America

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America Western hemisphere, consisting of the continents of North America and South America, joined by the isthmus of Central America. It extends from n of the Arctic Circle to 56°s, separating the Atlantic Ocean from the Pacific. Native Americans settled the entire continent by 8000 bc. Norsemen were probably the first Europeans to explore America in the 8th century, but Christopher Columbus is popularly credited with the first European discovery in 1492. The name ‘America’ was first applied to the lands in 1507, and derives from Amerigo Vespucci, a Florentine navigator (falsely) believed to be the first European to set foot on the mainland.

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