Why is South America called South America. Why "America" ​​is called that: the history of the names of the continents. Why is America called that?

Every schoolchild knows that the first European to reach the shores of America was Columbus. But in honor of whom America is named, and why Columbus remained "out of work", they still argue. But in order to understand what the dispute is about, it is worth familiarizing yourself with the issue closer, which we will now do.

What is America?

America is called the part of the world, consisting of two continents. In addition to directly North and South America, it includes many nearby islands, which include Greenland, although economically and politically this large island belongs to European Denmark. As you already understood, this is a huge territory, and it is all the more interesting to know who America was named after. And maybe it would be more honest to call it something else ...

Why not Columbia?

Many geographical objects receive the names of their discoverers. But Christopher Columbus was not so lucky. Like all travelers, he dreamed of making a great discovery, but his expedition, consisting of three ships, officially pursued somewhat different goals. The Santa Maria, the Pinta and the Nina had to find a shortcut to India, whose wealth haunted the Spanish Crown. The fact is that the spices that can now be found in every kitchen were worth their weight in gold at that time. The Spanish monarchs Ferdinand and Isabella really wanted to get them faster and cheaper in order to profitably resell them to other countries. So the expedition faced a purely economic task.

Columbus assumed that India could be reached not only by land or around Africa, as the Portuguese always did. He guessed that if he went west, the path would be both easier and closer. On October 12, 1492, Columbus reached his goal. His team landed on the "Indian" coast. In fact, the expedition discovered a new continent, but never guessed it. Columbus visited his "India" three more times, but never realized the mistake. Most likely this was the reason why the continent was not named Columbia. Thus, the main question, after whom America is named, is still open.

Version one (main)

The main version of the origin of the modern name of the mainland suggests that it was formed on behalf of the outstanding traveler, cartographer and businessman Amerigo Vespucci. It was he who, exploring the shores discovered by Columbus, compiled detailed maps and managed to understand that this was not the West Indies, but a completely new continent previously unknown to Europeans. But the one for whom America is named used a different name himself. The described lands Amerigo Vespucci called the "New World".

The talented cartographer not only made maps of the lands, but also described nature, spoke about unusual animals, and indicated which stars you can focus on. He also introduced Europeans to the mores of the natives. Strictly speaking, it was not quite a scientific work, since Vespucci also turned out to be a talented writer. Many believe that the process of describing new lands greatly excited the author's imagination. Vespucci's letters and travel notes were published as a separate book and were a resounding success in his homeland.

Who first introduced the name "America"?

Cartographers-geographers quickly got their bearings in the situation. They realized that both Columbus and Vespucci describe the same lands, and this is precisely the new continent. Then they divided it into northern and southern parts, that is, into North and South America. The demarcation of the continents conditionally runs along the Isthmus of Panama. The islands located in the Caribbean Sea, geographers attributed to North America.

For the first time, the faceless name "New World" was changed on the maps of Martin Waldseemüller. It was he who coined the name America. The cartographer motivated this decision by the fact that the map was compiled on the basis of the more complete materials of Vespucci, and not on the approximate descriptions of Columbus. It took almost 30 years for the world to adopt the new name. According to some sources, Vespucci himself was not very pleased with this fact. He did not really want to be the one after whom America was named, since he was friendly with Columbus and his family.

Friendship Above All

Columbus himself did not understand that he had discovered a new continent, but his family meekly accepted the state of affairs that had arisen. After the death of their father, the sons of Columbus did not start disputes and lawsuits with his friend because of the name of the new lands. They valued the old friendship and understood that nothing depended on Amerigo himself. Moreover, the person in whose honor America was named never used the new name himself.

Version two (quite possible)

On the question of who America is named after, the final point has not been made because there is another quite possible version. This version is mainly insisted on by the British. They believe that the continent of America is named after a wealthy merchant from Bristol, Richard America. This man took a serious financial part in equipping John Cabot's expedition. The ships of this traveler followed the path of Columbus and reached new lands earlier than the team led by Amerigo Vespucci.

Cabot's expedition left Bristol in 1497. It consisted of only 18 people. The ship was called "Matthew". Even here there are disagreements, the name is associated with the Evangelist Matthew, or so the name of D. Cabot's wife, Mattea, was immortalized.

During the expedition, Cabot worked on a map of the coast of North America, although he himself for a long time believed that he was describing China. In fact, Cabot landed on the northern part of the island of Newfoundland. Cabot considered his most valuable discovery to be the rich fishing grounds (Great Newfoundland Bank), where numerous shoals of cod and herring were found.

This version of the origin of the name is based on the chronicle of Bristol, which records that in 1497 merchants who arrived from Bristol on the ship Matthew found the land and named it America.

Comedy of Errors

The famous writer Stefan Zweig called the story of finding the final name of the new mainland a comedy of errors. And indeed, he discovered one, described the other, and was named, perhaps, in general in honor of the third. Many still believe that Columbus was treated unfairly, although he was mistaken in the ownership of new lands. But no matter what they say, the fact remains: the man, after whom the continent America was named, definitely stepped on its shores among the first. For many, this is enough.

Everyone knows that America was discovered by Christopher Columbus. And it is named after the Florentine Amerigo Vespucci. Why? What did he do? How did he surpass Columbus? Let's try to figure it out.

Columbus himself, until the end of his days, was sure that he had discovered a sea route to India and reached the Asian coast, and not some unknown mainland. This misconception is evidenced by the name West Indies, preserved behind the islands of the Caribbean. The name of Columbus is only one of the South American republics - Colombia, and not the whole New World discovered by him. In addition, his name is also given to one of the western provinces of Canada, which is called British Columbia.

Vespucci was born in 1454 in the Italian city of Florence in the family of a poor notary. He worked as a petty clerk in the bank of Lorenzo de' Medici. On behalf of the owner of the banking house, Vespucci kept in touch with the Medici representatives in Spain.

In 1492, Amerigo Vespucci, as a representative of the banker Berardi, moved to Spain and settled in Seville. Berardi participated in the financing of the first expedition of Columbus, and Vespucci met the great navigator, who until the end of his life considered the Florentine a friend and benefactor.

Thus, the activities of Amerigo Vespucci were closely connected with long-distance sea voyages. At that time, in the minds of people, the thirst for profit was closely intertwined with the desire for long-distance travel, adventure and adventure. Therefore, it is not surprising that Amerigo Vespucci also went overseas.

Why America and not Colombia?

It is now difficult to establish how many expeditions the Florentine participated in. In his letters, Amerigo Vespucci talks about four - two in Spanish ships, and two in Portuguese.

However, most historians believe that in reality Vespucci participated in only one expedition in 1499 - to the Pearl Coast under the command of Ojeda. No later than 1501, Vespucci entered the Portuguese service and may have participated in one or two Portuguese expeditions to the southern hemisphere, along the coast of the New World. In 1504, Vespucci returned to Spain and four years later was appointed chief pilot (navigator) of Castile - the head of the Spanish navigation service. His duties included teaching navigators how to handle measuring instruments, astrolabes and quadrants, testing their knowledge and ability to apply theory in practice, issuing diplomas, as well as compiling and constantly updating a secret map of the world. This fact testifies to the considerable knowledge of Vespucci in the field of navigation,

Amerigo Vespucci tells about his discoveries in letters. It follows from them that in 1497 (somewhat earlier than Columbus), making his first journey, he discovered the coasts of South America and Mexico, and from there went north to 28 ° -30 ° N. sh. On the second expedition, he was a navigator and went to the shores of South America under the command of Ojeda.


In mid-May 1501, according to Vespucci, he set out on his third expedition. Three Portuguese caravels (the name of the head of the expedition remained unknown) allegedly went to the shores of West Africa, and from there to the Cape Verde Islands. This was followed by a nine-week ocean crossing into the southern hemisphere. Storms raged for five weeks. In early August, sailors reached a large unknown land, sailed south along its shores and marked on the map a vast coast, over three thousand kilometers long - from 5 ° to 25 ° S. sh. - with excellent bays, estuaries and capes. This is confirmed by a primitive map that has survived to this day. Vespucci wrote that the caravels reached 32°S in February 1502. sh., however, this end point is not indicated on the map.
Thirty-three days later, having traveled about seven thousand kilometers, the sailors reached the shores of Guinea. Thus, Amerigo Vespucci allegedly led the first expedition in Antarctic waters, but the information he reported about this voyage is extremely vague and contradictory.

And yet, the description of just this, the third expedition (which, obviously, really took place - historians doubt only the participation of Vespucci himself in it and the correctness of his information) brought Amerigo Vespucci world fame. In his letter to the Medici, he was the first of the navigators of that time to be able to talk about the ocean voyage as a talented writer - lively, figuratively and fascinatingly.

Vespucci said in a letter that he supposedly, on behalf of the Portuguese king, went across the ocean in a westerly direction and for two months and two days was under such a black stormy sky that neither the sun nor the moon was visible. The sailors had already lost all hope of reaching the shore, but thanks to Vespucci's knowledge of cosmography, on August 7, 1501, they finally saw the land. It was a blessed land where people do not know hard work, trees and fields without any care give abundant fruits unknown to Europeans, the sea is teeming with fish, rivers and springs are full of clear, tasty water, cool breezes blow from the sea, and dense forests in which there are many unknown animals and birds, even on the hottest days they give a pleasant coolness. The skin of people is reddish, because, according to Vespucci, from birth to death they go naked and tanned in the sun, they have neither clothes, nor jewelry, nor any property. Their morals are wild, everything that they have, they own together, even wives.

Further, Vespucci said that in this country there are no leaders, no temples, no pagan idols. The natives know neither trade nor money, and live in great enmity with their neighbors, often fight with them and kill each other in the most cruel way. They eat human meat, which they salt and hang on the roofs of houses, and were surprised that white people did not want to try such delicious food. One of the natives boasted that he personally ate three hundred people.
Despite this, life in that country seemed so beautiful to Vespucci that he declared at the end: "If there is an earthly paradise anywhere, then, apparently, not far from here."
Amerigo Vespucci also spoke about the beauty of the southern stars, completely different from ours, and forming other constellations.
He promised to describe his other travels, so that the memory of them would reach posterity.

Surprisingly, however, it was not the content of the letter, nor its vivid and engaging presentation, that attracted everyone's attention, but two words from its headline: "Mundus Novus" ("New World").

Until then, in Europe, the sea routes to India, found by Columbus and Vasco da Gama, were considered the largest geographical discoveries. Both of them reached the shores of Asia, but from two different directions.
Meanwhile, Amerigo Vespucci, judging by his words, discovered on the way to the west not India and not Asia, but a completely new unknown land between Europe and Asia, a new part of the world, which he called “New World”. Amerigo argues this name in detail: “None of our ancestors had the slightest idea about the countries that we saw, and what is in them; our knowledge far surpassed that of our ancestors. Most of them believed that there was no mainland south of the equator, but only the boundless ocean, which they called the Atlantic; and even those who considered it possible to have a mainland here, for various reasons, were of the opinion that it could not be inhabited. Now my voyage has proved that such a view is wrong and sharply contrary to reality, for south of the equator I found a mainland, where some valleys are much more densely populated by people and animals than in our Europe, Asia and Africa; moreover, there is a more pleasant and mild climate than in other parts of the world familiar to us.

Vespucci's letter kindled the curiosity of all Europe. It was translated from Italian into Latin, "so that all educated people know how many wonderful discoveries have been made these days, how many unknown worlds have been discovered and what they are rich in," as the subtitle of a small pamphlet in which Vespucci's letter was published says. This brochure was readily bought everywhere, read and reread, because people wanted to learn as much as possible about the new lands across the ocean. It was translated into other languages, and soon its text was included in a collection of travel stories. Scientists - geographers, cosmographers, as well as book publishers and readers were eagerly waiting for the author to fulfill his promise and tell in more detail about his overseas travels.

In 1504, separate travel stories were published in Italy. Descriptions of the travels of Vasco da Gama, the first expedition of Columbus and others were published. In 1507 they were combined into a collection, which also included descriptions of the expeditions of Cabral, the three voyages of Columbus and Amerigo Vespucci's Mundus Novus. For some reason, the compiler of this collection provided it with a completely unreasonable heading: "The New World and New Countries Discovered by Amerigo Vespucci of Florence." This book was published many times and therefore the false opinion was widely spread that Vespucci was the discoverer of all these new lands, although in the text his name is mentioned only along with the names of Columbus and other navigators. It was the first link in a long chain of accidents and mistakes.

At the beginning of the 16th century, a circle of amateur geographers was organized in the small Lorraine town of Saint-Dieu. One of its members, the young scientist Waldseemüller, wrote a short treatise "Introduction to Cosmography" and published it in 1507 with the addition of two letters of Vespucci translated into Latin.

In this book, the name "America" ​​first appeared, and the name of Columbus was not mentioned at all. Describing the world as Ptolemy knew it, the author stated that, although the boundaries of this world had expanded thanks to the efforts of many people, humanity learned about these discoveries only from Amerigo Vespucci. Waldseemüller declared Vespucci the discoverer of these lands and made a proposal to call the fourth part of the world the land of Amerigo or America.

A few chapters later, the author repeated his proposal again, providing it with the following motivation: “Today these parts of the world (Europe, Africa and Asia) have already been fully explored, and a fourth of the world has been discovered by America Vespucci. And since Europe and Asia are named after women, I see no obstacles to calling this new region Ameriga - the land of Amerigu, or America - after the name of the wise man who discovered it.

It is unlikely that Waldseemüller sought to diminish the merits and glory of Columbus with his proposal. It’s just that he, like other geographers of the early 16th century, was convinced that Columbus and Vespucci discovered new lands in different parts of the world: Columbus, having explored Asia more widely, discovered new islands and peninsulas of the Old World, as well as the tropical strip of East Asia, while Vespucci discovered the “fourth of the world”, the “New World” - a whole continent stretching on both sides of the equator.

Waldseemüller took out the word "America" ​​in the margins of his treatise and entered it in the map of the world attached to the book. The scientist did not suspect, of course, that later this name would be given to a huge continent stretching across both hemispheres from Patagonia to Alaska. The name "America" ​​Waldseemuller attributed only to the northern part of Brazil, the so-called "Land of the Holy Cross" or "New World", but later it was assigned to the entire mainland.

A few years later, Waldseemüller, having received apparently more reliable information about the true discoverer of the New World, withdrew from the reprint of his book everything related to the journey of Amerigo Vespucci, and everywhere replaced the name of the Florentine with the name of Columbus. But it was already too late.

The glory of Amerigo Vespucci grew every day, while Columbus, it seemed, was forgotten by the world.

In the second half of the 16th century, on many maps and globes, the name "America" ​​had already spread to both continents. Only in Spain, and partly in Italy, this name was not in use. The Spaniards still wrote "India", "Western India" and "New World" on their maps.

The new name - America - also caused objections and protests. Vespucci was accused of malicious deceit. The venerable Bishop of Las Casas, seeing the name America on the map, became indignant. He called Vespucci a liar and a swindler who, after the death of the admiral, appropriated the glory of the discoverer.

Attacks on Amerigo Vespucci did not stop. The scientists were excited - Vespucci is a trickster! There were voices demanding that the use of the word America be banned. In the 17th century, the glory of Amerigo Vespucci faded, and Columbus began to be again extolled as an unrecognized hero in his time. The shortcomings and mistakes of the admiral were hushed up, and the difficulties and sufferings he experienced were dramatically exaggerated and turned into legends. The enemies of the admiral, especially Bobadilla and Fonseca, began to be portrayed as low scoundrels, but the lowest, according to people, was Amerigo Vespucci - an envious, ill-wisher, an evil and cowardly person. He allegedly never even dared to set foot on the deck of a ship, but, sitting in his office, he burned with envy and stole and appropriated the glory of Columbus.

What a paradox! Columbus discovered America but didn't realize it. Amerigo Vespucci did not discover it, but he was one of the first to understand that America is a new continent. This was enough for his name to be forever inscribed in the great book of human glory.

If you ask the question, after whom America is named, many will answer without hesitation - Amerigo Vespucci. But is it really so? Who actually discovered the "New World"? Historians have been looking for answers to these questions for a long time. Let's figure out who named it and who first discovered it?

historical injustice

It is very difficult to answer who America is named after. Indeed, for many centuries, some of the facts were hidden, and some documents were lost. However, very often in print media you can find articles that talk about historical injustice. According to many, the discoverer of the new continent was However, his name was never immortalized, and America was named after another traveler.

But at the same time, experts say that Columbus did not discover the New World. And there is no injustice. The purpose of the expeditions of Christopher Columbus was the search for the West Indies. For this discovery, he received a laurel branch. The traveler was looking for new trade routes so that ships could not sail past Asia, which was restless at that time. So why Columbus? He didn't call America America. And this is a fact.

Amerigo Vespucci

After Columbus, there were still a lot of travelers who sought to discover new lands. Amerigo Vespucci followed him. He traveled frequently along the eastern and northern coasts of the new continent. It is worth noting that the maps of Christopher Columbus practically did not change anything in the maps of Magellan. As for the documents, they made it possible to form an accurate picture of America as a new continent.

It is worth noting that the travelers were good friends. Amerigo Vespucci often helped Columbus equip expeditions. According to contemporaries, this man was smart, kind, honest and talented. Thanks to him, not only notes about new lands were created, but also about their flora and fauna, the starry sky, and the customs of the local population. Many believe that some facts have been slightly exaggerated.

What traveler is America named after?

Amerigo Vespucci never aspired to take the place of a friend. He did not claim the laurels of Christopher Columbus. After the new continent was named, the sons of the discoverer did not even make claims to Amerigo. At one time, Vespucci proposed to call the discovered continent "New World". However, it was not his fault that Martin Waldseemülle from Lorraine - a cartographer - announced Amerigo as the discoverer of the fourth. This man was one of the best specialists of that time. It was to him that Vespucci handed over his works and all the materials. This fact influenced the choice of the final name for the continent. As a result, the "New World" became America.

After 30 years, this name became official and generally recognized. It was indicated even in the maps of Mercator and extended to the lands located in the north. But this is only one version of who America was named after. There are other versions of the story.

Another version

So who is America named after? There are several versions. The latter is even documented. Together with the expeditions of Vespucci and Columbus, another navigator, Giovanni Caboto, a native of Barcelona, ​​set off several times to the shores of the new continent. His travels were financed by the patron Ricardo Américo. Cabot's expedition sailed to the shores of Labrador. The team of this traveler set foot on the lands of the new continent earlier than Amerigo Vespucci. Cabot is the first navigator who made an accurate map of the coast of North America: from Nova Scotia to Newfoundland.

Experts suggest that the new lands were named after the philanthropist Ricardo Americo. In addition, there are official marks in the Bristol calendar, which date back to 1497. The documents indicate that merchants from Barcelona found new lands that arrived there on the ship "Matthew". This event took place on June 24 - the day of St. John the Baptist.

Or maybe everything was different?

Some historians believe that America was discovered long before the voyages of Columbus, Vespucci and Cabot. The first mention of new lands, in their opinion, is subsidized by the 4th century BC. The Greeks and Romans have been here. There are myths among the Aztecs, which speak of bearded white gods who arrived from the east. However, apart from the legends, nothing remains.

There is also a version that the Vikings were the first to set foot on the lands of America, and this happened about 500 years before the travels of Columbus. As proof of this, documents are cited that speak of several settlements that were left in Greenland.

Finally

Now you know who America is named after. There is evidence that Vespucci changed his nicknames and began to call himself after the new continent. All these versions are proven and have the right to exist. It follows that no one offended Christopher Columbus. After all, America was discovered before him.

America, not as the United States, but as part of the world, uniting two separate continents, of course, is known to all people today. But have you thought about the origin of the name of these continents and part of the world as a whole? After all, it is known that America was discovered by Columbus, but why did the mainland discovered by Columbus begin to be called America? Let's take a look at this interesting question.

Why is "America" ​​called America

As you know, the date of the discovery of America is considered to be 1492, when an expedition led by none other than Christopher Columbus reached the islands close to the mainland. However, as we know after more than 500 years, America did not begin to be named after its discoverer.

And the reason for this was the fact that even earlier Amerigo Vespucci, the famous traveler and explorer, was able to give an accurate description of the new mainland. This led to the fact that the mainland was named after the traveler. That is why America is called America, and not Colombia, as fans of this researcher would probably like.

Why is South America called Latin?

We all know that the inhabitants of South America are called "Latino" and all sorts of derivatives of the word "Latin". But why is Latin America called Latin? Let's figure it out.

In Latin America, most countries use official national languages ​​that are descended from Latin. This is what led to the fact that South America, saturated with countries where Romance languages ​​are used, received the unofficial name of Latin.

Why is North America called that?

As for the question of the origin of such a continent as North America, the answer to it is extremely simple. As you know, America is a collection of two continents. Their geographical location clearly divides them into the Southern and Northern parts, which is why the mainland on which the USA, Canada and other countries are located was called "North America".

Why Alaska used to be called "Russian America"

Few people know about it today, but during the time of the Russian Empire, in the 19th century, Alaska, now owned by the United States, was called Russian America. And the explanation for this fact is quite obvious. It's no secret that Alaska is located on the territory of the mainland "North America". However, its belonging to the Russian Empire gave it a name associated with Russia. That is why it used to be called "Russian America".

I remember from school that we were always told about the discovery of America by Columbus. I think everyone knows this historical fact. But then the question arises why this continent is called America. After all, it would be logical if it was named after its discoverer. So, now I will tell you why these lands began to be called that way.

Why is America called that?

The main reason that the name America has nothing to do with Columbus is that he himself did not understand exactly which lands he had discovered. Columbus believed that he had found way to Asia. And he remained with this opinion until the end of his life.

There is another navigator who, years later, went on a journey to the lands of South America. It's about Amerigo Vespucci. It was he who voiced the assumption that the new lands are not in Asia at all, but are a new part of the world. The navigator called them the New World.

Of course, Amerigo Vespucci happily shared his discovery with others. So information began to spread rapidly, and already they learned about new lands in France. At that time there lived a cartographer M. Waldseemüller. In 1506, he created an atlas with the geographical location of the known continents, where he noted part of South America. It was Vespucci who he considered the discoverer, and marked the land of Amerigo on the map. So this continent got its present name.

Interesting facts about Amerigo Vespucci and the discovery of America

Several historical facts related to the navigator Amerigo Vespucci are known:

1. Vespucci's real name is Alberico.
2. Vespucci and Columbus knew each other well.
3. Amerigo Vespucci began his seafaring activity after 50 years.
4. Discovered and named the island Curacao Vespucci.
5. Vespucci published a book about the discovery of the New World, but many doubt his authorship.

Some researchers and scientists refute many facts from the life of Vespucci. There is even another version of who America was named after. There was also another expedition to present American lands, which was financially supported by a well-known in Italy philanthropist Ricardo Americo. According to some reports, it was their ship that first found these lands, and therefore they named them after their sponsor. As a result, besides Columbus, there are definitely a couple more discoverers of America.