Old World

The "Old World" is a term for Afro-Eurasia that originated in Europe c. 1596, shortly after Europeans first became aware of the existence of the Americas.[1] It is used to contrast the continents of Africa, Europe, and Asia, which were previously thought of by their inhabitants as comprising the entire world, with the "New World", a term for the newly encountered lands of the Western Hemisphere, particularly the Americas.[2]

For other uses, see Old World (disambiguation).
  Old World
Map of the "Old World" (the 2nd century Ptolemy world map in a 15th-century copy)
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