What Is The Difference Between The United States And America?

One simple question has been puzzling our minds for quite some time now.

The question in question is: What is the difference between the United States of America (USA) and America? Are they the same, or do they differ from each other?

A lot of people think that the United States of America and America are synonymous with each other.

They are wrong. 

The USA and America (also referred to as Americas) are two different terms that refer to two different things. 

In this article, we will clear any doubts whatsoever you may have about the differences between the USA and America.

Let’s begin. 

What Is The Difference Between The United States And America?

The United States of America is a country, as compared to the Americas which comprises two continents and an island.

The term America or the Americas refers to the whole of the Western Hemisphere, which includes the continents of North America and South America, and Greenland, the largest island in the world. 

In other words, the continents of North America and South America together comprise the Americas or simply America. Approximately 28.4% of the world's land area is made up of the Americas. From North to South, the Americas span a distance of roughly 14,000 kilometres. 

See the map below. 

Source: Wikipedia | The Americas

Whereas, the United States of America or the USA refers to the country located in the North American continent. 

See the map below. 

Source: nations online project | The United States of America

The United States of America is a country located in North America, comprising 50 states. It is often abbreviated to the US and is a federal republic and the third-largest nation in the world by both population and land area. As of May 2023, the USA has a population of 340 million or 339,996,563, according to FormRush. It has a total area of 9.83 million sq km.

The difference is pronounced, yet there is confusion regarding this. 

This confusion stems from the fact that when someone says that they are from America or they are American, they are most likely referring to the United States, not the two continents. 

To reiterate, the United States of America (USA) or simply the United States (US) refers to the country comprising 50 states in North America. Whereas, the plural, Americas refers to the continents of North America and South America. Canada, Mexico, the USA, Brazil, Columbia, and many other countries are located in the Americas. 

This brings us to our next query: 

What Is The Difference Between The USA And The US?

None. 

There is no difference between the United States of America (USA) and the United States (US). Both of the terms refer to the country located in North America. They are the same and are often used interchangeably. 

So, if you want to refer to the country located in the North American continent, you can use either USA or US. Both of the terms are correct.

To sum up the article, the difference between the USA and America is that the USA or US is a country located in America or the Americas, with the latter comprising the continents of North America and South America. 

However, the term America (not to be confused with the Americas) in modern usage refers to the United States of America. 

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