>It also dawns on me that it's completely fine to call citizens of 
>the United States of America "Americans", just like it would be fine 
>to call Canadians "Americans". Technically, they both are. .

lol, yes, of course!!

that's just what everyone (i.e., outside of the Americas) ses.

Sure, "America/Americans" is often used, somewhat confusingly -- and 
to the endless offense of Canadians -- for US'ers specifically.

And as Viking points out, "South America" is usually more 
specifically described: hence, my mate from Brasil when in the UK 
would rarely be described as "American" rather "from South America" 
or the like.

(Perhaps a bit like someone from "Eastern Europe" would probably get 
"from Eastern Europe" rather than "...Europe.")

>Who just found out on a NatGeo video that NA is the *oldest* 
>continent on the planet. "New World" indeed...

The phrase "New World" means the colonies of Europe.  ie, everywhere 
that we erased the local primitives and imported European 
civilization, for better or worse.  Hence, basically the Americas and 
also oddities like Australia.  (The "we" in the previous sentence 
meaning Scots, Portugese, Spanish, and associates..."Europeans" in 
general.)

It does not relate to geo-tectonic age!

Robert ses:
>Of course my learned friends seem to forget that until about a hundred
years ago, someone visiting Europe from accross the pond would style
himself as being Texan, Arkansian, Californian, etc.

For sure. There are a number of somewhat confusing quotes from 
Washington where he refers to "his Country" meaning what a modern, 
er, Usanian would now refer to by "my State."

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