New World

"The New World" is one of the names used for the American continents and adjacent islands collectively, in use since the 16th century. The Americas were at that time new to the Europeans, who previously thought of the world as consisting only of Europe, Asia, and Africa (the Old World). The term "New World" should not be confused with "modern world"; the latter generally refers to a historical period, not a landmass.

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In recent decades, use of "New World" has been considered by some to be mildly offensive, due to the implication that

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the European viewpoint is the only valid one.

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Thus, the term "New World" is now generally used only in limited contexts. First, one might speak of the "New World" in a historical context, when discussing the voyages of Christopher Columbus, the Spanish conquest of Yucat?n, etc. Second, in a biological context, one speaks of Old World and New World species.

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While America is always described as "New World", Australasia can be described as either "Old World" or "New World" depending on the sphere of discourse. In a biological context it is sometimes neither, since the species of Australasia differ markedly from both those of Eurasia and those of the Americas.

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16th century: As a means of recording the passage of time, the 16th century was that century which lasted from 1501 to 1600....

Europe: :This article is about the continent. For other meanings, see Europe (disambiguation)....

World: :This article is about the World, meaning the Earth. For uses of the specific phrase "The World", see The World (disambiguation)...

New World related Images and Photos (experimental)

New World, The: Extended Cut (BD)	New World, The: Extended Cut (DVD)	New World Map c.1676	Strange New World (DVD)
The New World	The New World 1921	The New World 1791-97	Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
Aladdin Whole New World Water Globe	Marvel 1602: New World #1 Cover: Hulk Dare and Virginia	Marvel 1602: New World #4 Cover: Osborn and Norman	Map of the New World 1587