The “Americas” include North America, South America, and Central America.

However, when one speaks of “America” they typically mean the United States of America.

It is a touchy subject obviously because of the arrogance implied in equating the USA with “America” in general. But insofar as you would call the United States of America the USA or US, it is simply easier to say “America” as well. Eventually, popular discourse becomes standard – in the same way that “email” has been added to Webster’s Dictionary, “America” became the standard call-name for the USofA just because that’s what people call(ed) it. This worked socially, politically, and economically as the US flourished via immigration based on “America’s” image as “The Land of Opportunity.”

There is nothing inherent about the United States (part of the Americas) that it should be called “America” (an implication that it IS the – whole of the -“Americas”). I’m not even sure that it is so popularly used outside of the US as it once was; whereas a US citizen may be told to go to one’s “American” Ambassador, I’m sure the official title of that person would be “US Ambassador” or “Ambassador of the United States” within any other given country)…

Enough rambling on my part…the difference is controversial

The US is a country formed on the North American continent.

North America is the continent the US is named after.

Technically all people living on either continent can be called “Americans” (Generally adding North or South to distinguish the two). However common acceptance states that the people who live in the US are referred to as “Americans” since ‘America” is a part of the nation’s name.

I can only hope that all the people who answered that America is a continent and the United States is a country on the continent, aren’t Americans!

The United States of America is the name of a country. It is in the continent of North America. It has a number of states and the spoken language is mainly English.

The difference between a continent and a country can be found by looking up the definition of each on a site such as

Answers.com

A country is a nation.

A continent is one of the principal land masses of the earth, usually regarded as including Africa, Antarctica, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America, and South America.

1) North American Continent including Canada.

2) An independent Republic.

United States of America is a Federation of (supposedly) independent states under a central government, 48 of which are mainland and 2 not.

United States: one of the COUNTRIES IN North America (along with others such as Mexico and Canada)

The US is the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

america is a country. and we have united states within that country. therefor we are the united states of america.

our states have united. and we are america. the states of america have united.

United States is a Country