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Why USA citizens call USA "America"?

I mean. Seriously, it doesn't help when you're trying to prove you're not an ignorant self-centered someone. AMERICA is a continent

Update:

"America" or "Americas" is/are the continent that goes from aproximately Alaska to British Islands on the South.

Being that, I use to think than calling oneself "American" should be use to describe people of "America" or "The Americas", as well as "European" comes from "Europe" or "Asians" from "Asia".

Update 2:

**Also, I do not know how "Americans" (meaning USA citizens) should call themselves, I think they have to decide that. It's just that, I am proud to be an AMERICAN, but I was not born in the USA, neither I have ever visited it. See the problem?

Update 3:

***For those people who have problems understanding the basic concept of the question. See, there are different convention up to how many continents are there. If we consider the up-to-7-continents theory, then there is a North America and a South America. If we consider the up-to-6-contienent theory, there's only one big continen called "America" or "The Americas".

Still, I have to say that, for you people who call the argumente that: "There's NORTH America and SOUTH America", why do you think they are called NORTH and SOUTH?. Well probably because it's the same continent splitted in two. Am I clear?

7 Answers

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  • 1 decade ago
    Favorite Answer

    The word "America" is used so often because the word "American" is used so often. The word "American" is used to describe citizens of the United States because we do not have any other word to describe it: "United Statesian" does not exist as a word in English, as it does in Spanish ("estadounidense"). So we end up having to use the word "American" all the time. After using this word so often, using the word "America" kind of comes naturally. Although some of us realize that this is incorrect, we don't yet have the language to identify ourselves otherwise! Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated though!

  • 1 decade ago

    America isn't a continent either. There is North America and South America. So "America" is a combination of two continents, and since our country is the United States of America, all the states as a whole would also be called America.

  • 1 decade ago

    Because we abbreviate our nations name from United States of America down to America. We are the only country that uses the actual word America in our full name. Besides when everyone else calls it America and if you say America people think of the United States then it is suiting to call the United States of America just America

    Source(s): http://www.thefreedictionary.com/America This calls America (singular) the United States and Americas (plural) are the TWO continents.
  • Anonymous
    1 decade ago

    No. NORTH America is a continent and so is SOUTH America.

    Also, what do you think people from the US should call themselves? Statesians?

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  • Anonymous
    1 decade ago

    The United States of "America".

    North "America".

    Not everyone calls America "America". Some call this place "the states" (i.e. the UK and Australia).

  • Anonymous
    1 decade ago

    I'm not sure what your point is. Even most foreigners call the US, "America." It's just what we're called.

  • Anonymous
    1 decade ago

    What continent is named "America"?.I know of none.

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