, IMPROVED SURFACE APPEARANCE AND/OR HYGIENE UNDER STRESS CONDITIONS SUCH AS NO-RINSE 6716441: Compositions for efficient release of active ingredients 6716412: Methods of ultrasound treatment using gas or gaseous precursor-filled compositions 6713624: Starch-based modeling compound 6713543: Pigments treated with organo-phosphoric acids and their salts 6713541: Rubber compositions with increased reinforcing filler dispersion 6713540: Method for crosslinking asphalt compositions and the product resulting therefrom 6713526: Curable slurry for forming ceramic microstructures on a substrate using a mold 6713416: Molecularly-imprinted material made by template-directed synthesis 6712969: Methods of phosphorous reduction in stormwater runoff systems using iron humate 6712112: Labeler and method 6710950: Piezoelectric actuator for digital camera optical system 6710047: Phthalazines with angiogenesis inhibiting activity 6709716: Microemulsion compositions and methods of making and using same 6709708: Immersion coating system 6709648: Hair conditioning composition comprising silicones and frizz control agents 6709551: High molecular weight cationic and anionic polymers comprising zwitterionic monomers 6708050: Wireless electrode having activatable power cell 6706670: Water soluble metal working fluids 6706460: Stable IR dye composition for invisible marking 6705886: Electrical connector having connector position assurance member 6704244: Method for acquiring and processing seismic survey data using ocean bottom cables and streamers 6704192: Electrically conductive, freestanding microporous sheet for use in an ultracapacitor 6703893: Method of setting bi-directional offset in a PWM controller using a single programming pin 6703353: Blending of low viscosity Fischer-Tropsch base oils to produce high quality lubricating base oils 6702951: Scent adsorbing liquid formulation 6702477: Adapter with cap for fiber optic connector 6700472: Magnetic thin film inductors 6700365: Programmable current-sensing circuit providing discrete step temperature compensation for DC-DC converter 6700034: Absorbent article with unitary absorbent layer for center fill performance 6699931: Modified alkyd compositions comprising diol latex compositions and processes of making the same 6699516: Brewing method and installation 6699488: Rinsable skin conditioning compositions 6699048: High density connector 6697603: Digital repeater 6696825: DC-to-DC converter with fast override feedback control and associated methods 6696483: Inhibitors of angiogenesis and tumor growth for local and systemic administration 6696459: Steroid receptor modulator compounds and methods 6696281: Chimeric flavivirus vaccines 6696209: Electrophotographic organophotoreceptors with novel charge transport compounds 6696143: Abrasion resistant coating compositions, methods for making them, and articles coated with them 6695827: Absorbent article having good body fit under dynamic conditions 6695627: Profiled header ground pin 6694900: Integration of direct combustion with gasification for reduction of NOx emissions |
