The Americas--has anyone tried reaching them?

[Rhedd]

You could... IF you could build the proper ships to get there, which you can't until the proper point in history, and even then only if you have a top-level shipwright.

While you can see the Americas if you toggle off FOW using the console, they are not on the map at the beginning of the game.

At the proper point in history, the map will expand westward to show a dark space on the minimap.