Old World
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
The Old World consists of those parts of Earth known to Europeans before the voyages of Christopher Columbus: Europe, Asia, and Africa (collectively known as Africa-Eurasia) and the surrounding islands. The term is in distinction from the New World, meaning the Americas.
Although the interiors of Asia and Africa were not well known to Europeans at the time, their existence was known, as far as Japan and South Africa, so they are considered Old World. Australia and Antarctica are neither definitely Old World nor definitely New World, since the terms "Old World" and "New World" predate their discovery by Europeans.
Other meanings
Old World may also refer to:
In biological usage, Old World organisms are those found in Eurasia and Africa, and sometimes Australasia, and New World organisms are those found in the Americas.
Old World ROM refers to Macintosh computers that use a Macintosh Toolbox ROM chip.
Old World wines is also used to refer to traditional wine-growing regions and the wines produced there, in contrast to New World wines.
In the miniature wargame game series Warhammer, the term is used to mean its imaginary setting on another planet.
