The New World (green) as distinguished from the
Old World (grey).
The
New World is one of the names used for the non-Afro-Eurasian parts of the Earth, specifically the
Americas and possibly Australia. When the term originated in the late 15th century, the Americas were new to the
Europeans, who previously thought of the
world as consisting only of
Europe,
Asia, and
Africa (collectively, 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.
Origin
In 1492,
Christopher Columbus returned from his first voyage to the Americas, stopping first in
Portugal and then traveling to
Spain. On 1 November that year
Peter Martyr d'Anghiera referred to Columbus in a letter as the discoverer of "the New World" (
novi orbis). In a subsequent letter a year later he again referred to "the New World" (
orbo novo). In 1516, Martyr published a work whose title began
De orbe novo ("On the New World).
In 1524, the term was also used by
Giovanni da Verrazzano in a record of his voyage that year along the coast of what would later become the
United States and
Canada.
Currently, one might speak of the "New World" in a
historical context when discussing the voyages of
Christopher Columbus, the
Spanish conquest of Yucatán, and other events contemporaneous to the term; additionally, the term "New World" is sometimes used in a
biological context, when one speaks of Old World (
Palearctic,
Afrotropic) and New World species (
Nearctic,
Neotropic).
While the term "New World" always encompasses the Americas, the islands of
Oceania may only be described as "New" in certain contexts. In a biological context, these islands are neither New World nor Old, as
flora and
fauna differ markedly from those of
Eurasia,
Africa and
the Americas.
See also
