AMERICA

AMERICA, or the Americas, is a landmass in the western hemisphere of the Earth including both the continents of the North and South America, 9000 miles in length, varies from 3400 miles to 28 miles in breadth, contains 16½ millions of sq m. It is larger than Europe and Africa together, but is a good deal smaller than Asia. It is bounded throughout by the Atlantic on the east. and the Pacific on the west.

It derives its name most probably from the Latin word Americus, since a man of the name Amerigo Vespucci sailed along the west coast of South America in 1501.

It may not be out of place to mention here that the word America is also in use for the United States.

North America and South America is joined by the Isthmus of Panama.

America was originally inhabited by American Indians and Inuits. It is claimed that America was discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1492, but the fact is otherwise. The northeast coastline of North American was visited by Norse seamen much early in the 8th or 9th century.