America is the second largest land mass in the world, covering an area of ​​approximately 42,262,142 km². It is divided into three regions: North America, Central America, the Caribbean and South America and currently consists of a total of 35 countries: 3 in North America, 7 in Central America, 13 in the Caribbean and 12 in America. from the south.

Although the history of this continent begins to be told from the arrival of the Italian navigator Christopher Columbus on the island known as Guanahaní, which was later called San Salvador, the current territory of the Bahamas, on October 12, 1492, this land already populated. by native tribes who were decimated in each area by the various raids of the Spanish, Portuguese and English.

For hundreds of years, October 12 was known as Columbus Day. This is how they wanted to commemorate the arrival of Columbus’s three caravels to the land he called the West Indies, although their real destination was to find another commercial route that would take them to Cipango (Japan), until they left America countries arrived. , already in the 20th century. , when we commemorated 500 years after the discovery, the idea arose to make visible the first inhabitants of the “new world”, so researchers and historians began to demystify the discovery to make way for the “meeting of two”. worlds’ and give the validity and existence of a history, a territory and a civilization before their arrival.

The navigator, who made the first voyage in command of the ships ‘La Pinta’, ‘La Niña’ and ‘Santa Maria’, conducted other expeditions. The second voyage was made between 1493 and 1496. It was during his third voyage, in 1498, that Columbus finally reached dry land, on the coast of what is now Venezuela. In 1502 he undertook his fourth and final voyage, during which he discovered the area where seven Central American countries now lie.

Why is it called America?

The navigator Americo Vespucci took part in the preparations for Columbus’s second voyage and history remembers that he was the one who determined that the Indies were actually a new continent, contrary to what Columbus believed.

Vespucci, who immortalized his name with the continent, was also the first European to observe the Southern Cross, an emblematic constellation in the South American sky. His journey to the new world was motivated by scientific research, far from Columbus, who was still searching for precious metals, and to continue the evangelization of the indigenous population, as he had promised to the kings of Spain who financed his expeditions.

Vespucci sent correspondence to Lorenzo de’ Medici, who had been his patron, and a compilation of his letters was published as a book in Latin entitled Mundus Novus (The New World).

A group of geographers from Vosagense Gymnasiuma religious academic institution, published in 1507 a Cosmographiae Introduction and there on the maps the new world is called America, accompanied by a letter from Vespucci reporting on his explorations. The author proposes to name the continent ‘America’, in honor of who he believes to be the discoverer, Américo Vespucio. (JO)