New World
The
New World is one of the names used for the
Americas. When the term originated around
1555, the Americas were new to the
Europeans, who previously thought of the
world as consisting only of Europe,
Asia, and
Africaâ€"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.
In recent decades, use of "New World" has been considered by some to be mildly offensive, due to the perceived implication that the European viewpoint is the only relevant or valid one. Thus, the term "New World" is now generally used only in limited contexts in some social circles. 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.
Another interpretation of the term is that the "New World" is "new" in the context of all humanity; as humans have developed and lived in the Old World for a far greater length of time than the Americas have been inhabited; thus, it would be said the first migrants to colonise the Americans had reached the "New World".
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, especially in the case of
New Zealand where the first human settlers arrived only a few generations before Columbus reached the Americas. In a biological context, Australasia is neither New World nor Old, as
flora and
fauna differ markedly from both those of
Eurasia and of the Americas. Wine from Australia and New Zealand is referred to as 'New World' as it has only in recent decades successfully penetrated European markets, overtaking French and Spanish wine in popularilty (especially in the UK).
*
Western Hemisphere*
Eastern Hemisphere
