America

Following its discovery by Europeans, the American continent was inhabited in the 1500s by both white settlers and American Indians. In the USA today, this racial mix is remembered at Thanksgiving, originally celebrated, as in this illustration, with a meal of local foods.

Landmass in the Western hemisphere of the Earth, comprising the continents of North America and South America, with Central America in between. This great landmass extends from the Arctic to the Antarctic, from beyond 75° N to past 55° S. The area is about 42,000,000 sq km/16,000,000 sq mi, and the estimated population is over 832 million (2000 est). Politically, it consists of 36 nations and US, British, French, and Dutch dependencies.

The name America is derived from Amerigo Vespucci, the Florentine navigator who was falsely supposed to have been the first European to reach the American mainland in 1497. The name is also popularly used to refer to the USA, a usage which many Canadians, South Americans, and other non-US Americans dislike.

America

Epic rhapsody by Ernest Bloch in three movements (1. 1620; 2. 1861–65; 3. 1926), composed 1926–27. It was first performed on 20 December 1928 and then on 21 December 1928 simultaneously in seven US cities. It won the prize offered by Musical America for the best US symphonic work.