"Old World" is a term for Afro-Eurasia coined by Europeans after 1493, when they became aware of the existence of the Americas, Oceania, and Antarctica. It is used to contrast the continents of Africa, Europe, and Asia in the Eastern Hemisphere, previously thought of by the Europeans as the entire world, with the "New World", the newly encountered lands of the Western Hemisphere, particularly the Americas.
Key Facts
| Subject | Old World |
| Category | Landmass corresponding to Afro–Eurasia |
| Reading time | 1 min · Advanced |
| Key date | 1493 |
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