The New World refers to the Americas: North America, South America, and nearby islands. Europeans called these continents the “New World” after Christopher Columbus reached them in 1492, even though millions of people already lived there and had for thousands of years.

To Europeans, these lands were “new” because they hadn't known the Americas existed. They had maps of Europe, Asia, and Africa (which they called the Old World), but the Americas were a stunning discovery. Of course, to the people already living there, like the Aztecs, Maya, Inca, and hundreds of other nations and tribes, these lands weren't new at all. They were home.

The term shows us how perspective shapes language. What seemed like a “new world” to Spanish sailors was an ancient world to the people who greeted them on the shore. Today, historians still use “New World” as a geographical term, but we recognize it reflects a European viewpoint. It reminds us that the same place can look completely different depending on where you're standing and what you already know.

You might hear “New World” used for foods that came from the Americas, like tomatoes, potatoes, corn, chocolate, and peppers. These are called New World crops, and they eventually spread worldwide and changed how people everywhere ate.