Well, everybody born in the american continent is technically “american” too, including Central and South America. Is there a specific term in english for these people?
Edit: Thanks for all your answers, especially the wholesome ones and those patient enough to explain it thoroughly. Since we (South Americans) and you (North Americans) use different models/conventions of continent boundaries, it makes sense for you to go by “Americans”, while it doesn’t for us.
It goes back to the colonies. In the British Empire the continental colonies were “the American colonies,” so British subjects from said colonies were called “Americans” for upwards of 200 years prior to the revolution. After the revolution, since Halifax was the only major continental port that remained in British hands, it made sense to call its colonists something else, while those to the south retained the name “Americans.”
Conversely, the Caribbean possessions were called “The West Indies” or “The West Indies Station.”