Martin is a mapmaker in Europe. He has heard about Christopher Columbus’s voyages to the newly discovered continents in the west. However, Martin wants to name these new lands in the west on his map after Italian Amerigo Vespucci. Why does he want to name the new lands after Vespucci, not Columbus?

Select the best answer from the choices provided.
Vespucci has found a new land.
Martin believes Vespucci has sailed to India.
The French might name the land first.
Columbus has found a new route to India.

Question

Martin is a mapmaker in Europe. He has heard about Christopher Columbus’s voyages to the newly discovered continents in the west. However, Martin wants to name these new lands in the west on his map after Italian Amerigo Vespucci. Why does he want to name the new lands after Vespucci, not Columbus?

Select the best answer from the choices provided.
Vespucci has found a new land.
Martin believes Vespucci has sailed to India.
The French might name the land first.
Columbus has found a new route to India.

sarhamby1227 · Answer

He and two scholarly partners were aware of Vespucci’s writings and were ignorant of Columbus’s expeditions. As such, they mistakenly thought Vespucci was the first to discover this new land and so named it after him