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Americas

Definition

The Americas is a term that refers to the North, South, and Central America continents. It includes all the countries in these regions from Canada in the north to Argentina and Chile in the south.

Analogy

Think of Americas as a giant supermarket. Each aisle (country) has its own unique products (culture, history), but they're all under one roof sharing common features like being part of New World discovered by Europeans during Age of Exploration.

Related terms

Columbian Exchange: A period of cultural and biological exchanges between New and Old Worlds. Exchanges included plants, animals, diseases and technology transforming European and Native American ways of life.

Manifest Destiny: A 19th-century doctrine that justified the expansion of US across North American continent on grounds that it was destined by God.

Maya Civilization: An ancient civilization developed by Maya peoples noted for its hieroglyphic script - only known fully developed writing system pre-Columbian Americas.