Four corners of the earth

The Four Corners of the Earth or sometimes simply the Corners of the Earth is a phrase that means the entire world.

The earliest use of the term is in the Bible. In Isaiah 11-12, it says "And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth."

In ancient times, the four corners simply referred to the four cardinal directions: north, south, east, and west. However, upon the discovery of America, the world was divided into four continents and, thus, four corners. They were Europe, Asia, Africa, and America(no distinction was made between North America and South America). Upon the discovery of Australia and Antarctica, this view was dropped and the directions were used again.