Final answer:
The name 'America' was first used on a map created by Martin Waldseemüller and Matthais Ringmann in 1507. Prior to that, Native Americans did not refer to their home as a continent, and the Norse had names such as Markland and Helluland for certain areas. The concept of North America evolved over time as explorers mapped the land.
Step-by-step explanation:
The name of the first version of the North American continent as we understand it today is not clearly documented in the context of early native inhabitants. However, "America" is credited as being first used to identify the continent on the 1507 map created by Martin Waldseemüller and Matthais Ringmann. Before the arrival of Europeans, Native American tribes did not conceive of their land in terms of a continent, but rather in the context of their respective tribal territories and regions.
The history of the North American continent begins much earlier than European discovery and colonization. Indigenous peoples had their own names and relationships to the land. Notably, the Norse referred to regions of North America as Markland (Labrador Peninsula) and Helluland (Baffin Island), displayed on a 1690 Icelandic map. The European concept of the continent expanded gradually as explorers like Captain Cook mapped the coastlines, and mathematicians like Samuel Dunn synthesized global geography.
The Native American inhabitants, from Clovis cultures to intricately organized societies, often have an origin story that indicates an eternal presence on the land, which contrasts with the European narrative of discovery and mapping.