Christopher Columbus

He was born in 1451 in Genoa.

He died in 1506 because of heart failure.

His origins are not certain. Many people think he is from Galicia, other people believe he is
from Portugal, while others claim he is from the Spanish Aragon.

He was an experienced sailor.

He was self-educated and adept in geography, astronomy and history.

In 1476, he moved to Lisbon and he was planning for many years his journey to the Far East
in order to discover new routes there. He managed to realize that journey when the king and
queen of Spain financed him.

He wanted to find a new route to India, Japan, China and the Spice Islands to bring many
silks and spices. He knew that the Earth is round, so he thought that he would reach his
destination if he sailed west around Africa, instead of east, which was what all the other
sailors used to do at that time.

He sailed across the Atlantic Ocean for ten weeks. He first landed in the island of Bahamas,
which he claimed for the King and Queen of Spain, even though people lived there already.

He used three shapes. Their names were Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria.

He actually thought that the place where he had landed was the Indies and that’s why he
called all the people he met ‘‘Indians’’.

He also discovered Cuba and Hispaniola.

He was released from prison on 17 December 1500 , right after his third voyage

After his first journey, he was given the title of the Admiral of the Ocean as well as the
Governor of the Indies.

During his second journey, he discovered the Antilles islands, Puerto Rico, Jamaica and the
island of Newfoundland in Canada.

During his third journey, he went to South America and he landed on the shores of present-
day Venezuela.

The fact that a Portuguese explorer reached the Indies first made the King and the Queen of
Spain upset.

In his fourth journey, he reached at the Central America and more specifically at present-day
Panama. He also discovered Cayman Islands,

His four voyages led to the knowledge of the New World.

First Voyage: 1492-1493

Second Voyage: 1493-1496

Third Voyage: 1498-1500

Fourth Voyage: 1502-1504 Goal :To discover a western maritime passage to the Far East

He traveled primarily to the Caribbean, including the Bahamas, Cuba, Santo Domingo, and
Jamaica, and in his latter two voyages traveled to the coasts of eastern Central America and
northern South America.

He was important because his voyages revealed two continents new to Europeans and
initiated a period of rapid colonization, exploration, and exploitation in the Americas.

Christopher Columbus introduced horses, sugar plants, and disease to the New World, while
facilitating the introduction of New World commodities like sugar, tobacco, chocolate, and
potatoes to the Old World.

October 12, 1492, is of enormous significance in Western history: It is the day when explorer
Christopher Columbus completed his journey across the Atlantic Ocean and landed in the
“New World.”