Americans (just using that word because of the lack of a more proper one, in my opinion) use the word "America" to mean the US. Canadians don't say America at all, but if they want to speak about the US, they just say "the US", "the United States", or simply "the States".
Americans (don't know about other people) are taught that North America and South America are two completely different continents, the same way Europe and Africa are different, in Spanish speaking countries "America" is one big continent divided in three subcontinents, like Europe being divided in Western and Eastern Europe, so American (Americano in Spanish) means someone from America, the whole continent, and Americans are estadounidenses (From Estados Unidos, United States), so technically Canadians, Mexicans, Brazilians, etc are all Americans.
The Real Academia Española (the Spanish equivalent to the French Académie française), says it is incorrect to call americano to someone from the US.
And I just wanna know what you think
This isn't to prove anyone right or wrong, just to know what different people from around the globe think.
) but really it should refer to the continent(s). I have no problem saying 'US' instead.
