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The ancient Romans used the name Africa terra --- "land of the Afri" (plural, or "Afer" singular) --- for the northern part of the continent, corresponding to modern-day Tunisia. The origin of Afer may be the Phoenician afar, dust; the Afridi tribe, who dwelt in Northern Africa around the area of Carthage; Greek aphrike, without cold; or Latin aprica, sunny.
So-named after the Italian explorer Amerigo Vespucci (who styled himself Americus Vespucius in Latin), who, following his four voyages to the Americas, first developed the idea that the newly-discovered western lands were in fact a continent. In recognition thereof, the German cartographer Martin Waldseemüller named the new continent after the Italian explorer's first name. (See also Naming of America.)
A few alternative theories reagrding the continent's naming have been proposed, but none of them have any widespread acceptance. One alternative first proposed by a Bristol antiquary and naturalist, Alfred Hudd, was that America is derived from Richard Amerike, a merchant from Bristol, England who is believed to have financed John CabotGiovanni Caboto (c. 1450 1499), known as John Cabot in the English language, was an Italian navigator and explorer who is popularly credited as the modern discoverer of Canada, or at least the region that would become that nation. He was born Giovanni Cab's voyage of discovery to Newfoundland in 1497. Waldseemüller's maps appear to incorporate information from the early British journeys to North America. The theory holds that a variant of Amerike's name appeared on an early British map (of which however no copies survive) and that this was the true inspiration for Waldseemüller. (See more at Richard Amerike).
In early Classical times, the term "Asia" referred only to the small region known today as Anatolia (a part of Turkey). Eventually however, it came to denote the much larger land area with which we associate it today.
The etymology of Asia can only be guessed at. The strongest possibility is that is that it derives from a borrowed SemiticThe Semitic languages are the northeastern subfamily of the Afro-Asiatic languages, and the only family of this group spoken in Asia. The most common Semitic languages spoken today are Arabic, Amharic, Hebrew, and Tigrinya. The term "Semitic" for these la root "Asu", which means varyingly 'rising' or 'light', of course a directional referring to the sunrise, Asia thus meaning 'Eastern Land'.
From the Latin, 'Unknown Southern Land' (Latin - Terra Australis Incognita)