The "New World" is a term describing the majority of lands in the Western Hemisphere, particularly the Americas, and sometimes Oceania. It was introduced in the early 16th century, during Europe's Age of Discovery, by Italian explorer Amerigo Vespucci, who published the pamphlet Mundus novus, presenting his conclusion that the lands discovered west of the Atlantic Ocean constituted new continents.

Wikipedia. CC BY-SA 4.0. Updated Jun 8, 2026.