Year of the discovery of America by Christopher Columbus. How Columbus Discovered America. Who discovered North America

Discovery and exploration South America closely associated with the name of the Spanish navigator Christopher Columbus. It was thanks to him that the world learned about new, previously unexplored lands. However, this discovery turned out to be accidental, since the main task of the Columbus expedition was to find a short way to India.

History of the discovery of South America

Until the 15th century, the territory of South America was inhabited by indigenous people - Indians, who had their own unique culture, traditions and customs. Their civilization developed in a closed territory, without any outside influence.

The long-term isolation of the American Indians was broken on October 12, 1492, when the expedition of Christopher Columbus accidentally stumbled upon one of Bahamas. After a month of wandering across the Atlantic Ocean, his ships Santa Maria, Nina and Pinta moored on land that the navigator mistakenly took for West Coast India. After a cursory exploration of the islands and coastline northern coast of South America, the navigator returned to his homeland.

Rice. 1. Christopher Columbus

After reporting his discovery to the king of Spain, Columbus received significant financial support, and with 17 ships he returned to the West Indies - the West Indies - as he continued to count. The purpose of this expedition was simple - to search for gold in new lands. This is how Haiti was conquered and mastered. Later, Christopher Columbus made two more expeditions to the shores of South America, but he never realized his mistake.

The real discovery of South America as a new continent took place in the 16th century thanks to the Italian navigator Amerigo Vespucci. Having moored to the shores of the West Indies, an experienced sailor quickly realized that Columbus was mistaken.

Table “Discoverers of South America”

*date*	*Traveler*	*Opening*
	H. Columbus	First expedition - Greater Antilles and San Salvador
	H. Columbus	Second expedition - Lesser Antilles and Puerto Rico
	H. Columbus	The third expedition - the island of Trinidad and north coast South America
	H. Columbus	The fourth expedition - the Caribbean coast of Honduras, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Panama.
	A. Vespucci	Eastern shores of South America, "New World".

Geographical explorations of South America

The discovery of America by Columbus forever changed people's view of the globe. This event became one of the most important in the history of all mankind.

Having learned that new lands were discovered by the Spanish navigator, a stream of lovers of easy money poured there. Travelers dreamed of countless treasures that could be found in the New World. Such people - invaders from Portugal or Spain - were called conquistadors.

Rice. 3. Conquistadors

In a blind pursuit of wealth, they ruthlessly destroyed local residents, robbed their settlements, devastated the occupied territories. However, along with this barbarism, new lands were explored: maps of the mainland and coast, descriptions of nature and relief were created.

A great contribution to the study of the mainland was made by one of the most famous explorers of his time - the German scientist Alexander Humboldt. For 20 years he most carefully studied South America: its flora and animal world, indigenous population, geological features. The book he wrote later became almost the only complete and reliable source of information about the New World.

What have we learned?

Studying one of the interesting topics in grade 7 geography, we learned who discovered South America, how the process of conquest and exploration took place, and how the discovery of this continent influenced the idea of medieval people about the structure of our planet.

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There are many accidental discoveries in history, when the discoverers sought a completely different goal. The most striking example is the discovery of America by Columbus, made during the search for a sea route to India.

It all started with the idea of sailing to India along a new route - the Atlantic Ocean. Her Christopher Columbus first offered Portugal: however, King Juan II did not approve of the navigator's plan.

An Italian by birth, Columbus went to Spain. Here, not far from Palos, in one of the monasteries, a familiar monk was found. He helped Columbus get an audience with Queen Isabella. After listening to the navigator, she instructed the scientific council to discuss the project. The council consisted mainly of people who bore the clergy.

Columbus prepared a vivid report. He talked about how the ancient scientists proved that the Earth is a sphere. Showed a copy of the map compiled by the famous Italian astronomer Toscanelli. On it, the Atlantic Ocean was covered with a mass of islands, behind which one could see the eastern coast of Asia. He remembered the legends that there is a land beyond the ocean, from which tree trunks sometimes sail by sea, obviously processed by people. Columbus, who was well educated and spoke four languages, managed to win over the members of the council to his side.

In addition, the interest of the Spanish crown had other reasons.

In a country that had just survived the capture of Granada and the Reconquista, the economy was in a deplorable state. There was no money in the treasury, many nobles went bankrupt. If Columbus' voyage succeeded, it could help make a difference. Columbus received the status of viceroy of all the lands that would be open - and set off on his way.

First expedition

The first expedition began on August 3, 1492 in the port of Palos. The flotilla included 3 caravels (“Santa Maria”, “Pinta”, “Nina”), on which there were 90 people. First, the ships went to the Canary Islands, from where they turned to the west. On the way, the Sargasso Sea was discovered, where green algae grew in amazing abundance.

It took 2 months before the team saw land. On the night of October 12, 1492, at two o'clock, the watchman noticed the coast, which was illuminated by flashes of lightning. It was the Bahamas, but Columbus thought he had reached India, China, or Japan. Therefore, the people who met here were called Indians. And the archipelago was called the West Indies.

The island to which the travelers descended was named San Salvador, which belongs to the American continent. Officially, October 12, 1492 is considered the day of the discovery of America.

Continuing the voyage, the ships reached new islands - Cuba and Haiti. This happened on December 6, and on the 25th the ship "Santa Maria" was aground.

The expedition returned to Spain on March 15, 1493. Natives also arrived on ships, as well as potatoes, tobacco and corn - products unknown in Europe at that time. Columbus was surrounded with honor and given the title of admiral of the sea-ocean, as well as viceroy of the open lands and those that he had yet to find.

Second expedition

During his second voyage, Columbus explored most of the islands caribbean. 17 ships set sail, with 1,500 people on them.

On this journey, Guadeloupe, the islands of Dominica and Jamaica, Antigua and Puerto Rico were discovered. It was on this expedition, without suspecting it, that the navigators reached the coast of a new continent, which is now called Colombia - after the name of Columbus. On June 11, 1496, the Spanish ships returned to their homeland.

Third expedition

The third voyage of Columbus took place in 1498. The flotilla under his command reached the Orinoco Delta. It was the coast of a new unknown mainland. Also, 2 islands were discovered - Trinidad and Margarita, as well as the Paria Peninsula.
In 1500, the Spanish settlers of the New World rebelled against Columbus. He was relieved of his duties as head of the new lands. However, he received permission to go on a new journey.

Fourth expedition

The fourth voyage of Columbus lasted 2 years. From 1502 to 1504, he sailed along a large part of the coast of the new continent, which later became known as Central America.

Four ships traveled a long distance and discovered new islands - Honduras, Costa Rica, Panama. But at the end of June 1503, the ships got into a storm off Jamaica and were wrecked.

Great and unfortunate

Columbus himself did not suspect that he had discovered a new continent. He died believing that all expeditions led to India, and his discovery was the way to India from the west. On the lands that he discovered, there was no gold, there were no spices. This did not bring wealth to either Spain or Columbus himself.

The sailor was poor. All his money that he had, he spent on equipping a rescue expedition to save people on one of the caravels. He died sick and forgotten in 1506.

Who else discovered America

When the navigator and astronomer from Florence Amerigo Vespucci decided to go to the lands discovered by Columbus, he concluded that this was not India, but a completely new continent. This happened during the expedition in 1501-1502. He published his thoughts, which became the basis for the creation new card peace in 1507. To Europe, Asia and Africa, another continent was added, which at first bore the name of the land of Amerigo. Later it was transformed into America.

This continent, as it became clear later, was discovered more than once. In 1497, a flotilla of Portuguese ships set off for India, led by Vasco da Gama (1469-1524). 4 ships, on which there were 170 people, left the port of Lisbon in the direction of the cape Good Hope. They went around the cape, reached the mouth of the Zambezi, passed north of Africa, after which they reached the harbor of Malindi. From here, the ships reached the port of Calicut, where they were led by an Arab pilot. This was the opening of the route to India, which took about 10 months.

The meeting in Calicut was cold. After staying there for 3 months, the Portuguese set off on the return journey. The captain decided to sail Indian Ocean, bypassing East Africa. The voyage lasted about a year, but by September 1499, two ships returned to Lisbon, having lost most of the crew.

The most important event in the history of the great geographical discoveries, and of world history in general, was the discovery of America - an event as a result of which the inhabitants of Europe discovered two continents, called the New World, or America.

The confusion begins with the names of the continents. There is strong evidence for the version that the lands of the New World were named after the Italian patron Richard America from Bristol, who financed the transatlantic expedition of John Cabot in 1497. And the Florentine traveler Amerigo Vespucci, who visited the New World only in 1500 and after whom America is believed to have been named, took a nickname in honor of the already named continent.
In May 1497, Cabot reached the shores of Labrador, becoming the first officially registered European to set foot on American soil, two years ahead of Amerigo Vespucci. Cabot mapped the coast of North America from New England to Newfoundland. In the Bristol calendar for that year we read: “... on the day of St. John the Baptist (June 24) the land of America was found by merchants from Bristol, who arrived on a ship called "Matthew".
Christopher Columbus is considered the official discoverer of the continents of the New World. Cristobal Colon (Christopher Columbus) knew how to draw maps, drive ships, knew four languages. He was originally from Italy, arrived in Spain from Portugal. Having found a familiar monk in a monastery near the city of Palos, Columbus told him that he had decided to sail to Asia by a new sea route - across the Atlantic Ocean. He was admitted to an audience with Queen Isabella, who, after his report, appointed a "scientific council" to discuss the project. The members of the council were mostly clerics. Columbus passionately defended his project. He referred to the evidence of ancient scientists about the sphericity of the Earth, to a copy of the map of the famous Italian astronomer Toscanelli, which depicted many islands in the Atlantic Ocean, and behind them - eastern shores Asia. He convinced the learned monks that the legends spoke of a land beyond the ocean, from the shores of which sea currents sometimes bring tree trunks with traces of their processing by people.
The rulers of Spain nevertheless decided to conclude an agreement with Columbus, according to which, if successful, he would receive the title of admiral and viceroy of the lands he discovered, as well as a significant part of the profits from trade with countries where he would be able to visit.
On August 3, 1492, three ships sailed from the port of Paloe - "Santa Maria", "Pinta", "Nina" - with 90 participants. The crews of the ships consisted mainly of convicted criminals. It has been 33 days since the expedition left the Canary Islands, and the land was still not visible. The team started murmuring. To calm her down, Columbus wrote down the distances traveled in the ship's log, deliberately underestimating them.
On October 12, 1492, sailors saw a dark strip of land on the horizon. It wasn't big Island with lush tropical vegetation. Tall people with dark skin lived here. The natives called their island Guanahani. Columbus named it San Salvador and declared it a possession of Spain. This name stuck to one of the Bahamas. Columbus was sure that he had reached Asia. Having visited other islands, he everywhere asked the locals whether it was Asia. But I did not hear anything consonant with this word. Columbus left some of the people on the island of Hispaniola, led by his brother, and sailed to Spain. As proof that he opened the way to Asia, Columbus took with him several Indians, feathers of unseen birds, some plants, among them maize, potatoes and tobacco, as well as gold taken from the inhabitants of the islands. On March 15, 1493, he was greeted as a hero in Palos.
This is how the first visit by Europeans to the islands took place. Central America. As a result, the beginning was laid for the further discovery of unknown lands, their conquest and colonization.
In the 20th century, scientists turned their attention to information suggesting that contacts between the Old World and the New took place long before the famous voyage of Columbus.
In addition to frankly fantastic hypotheses about the settlement of America by the "ten tribes of Israel", as well as by the Atlanteans, there is a number of serious scientific evidence that America was visited long before Columbus. Some researchers even argue that the culture of the Indians was brought from outside, from the Old World - this direction of scientific thought is called diffusionism. The theory that the civilizations of the Americas developed almost completely independently before 1492 is called isolationism and has more adherents in academic science.
Hypotheses about visiting America by the Egyptians (the famous traveler Thor Heyerdahl was an active supporter of the version of Egyptian voyages to America), as well as Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans, Arabs, representatives of Central African states, Chinese, Japanese and Celts remain unconfirmed.
But there is enough reliable data about the visit of America by Polynesians, preserved in their traditions; it is also known that the Chukchi established an exchange of fur and whalebone with the ancient population of the northwestern American coast, but it is impossible to establish the exact date of the beginning of these contacts.
Europeans also visited the American continent during the Viking Age. Scandinavian contacts with the New World began around 1000 AD and continued presumably until the 14th century.
The name associated with the discovery of the New World Scandinavian navigator and the ruler of Greenland, Leif Ericsson the Happy. This European visited North America five centuries before Columbus. His campaigns are known from the Icelandic sagas preserved in such manuscripts as the Saga of Eric the Red and the Saga of the Greenlanders. Their authenticity was confirmed by archaeological discoveries of the 20th century.
Leif Eriksson was born in Iceland in the family of Erik the Red, who was expelled from Norway along with the whole family. Eric's family in 982 was forced to leave Iceland, fearing blood feuds, and settle in new colonies in Greenland. Leif Eriksson had two brothers, Thorvald and Thorstein, and one sister, Freydis. Leif was married to a woman named Thorgunna. They had one son, Thorkell Leifsson.
Before his trip to America, Leif made a trading expedition to Norway. Here he was baptized by the King of Norway, Olaf Tryggvason, an ally of Prince Vladimir of Kyiv. Leif brought a Christian bishop to Greenland and baptized its inhabitants. His mother and many Greenlanders converted to Christianity, but his father, Eric the Red, remained a pagan. On the way back, Leif rescued the wrecked Icelander Thorir, for which he received the nickname Leif the Lucky.
On his return, he met a Norwegian named Bjarni Herjulfsson in Greenland, who said that he saw the outline of the earth in the west far out to sea. Leif became interested in this story and decided to explore new lands.
Around the year 1000, Leif Eriksson sailed west with a crew of 35 on a ship bought from Bjarni. They discovered three regions of the American coast: Helluland (presumably the Labrador Peninsula), Markland (probably Baffin Island) and Vinland, which got its name from a large number of vines growing there.
Presumably it was the coast of Newfoundland. Several settlements were founded there, where the Vikings stayed for the winter.
Upon his return to Greenland, Leif gave the ship to his brother Thorvald, who instead went to explore Vinland further. Thorvald's expedition was unsuccessful: the Scandinavians encountered the Skralings - North American Indians, and in this skirmish Thorvald died. If you believe the Icelandic legends, according to which Erik and Leif made their campaigns not at random, but based on the stories of such eyewitnesses as Bjarni, who saw unknown lands on the horizon, then in a sense America was discovered even before the year 1000. However, it was Leif who first made a full-fledged expedition along the coast of Vinland, gave him a name, landed on the coast and even tried to colonize it. According to the stories of Leif and his people, which formed the basis of the Scandinavian "Saga of Erik the Red" and "The Saga of the Greenlanders", the first maps of Vinland were compiled.
This information, preserved by the Icelandic sagas, was confirmed in 1960, when archaeological evidence of an early Viking settlement was discovered in the town of L'Anse aux Meadows on the island of Newfoundland. At present, the study of the territory of North America by the Vikings, long before the travels of Columbus, is considered a finally proven fact. Scholars have reached a consensus that the Vikings among Europeans were indeed the first to discover North America, but the exact location of their settlement is still the subject of scientific dispute. In the beginning, the Vikings made no distinction between exploring the lands and
population in Greenland and Vinland on the one hand, and Iceland on the other. The feeling of another world came to them only after meeting with local tribes, significantly different from the Irish monks in Iceland. For more than 11,000 years prior, the continent had already been inhabited by numerous indigenous peoples, the American Indians.
Eric the Red's Saga and the Greenlanders' Saga were written about 250 years after the colonization of Greenland and give the impression that there were several attempts to establish a settlement in Vinlande, but none of them lasted more than two years. There may be several reasons why the Vikings left the settlements, among which are disagreements among the male colonists regarding the few women who accompanied the journey, and armed skirmishes with the locals, whom the Vikings called skraling, both of these factors are indicated in written sources.
Until the 19th century, historians considered the idea of Viking settlements in North America exclusively in the context of the national folklore of the Scandinavian peoples. The first scientific theory appeared in 1837 thanks to the Danish historian and antiquary Carl Christian Rafn. In his book American Antiquities, Rafn conducted a comprehensive examination of the sagas and examined possible locations sites on the American coast, as a result of which he concluded that the country of Vinland, discovered by the Vikings, really existed.
There is disagreement among historians about geographic location Vinland. Rafn and Erik Wahlgren believed that Vinland was somewhere in New
England. And in the 1960s, a Viking settlement was discovered as a result of excavations in Newfoundland, and some scientists think that this was the place chosen by Leif. Others still believe that Vinland must be located further south, and the open settlement refers to a hitherto unknown, later attempt by the Vikings to settle in America.
History continues to lift the veil of its secrets. Scientists have yet to test the likelihood and time of earlier contacts with the American continent by immigrants from the Old World.

Few people are now interested in such an event as the discovery of America by Christopher Columbus, but only a few centuries ago America itself did not exist for Europeans at all.

No one could have imagined that outside their narrow little world there is a huge world where large peoples live, there is a developed culture and a lot of monuments of ancient history.

Today America is the center of development of our world, where people from all over the planet flock, the best scientists, programmers, just active people who want to make the American dream come true in their lives. And this is one of the most important reasons why it is worth knowing more about the discovery of this continent.

North America is interesting to study in terms of history, not only because it is unique and exciting in its own way, but also in order to better understand its people, values and culture.

It was the colonial status of this powerful power that at one time became the incentive that forced it to actively develop and turn into what we see now. And open this full of beauty and the secrets of the continent fell to the great traveler Columbus.

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Who discovered America first

We all know stories about the travels of the great man Columbus, who, together with his team, fearlessly plied the oceans in search of new places to spread the power of his country. This man acted on the will of his leadership and the country, and was driven by personal interests, the desire to move and discover new things.

Amerigo Vespucci (1454 - 1512)

But not everyone knows that Columbus was not the first to discover America, since another no less legendary traveler managed to do this before him.

America is named after famous traveler of his time - Amerigo Vespucci. This resident of Florence, born in 1454, departed under the leadership of Admiral Alonso de Ojeda as a navigator to conquer hitherto unseen lands.

It was he who gave Venezuela its current name, which means "little Venice", and also discovered many dozens of other places, which later largely retained the names he gave. It is interesting that Vespucci was most likely personally acquainted with the Spanish traveler Columbus, their acquaintance probably took place in the trading house of Danoto Berardi.

The discoverer Vespucci did not go unnoticed, and it was in honor of his discoveries that the lands of the New Overseas World were later named America.

What then did Columbus discover?

If it was Vespucci who discovered the continents of America, which is reflected even in its name, then what are the merits of the famous Columbus, why is he considered the discoverer of this region of the world?

Many travelers reached the shores of the New World even before Columbus, but the problem with their travels was that they did not leave behind any intelligible and structured information. The property of the travels of Christopher's predecessors remained in the shadows, few people knew about them, and that part of the world still remained distant and mysterious.

Columbus himself, starting from 1499 and later, in his further voyages not only reached the shores of the Western Hemisphere, but collected a lot of information about the countries and islands located there.

It was he who opened these places for a wide range of Europeans and launched mass travel and migration to this region, began an age of great change and transformation of the whole world.

When and how was America discovered by Christopher Columbus

The discovery of America is a collective concept that includes many events, and not just some found largest island or country on the continent.

It is believed that the discoverer discovered New world in 1492, during his first expedition there. At this time, the Spanish ships reached Haiti, Caribbean, visited the Bahamas archipelago, as well as Cuba.

The first island that travelers met in America was San Salvador, where they landed in the memorable year 1492.

This expedition, like the three subsequent ones, was organized by the Spanish king in order to find shorter routes to India, with which ever closer trade relations were being established at that time. But fate turned out differently, and the path of the sailors went to the shores of completely new lands.

Four expeditions of Columbus - briefly about the history of the discovery of America

In total, Columbus, together with other brave sailors, made 4 expeditions to the shores of Novaya Zemlya. Thanks to these visits, a lot of new islands, countries and regions appeared on the map, many of which still have the names that the sailors of the past assigned them.

The first trip took place in 1492-1493, there were 91 people on 3 ships, the places visited at that time have already been mentioned above. The sailors returned home on March 15, 1943.

The next, 2nd trip in a row, took place in 1493-1496. The navigator was already in the rank of admiral and, in addition to this, also viceroy of the open lands. Now, a team of fifteen hundred people and 17 ships had the task of fortifying themselves on new lands and carefully exploring them. This time it was possible to discover the Dominican Republic, Guadeloupe, Puerto Rico, Pinos, to go deeper into the study of Haiti.

The third time the journey lasted 2 years (1498-1500) and this voyage made it possible to study the New World even better. The islands of Trinidad, the peninsula of Paria were discovered, the development of not only the lands of the current United States, but also South America began. The peninsulas of Margarita and Araya were also found, many studies were carried out.

The last, 4th trip of Columbus, took place in 1502-1504. This time the brave discoverer of new lands reached the Caribbean shores, visited Nicaragua, Honduras, Costa Rica, Panama. In 1503, trouble happened - the sailor's ship was wrecked near Jamaica.

Columbus travel routes on the map

To clearly see what path the brave traveler from Europe traveled with his team, just look at the routes of all 4 expeditions depicted on the map. In general terms, the features of the route of each new voyage are clear from the list of discovered new lands, but for greater clarity, you can use the following image:

America's official discovery date

As mentioned above, the official date of the discovery of America is 1492, when the very first expedition of the great European sailor took place.

There are many stories that indirectly indicate that the coast of America was first discovered not by Columbus or Vespucci, but by many other researchers and even representatives of the Viking people.

But the official opening date is exactly 1492, because it was not just a discovery on the map, but also the discovery of the countries of the New World as a cultural phenomenon, the beginning of an endless flow of emigrants and the establishment of trade and economic ties.

The fact that it was Christopher Columbus who took upon himself the great fame of being considered a discoverer is in some way a luck of fate, but not just fallen on his head, but given as a reward for courage, activity and lack of fear of trials and distant wanderings.

Significance of the discovery of America by Christopher Columbus

Obviously, the discovery of the New World for Europe in the form of North and South America was a grandiose event of its time and set the vector for the development of an entire world civilization for hundreds of years to come.

Thanks to these events, the United States appeared, at first frail and mired in internal conflicts, populated by incomprehensible personalities and adventurers, and later rapidly turned into an advanced country that fought slavery, created the most powerful dollar currency, and shifted progress in science and technology to new horizons.

The considered event became extremely important both for Europe and America, and for the whole world as a whole. It is difficult to imagine what the current civilization, economic and political map worlds, if it were not for the presence of a Spanish daredevil in his time, who, for the sake of a call of honor and a reckless desire for adventure, would not go to conquer the Atlantic Ocean.

Expeditions of Christopher Columbus

1st expedition

The first expedition of Christopher Columbus (1492-1493), consisting of 91 people on the ships Santa Maria, Pinta, Nina, left Palos on August 3, 1492, from canary islands turned west (September 9), crossed Atlantic Ocean in the subtropical zone and reached the island of San Salvador in the Bahamas, where Christopher Columbus landed on October 12, 1492 (the official date of the discovery of America). On October 14-24, Christopher Columbus visited a number of other Bahamas, and on October 28-December 5, he discovered and explored the site northeast coast Cuba. On December 6, Columbus reached Fr. Haiti and moved along its northern coast. On the night of December 25, the flagship Santa Maria landed on a reef, but people escaped. Columbus on the ship "Nina" January 4-16, 1493 completed the survey of the northern coast of Haiti and March 15 returned to Castile.

2nd expedition

The 2nd expedition (1493-1496), which Christopher Columbus led already in the rank of admiral, and in the position of viceroy of the newly discovered lands, consisted of 17 ships with a crew of over 1.5 thousand people. November 3, 1493 Columbus discovered the islands of Dominica and Guadeloupe, turning to the North-West - about 20 more Small Antilles, including Antigua and the Virgin Islands, and on November 19 - the island of Puerto Rico and approached the northern coast of Haiti. On March 12-29, 1494, Columbus, in search of gold, made an aggressive campaign into Haiti, and crossed the Cordillera Central ridge. On April 29-May 3, Columbus with 3 ships passed along the southeastern coast of Cuba, turned from Cape Cruz to the South, and on May 5 discovered about. Jamaica. Returning on May 15 to Cape Cruz, Columbus walked along south coast Cuba to 84° west longitude, discovered the Jardines de la Reina archipelago, the Zapata peninsula and the island of Pinos. June 24, Christopher Columbus turned east and explored August 19-September 15 the entire South coast Haiti. In 1495 Christopher Columbus continued the conquest of Haiti; March 10, 1496 left the island and June 11 returned to Castile.

3rd expedition

The 3rd expedition (1498-1500) consisted of 6 vessels, 3 of which Christopher Columbus himself led across the Atlantic Ocean near 10 ° north latitude. On July 31, 1498, he discovered the island of Trinidad, entered the Gulf of Paria from the south, discovered the mouth of the western branch of the Orinoco Delta and the Paria Peninsula, marking the beginning of the discovery of South America. Having then left for the Caribbean Sea, Christopher Columbus approached the Araya Peninsula, discovered Margarita Island on August 15, and on August 31 arrived in the city of Santo Domingo (on the island of Haiti). In 1500, Christopher Columbus was arrested on a denunciation and sent to Castile, where he was released.

4th expedition

4th expedition (1502-1504). Having obtained permission to continue searching for a western route to India, Columbus with 4 ships reached the island of Martinique on June 15, 1502, and the Gulf of Honduras on July 30, and discovered from August 1, 1502 to May 1, 1503 the Caribbean coasts of Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama to Uraba Bay. Turning then to the North, June 25, 1503 was wrecked off the island of Jamaica; help from Santo Domingo came only a year later. Christopher Columbus returned to Castile on November 7, 1504.

Data

Hypotheses

In addition, hypotheses were put forward about visiting America and contact with its civilization by seafarers before Columbus, representing various civilizations of the Old World (for more details, see Contacts with America before Columbus). Here are just a few of these hypothetical contacts:

in the 5th century - Hui Shen (Taiwanese monk)
in the 6th century - St. Brendan (Irish monk)
there are versions according to which, at least from the 13th century, America was known to the Knights Templar
OK. d. - Henry Sinclair (de St. Clair), Earl of Orkney (c. 1345 - c. 1400)
in - Zheng He (Chinese researcher)
in Juan Corterial (Portuguese)

Notes

Literature

Magidovich I.P. History of discovery and exploration of North America. - M .: Geografgiz, 1962.
Magidovich I.P. History of discovery and exploration of Central and South America. - M .: Thought, 1963.
John Lloyd and John Mitchinson. The book of general delusions. - Phantom Press, 2009.

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See what the "Discovery of America" is in other dictionaries:

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Opening- Discovery ♦ Découverte To make a discovery is to make evident what already existed (as opposed to invention) but was unknown. Such are the discovery of America by Christopher Columbus and the discovery of the law of universal gravitation by Newton. Concept ... ... Philosophical Dictionary of Sponville

OPENING- - identification of natural things, phenomena, patterns, etc., that really exist in nature, but were not known before (the discovery of America, the periodicity of elements, mineral deposits, etc.), which is based on internal ... ... Philosophy of Science and Technology: Thematic Dictionary

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Christopher Columbus and the Discovery of America, D. Windsor. Illustrated historical and critical study, translated from English by F. I. Bulgakov. The book contains information about the sources, about the ancestors and homeland of Columbus, his life in Portugal and ...