America
one of several names for United States (of America) (1) 美国（美利坚合众国的简称） Culture AmericaAmericaThe United States of America is called by several different names, both by the people who live there and by people in other countries. These names include the USA, the United States, the US, the States and America. The official name, the United States of America, first appears in the Declaration of Independence of 1776, when the country was called 'the thirteen united States of America'. America is widely used as a name for the US, though in fact there are many other nations in the Americas (= the continents of North and South America). Songs like America the Beautiful are about the US. Other names, such as 'the land of the free', 'the land of liberty', 'God's country', 'the melting pot' and 'the greatest nation on earth', show how proud they are of their country. People in Britain and America sometimes refer humorously to each other's countries as 'the other side of the pond', meaning the other side of the Atlantic Ocean.North America refers to a continent and region, and includes the US, Canada, Mexico and Greenland. Between the US and South America is the region of Central America, which may also be considered part of North America. Sometimes the countries of Central and South America are together referred to as Latin America.America and the Americas are said to have been named after Amerigo Vespucci, an Italian explorer who sailed to South America in 1499, visiting the area that later became known as Brazil, and also the Bahamas. Vespucci believed that the land he had discovered was a new continent, not part of Asia as Christopher Columbus had thought. By 1538, the famous map-maker Gerardus Mercator was using the name 'America', the Latin form of Vespucci's name, for the New World (= North and South America, as opposed to Europe).People from the US are called Americans. People from other countries in the Americas are called by national names based on the name of their country, for example, Canadians. The adjective used to describe things from the US is American. The US is always referred to in organizations such as the American Legion and in expressions like 'the American dream'. US is also used as an adjective, as in the US Olympic team. Official names of government organizations may use United States, for example, the United States Coast Guard.Culture Britain and the USBritain and the USThe relationship between Britain and the US has always been a close one. Like all close relationships it has had difficult times. The US was first a British colony (= an area of land owned and settled by Britain), but between 1775 and 1783 the US fought a war to become independent. The US fought the British again in the War of 1812.In general, however, the two countries have felt closer to each other than to any other country, and their foreign policies have shown this. During First World War and World War Two, and more recently in the Gulf War and the Iraq War, Britain and the US supported each other. When the US looks for foreign support, Britain is usually the first country to come forward.But the special relationship that developed after 1945 is not explained only by shared political interests.The two countries share the same language and enjoy each other's literature, films and television. Many Americans have British ancestors, or relatives still living in Britain. The US government and political system is based on Britain's, and there are many Anglo-American businesses operating on both sides of the Atlantic. The special relationship was strong in the early 1980s when Margaret Thatcher was Prime Minister in Britain and Ronald Reagan was President of the US. Since September 11 the support given by Britain for US actions in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria has led to problems at home and has affected Britain's relationships with other European countries.