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What was Amerigo Vespucci trying to?
Who Was Amerigo Vespucci? On May 10, 1497, explorer Amerigo Vespucci embarked on his first voyage. On his third and most successful voyage, he discovered present-day Rio de Janeiro and Rio de la Plata. Believing he had discovered a new continent, he called South America the New World.
What is Amerigo Vespucci best known for?
Italian explorer Amerigo Vespucci is best known for his namesake: the continents of North and South America. Prior to Vespucci’s discovery, explorers, including Columbus, had assumed that the New World was part of Asia. Vespucci made his discovery while sailing near the tip of South America in 1501.
What is an interesting fact about Amerigo Vespucci?
Amerigo Vespucci was the first person to determine that the New World was a new continent and not the West Indies. Amerigo Vespucci named a few constellations on a voyage back from the New World in 1502. He named the Southern Cross, among others. In 1931 Italy built a ship in honor of Amerigo Vespucci.
Who funded Vespucci’s voyage?
Vespucci knew that King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain were willing to fund subsequent voyages by other explorers.
Did Amerigo Vespucci discover the Amazon River?
After reaching the coast of what is now Guyana, they divided forces. Vespucci turned south and is believed to have discovered the mouth of the Amazon River. He probably went as far as Cape St. On the way back he reached Trinidad, sighted the mouth of the Orinoco River, and then made for Haiti.
Why was America named after Amerigo Vespucci and not Christopher Columbus?
The word America comes from a lesser-known navigator and explorer, Amerigo Vespucci. Columbus was also hindered because he thought he had discovered another route to Asia; he didn’t realize America was a whole new continent. Vespucci, however, realized that America was not contiguous with Asia.