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.

Related Topics:
American continents - 16th century - Europe - World - Asia - Africa - Old World - 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 Yucatán, etc. Second, in a biological context, one speaks of Old World and New World species.

Related Topics:
Historical - Christopher Columbus - Spanish conquest of Yucatán - Biological

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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.

Related Topics:
America - Australasia - Eurasia

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