Why do some people find it hard to understand that "America" means the USA?

I agree. I have many friends from South and Central America. They identify with their specific country. When people say America it's just short for United States of "America". I don't understand it either. I think it's just people who want to nitpick over every little thing in life.

In some countries they literally teach kids that both continents together are 'America' and Oceana is the 7th continent. I was annoyed by this too, until I realized that. Most countries, like ours, teach that there is a North American continent and a South American Continent, making us the only place referred to as simply 'America' as a nick name for our longer name. We live in America which is in the AmericaS to us. And we call it America for the same reason the United States of Brazil call their country Brazil, and the United States of Mexico call their country Mexico. There is no true dispute. It generally comes up with people saying they have a right to live in the US and take US subsidized programs like education because they are 'American' meaning from another country in one of these two continents, which is simply ridiculous.

You know the United States makes up less than 2/5 of North America, and less than 1/4 of the total Americas?

I think that may be a reason.

The only country on either of the two American continents named America is the United States Of America.

Over the decades, people have simply used America to describe this country.

I'm from the UK and, to me, the Americas are the continents of North and South America.

If I think of America (singular), I think of the USA and Canada.

We get the same over here - if I told you I was from the UK, you'd automatically say "Oh, you're English", when I'm not. I'm Welsh..

I live in the US. The name of our country is awkward, but it is what it is. Because we have a reputation (and a deserved one at that) for being arrogant, I use US or USA rather than America to refer to my country. Put yourself in the place of a person from one of the other countries in the Americas. I would get annoyed by the situation if I lived in one of those countries. It sort of minimizes their importance.

When it comes to the noun describing my nationality, there is no reasonable alternative, so I use "American".

Why is it so hard for you to understand that America also means all of the America's to some people? So what is the problem?

Don't they have as much right to mean their America as we do ours? I think so.

Because they live in South America. Thats the only reason.

When I hear america i think of North america not the usa. I'm Canadian and I don't consider myself American at all but I still live in America I suppose. Just not THE UNITED STATES of america

The meaning of America is implicit in USA... United States of "America"... meaning a component of America.

This line of thought is highly Jingoistic from the coterie of blank stares.