Why?

[Xavier6]

This one question has plagued me for a long time and I can't take not knowing anymore. Why are South American and African cichlids referred to also as new/old world? Sorry if this question seems odd, but it is something that has stumped me for some time.

 

[leighton_87]

The America were historically known as the new world - a phrase coined by Europeans when the Americas were discovered (much after most of the world had been explored by European explorers)

 

[frapadoodle]

Africa was part of the 'old world'.
South America, was part of the 'new world' discovered by Columbus.
Just a matter of whether they are African or South or Central American in native habitat.

The America were historically known as the new world - a phrase coined by Europeans when the Americas were discovered (much after most of the world had been explored by European explorers)

Didn't matter it had been 'discovered' and inhabited for some time.

 

[leighton_87]

It didn't matter to those pesky Europeans

It's laughable that anything can be discovered even though as you mentioned it was clearly inhabited already. Although remember that we are talking about a time when we thought the earth was flat and we might drop off the end before we get to America.

 

[frapadoodle]

What's this we stuff? I was born and raised in the briar patch.
Besides the Chinese and Islanders had already made it. As well as the argument about the Cartheginians.

 

[Xavier6]

Ohhhh that makes sense! Hahaha yeah it is an odd phrase, but then again the Europeans really only cared about themselves...

 

[leighton_87]

What's this we stuff? I was born and raised in the briar patch.
Besides the Chinese and Islanders had already made it. As well as the argument about the Cartheginians.

Briar patch? You'll have to educate an ignorant European there.

The we was in regards to people thinking the earth was flat - unless your telling me native Americans were aware the earth was round in the 1500's?

I wouldn't assume anything on an Internet forum definitely not that you were descended from Europeans.

 

[frapadoodle]

Briar patch- Uncle Remus's Bre'r Rabbit.

And yeah am of European descent. Great grandparents emigrated from Ireland and Wales.

Well a few cultures on both sides of 'the pond' knew the earth was round well before the 1500's. But that is niether here nor there.

 

[Tuxyu3]

Leif Erikson's Vinland anyone? The way i understand it is that there is no solid proof the Chinese made it past Africa and that the rest is just speculation, please correct me if i am wrong. The Vikings are the earliest with any actual solid archaeological evidence to back it up, though i did hear something about some Irish monks, not sure if there is any proof or information on that.
 
But anyway, yes, Africa was the Old World (in theory the oldest seeing how many scientists agree that is when humans originated) and America was the last place to be discovered by the Europeans so is the New World. 

 

[eaglesaquarium]

It didn't matter to those pesky Europeans

It's laughable that anything can be discovered even though as you mentioned it was clearly inhabited already. Although remember that we are talking about a time when we thought the earth was flat and we might drop off the end before we get to America.

 
That belief was not widely held by any "educated" individual.  The Earth was known to be round (and the size of it calculated) by the "Greeks" in Alexandria.   The method of calculating the size of the earth was truly ingenious!  They used two sticks separated by a known distance and using the difference in the length of the shadow at the exact same time of day, they were able to estimate the exact circumference of the Earth.
 
 
 
But, it is as you have said - the "Old" world is Europe/Asia/Africa and the "New" world - North and South America.