历史

美洲对美洲原住民印第安人来说并不是新大陆，他们早在一万八千年前就已经到达美洲大陆，大约是在一万八千年前从亚洲渡过白令海峡到达美洲的，或者是通过冰封的海峡陆桥过去的。

克里斯托弗·哥伦布到达美洲只是对西方世界影响很大，印第安人和西方人都是人类，因此是印第安人最早发现新大陆，只是他们的发现的影响不大而已。不管是哥伦布还是其他西方人登上的美洲大陆，都不是“首先发现”，在他们来之前这里已经有几千万的居民。

2006年1月16日，北京和伦敦的格林威治国家海事博物馆同时展出一张1763年绘制的附注有永乐16年（1418年）的中国航海地图。该中国航海地图有详细的航海区域，以及绘画美洲、欧洲、非洲的轮廓。除此以外，该图更附有对美洲原住民（肤色黑红、头和腰戴羽毛），以及澳大利亚土著（肤色黝黑、赤身、腰部戴有骨制品）的描述。

20世纪60年代，考古学家在加拿大的纽芬兰岛和新英格兰发现了他们的定居点遗迹。在维京人的英雄传说中，记载着一位叫埃利克森的水手曾经在公元1000年左右从格陵兰岛航行到北美的东海岸。大约在11世纪时，一些普通的北欧商人和农人，曾乘坐圆形单桅船只在纽芬兰北部某地登陆，并在那里建立了一个殖民地，但由于当地印第安人的敌意与北部海水的威胁，仅在两三年后就被迫放弃回国。

美洲地区拥有大约9亿居民，占到了人类总数的13.5%。对于印欧文明来说，美洲最初并不为所知，后被航海家哥伦布于1492年到达，并误认为是印度，以致称当地人为印第安人流传至今。后以意大利探险家阿美利哥·维斯普西的名字命名并沿用至今。最先是西班牙和葡萄牙向美洲移民，后来荷兰、英国、法国也向那里移民。1776年，美洲诞生第一个西方殖民独立国家——美国。

名字由来

美洲的命名，普遍的说法是为纪念意大利的一位名叫阿美利哥·维斯普西（Amerigo

Vespucci）的著名航海家，意大利的商人和制图师，探索了南美洲的东海岸和加勒比海地区，他最早意识到哥伦布发现的“印度”是一块新的大陆并绘制了新大陆的地图。他的名字用拉丁文写就是：Americus Vespucius。因为其他大陆用的名字都是女性化的拉丁语。所以，Americus就变成了女性化的拉丁语：America。

1499年。亚美利哥随同葡萄牙人奥赫达率领的船队从海上驶往印度，他们沿着哥伦布所走过的航路向前航行，克服重重困难终于到达美洲大陆。亚美利哥对南美洲东北部沿岸作了详细考察，并编制了最新地图。1507年，他的《海上旅行故事集》一书问世，引起了全世界的轰动。在这本书中，引人入胜地叙述了“发现”新大陆的经过，并对大陆进行了绘声绘色的描述和渲染。亚美利哥向世界宣布了新大陆的概念，一下子冲垮了中世纪西方地理学的绝对权威普多列米制定的地球结构体系。于是，法国几个学者便修改和补充了普多列米的名著《宇宙学》，并以亚美利哥的名字为新大陆命名，以表彰他对人类认识世界所做的杰出贡献。新《宇宙学》一书出版后，根据书中的材料，在地图上也加上了新大陆——亚美利哥洲。后来，依照其他大洲的名称构词形式，“亚美利哥”又改成“亚美利加”。起初，这一名字仅指南美洲，到1541年麦卡托的地图上，北美洲也算美洲的一部分了。

英国考察家们提出了一个新的假说。受雇于英国的热那亚航海家约翰·卡伯特，即约万尼·卡伯托（约1455-1499）登上美洲大陆的时间，可能还在传说最早发现美洲的哥伦布之前。

1497年5月的一个早晨，约翰·卡伯特和他的儿子谢巴斯吉扬（约1475-1557），率船员20名，乘坐自家的50吨位海船“麦吉尤”号，从英国布里斯托尔港出发，驶向大西洋。他们驶过亚速尔群岛后，便掉转船头，让右舷对准北极星，一直向西航行。五个星期之后，旅行家们看到了北美洲海岸。7月24日，即约翰洗礼日那天，他们登上了纽芬兰岛。“纽芬兰”的英语意思就是“新发现的陆地”。海员们遵照英国国王亨利七世的旨意，把英国国旗插在这块他们新发现的陆地上。卡伯特返航回到布里斯托尔港。英国国王为表彰他发现新大陆的业绩，赏赐给他按年领取的保险年金二十英镑。

历史学家们还查明，卡伯特旅行的经费是布里斯托尔商人提供的。在保存下来的文件中，有一份写着“卡伯特旅行的最大捐款人”。付款凭据是1897年在维斯特明斯杰尔天主教修道院发现的。这份古老的文件是以交付捐款的布里斯托尔商人、老海关职员的名字开关的。这个名字就是理查德·亚美利克（Richard Americ）。而且，印章上盖有“AMERIC ” 字样。很可能，卡伯特想要感激装备他的探险队的资助人，便决定用其名——亚美利克命名了这块新发现的大陆。

经济

北美洲

北美洲的经济发展很不平衡。除美国和加拿大是发达国家以外，其他大部分（除古巴外）是资本主义性质的发展中国家（他这么说我就这么说）。

工业：美国和加拿大是经济发达的国家，工业基础雄厚、生产能力巨大、科学技术先进。农、林、牧、渔业也极为发达。北美洲其他国家除墨西哥有一些工业基础外，多为单一经济国家。北美洲采矿业规模较大，主要开采煤、原油、天然气、铁、铜、铅、锌、镍、硫磺等，而锡、锰、铬、钴、铝土矿、金刚石、硝石、锑、钽、铌以及天然橡胶等重要的战略原料几乎全部或大部靠进口。主要工业品产量在世界总产量中的比重为：生铁、钢、铜、锌等均占20%左右，铝占40%以上，汽车约占37%。

农业：北美洲农业生产专门化、商品化和机械化程度都很高。中部平原是世界著名的农业区之一，农作物以玉米、小麦、水稻、棉花、大豆、烟草为主，其大豆、玉米和小麦产量在世界农业中占重要地位。中美洲、西印度群岛诸国和地区主要生产甘蔗、香蕉、咖啡、可可等热带作物。

交通：北美洲铁路总长420000多千米。内河通航里程约55000多千米。公路四通八达。美国东北部是交通最发达的地区，其次是美国中部、东南部、西部沿海地区；加拿大东南部；墨西哥东部，以公路和铁路运输为主。古巴的糖厂铁路专用线较发达。加拿大中部地区的夏季河运、冬季雪橇运输也很重要。北部沿海地区以雪橇运输为主。

南美洲

第二次世界大战后，南美洲经济发展很快，经济结构发生显著变化。但各国经济水平和经济实力相距甚远。巴西、阿根廷已建立了比较完备的国民经济体系，两国国内生产总值约占全洲2/3。此外，委内瑞拉、哥伦比亚、智利、秘鲁经济也较发达。

工矿业：工业以采矿业和制造业最为重要。采矿业是南美各国的基础部门，大部分矿产供出口，委内瑞拉、阿根廷、厄瓜多尔、秘鲁等国的石油；巴西、委内瑞拉、智利的铁；玻利维亚的锡、锑；智利、秘鲁的铜；圭亚那、苏里南的铝土；秘鲁的铅、锌、银、铋；智利的硝石、钼；巴西的铌的产量或出口量在世界占据重要地位。轻工业为南美多数国家制造业的主体，肉类加工、制糖、饮料、皮革、纺织、服装等部门较发达。钢铁、汽车、化工、橡胶、电器、机械等重工业集中在巴西、阿根廷、委内瑞拉、智利、秘鲁、哥伦比亚等国家。

农业：农业在南美各国经济中具有重要意义。种植业中经济作物占据绝对优势。南美洲是可可、向日葵、菠萝、马铃薯、木薯、巴西橡胶树、烟草、金鸡纳树、玉米、番茄、巴拉圭茶、辣椒等栽培植物的原产地。甘蔗、香蕉、咖啡分别占世界总产量的20%-35%，其中巴西的咖啡和香蕉产量均居世界第一位；可可、柑橘均占世界总产量的25%左右，其中巴西的可可产量居世界第三位；剑麻产量居各洲第二位，主要产在巴西；巴西木薯产量居世界第一位。南美洲向世界提供所需咖啡、香蕉、蔗糖的绝大部分及大量的棉花、可可、剑麻等。东南部阿根廷等国则大量出口肉类和粮食。牛、羊的总头数在世界上占重要地位。沿海盛产鳀鱼、沙丁鱼、鳗鱼、鲈鱼、金枪鱼等，秘鲁和智利为世界著名渔业国。南美洲大部分国家中多数人从事农业生产，但粮食生产仍不足自给，大多数国家需进口粮食。有点像中国。

history

America was not a new continent for theNative American Indians. They had arrived eighteen thousand years earlier,crossing the Bering Strait from Asia about eighteen thousand years ago, orcrossing the ice-bound Strait land bridge.

Christopher Columbus's arrival in Americaonly had a great impact on the Western world. Indians and Westerners are bothhuman beings, so it was the Indians who first discovered the New World, buttheir discovery had little impact. Neither Columbus nor any other Westerner was"the first to discover" America. Before they arrived, there werealready tens of millions of inhabitants.

On January 16, 2006, both the NationalMaritime Museum in Greenwich, London, and Beijing, a 1763 map of the Chinesesea, annotated with the 16th year of Yongle (1418), were on display. TheChinese navigation map has detailed navigation areas, as well as drawing theOutlines of America, Europe, and Africa. In addition, there are depictions ofNative Americans (with black and red skin, feathers on the head and waist) andAustralian Aborigines (with dark skin, nakedness, and bone objects on thewaist).

In the 1960s, archaeologists discovered theremains of their settlements on the Canadian island of Newfoundland and in NewEngland. In Viking legend, a sailor named Elixen sailed from Greenland to theeast coast of North America around the year 1000. Around the 11th century, someordinary northern European traders and farmers landed in smasts somewhere innorthern Newfoundland. They established a colony there, but were forced toreturn home after only two or three years because of the hostility of the NativeAmericans and the threat of the northern waters.

The Americas are home to about 900 millionpeople, or 13.5 percent of the human population. To THE Indo-EuropeanCIVILIZATION, America was not known at first, but the navigator Columbusarrived in 1492 and mistook it for India, so that the native people are stillcalled Indians. It was named after Italian explorer Amerigo Vespucci and isstill used today. The first immigrants came from Spain and Portugal, and laterfrom Holland, England, and France. In 1776, the first Western colonialindependent country was born in America -- the United States.

Name origin

The naming of the americas, common sayingis in memory of a man named Italy may Jericho, weiss's west (Amerigo Vespucci)famous navigator, Italian merchants and cartographer, explored the east coastof South America and the Caribbean, he realized that the earliest Columbusdiscovered "India" is a new continent and made maps of the new world.His name was written in Latin: Americus Vespucius. Because the names used byother continents are feminine Latin. So Americus became the feminine Latinword: America.

In 1499. Amerigo sailed from the sea toIndia with a fleet led by Ojeda, a Portuguese. They followed the route taken byColumbus and overcame many difficulties to reach the American continent.Amerigo made a detailed survey of the northeast coast of South America andprepared an updated map. In 1507, his book "Tales of Sea Travel" waspublished, which caused a sensation around the world. In this book, the"discovery" of the new world is engagingly recounted, and thecontinent is vividly described and rendered. Amerigo announced to the world theconcept of the new world, suddenly broke down the medieval Western geography ofthe absolute authority of the earth structure system formulated by Pudolemy.Therefore, several French scholars revised and supplemented Pudolemy's famousbook Cosmology, and named the new Continent after Amerigo, in recognition ofhis outstanding contribution to human understanding of the world. When the newbook Cosmology was published, the new World, America, was added to the mapbased on the material in the book. Later, according to the name of othercontinents, "America" was changed to "America". At first,the name referred only to South America. By 1541, Mercator's map included NorthAmerica as part of America.

British researchers have come up with a newhypothesis. John Cabot, the Genoese navigator employed by England, known asJovani Cabot (c. 1455-1499), probably arrived in America before Columbus, whois said to have first discovered America.

One morning in May 1497, John Cabot and hisson, Sheba Kiyan (c. 1475-1557), with a crew of 20, set out from Bristol,England, for the Atlantic Ocean on their 50-ton ship, the McGee. When they hadpassed the Azores, they turned to starboard and kept on heading west. Afterfive weeks, the travelers saw the coast of North America. On July 24, John'schristening day, they landed in Newfoundland. Newfoundland means "newlydiscovered land" in English. In accordance with the orders of King HenryVII of England, the sailors planted the Union Jack on their newly discoveredland. Cabot sailed back to Bristol harbour. The King of England awarded him anannuity of twenty pounds a year in recognition of his discovery of the NewWorld.

Historians have also established thatCabot's travels were financed by Bristol merchants. Among the documents thathave survived is one that lists "the largest contributor to Cabot'strip." The payment voucher was found in 1897 at the Catholic monastery ofWestminsgel. The old document was opened and closed in the name of the Bristolmerchant and old customs clerk who delivered the donation. The name was RichardAmeric. Also, the seal was stamped with the word AMERIC. It is likely thatCabot wanted to thank the benefactor who equipped his expedition and decided toname the newly discovered continent after it, Americ.

economic

In North America

The economic development of North Americais very uneven. With the exception of the United States and Canada, which aredeveloped countries, most of the rest (except Cuba) are capitalist developingcountries (he said so and I said so).

Industry: The United States and Canada areeconomically developed countries with strong industrial foundation, hugeproduction capacity and advanced science and technology. Agriculture, forestry,animal husbandry, fishery is also extremely developed. With the exception ofMexico, which has some industrial base, most of the other countries in NorthAmerica have a single economy. North America has a large mining industry,mainly mining coal, crude oil, natural gas, iron, copper, lead, zinc, nickel,sulfur and so on, while tin, manganese, chromium, cobalt, bauxite, diamond,saltpetre, antimony, tantalum, niobium and natural rubber and other importantstrategic raw materials almost all or most of them are imported. The proportionof major industrial products in the world's total output is: pig iron, steel,copper and zinc all account for about 20 percent; aluminum accounts for morethan 40 percent; and automobiles account for about 37 percent.

Agriculture: Agricultural production in

North America is highly specialized, commercialized and mechanized. The Central

Plain is one of the famous agricultural areas in the world. The crops are

mainly corn, wheat, rice, cotton, soybean and tobacco. The yield of soybean,

corn and wheat China。