Christopher Columbus was an intrepid explorer who discovered many places. With his three ships Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria, he has successfully crossed the Atlantic four times to search for the New World.
There’s a day to celebrate his achievements, which we know as Columbus Day. And it has been a federal holiday since 1937. Right, from the white-sand beaches in Grenada to the beautiful lush rainforests in Costa Rica, Columbus discovered several magical places that are a sight for sore eyes. Find out some of the days discovered by him.
Dominican Republic
Columbus first found the Dominican Republic on his maiden voyage across the Atlantic in 1492. He promptly claimed the island for the Spanish crown. A year later, Santo Domingo became the first European settlement in the New World, and the Spanish influence has since dominated the land.
However, before Columbus discovered the island, it was already inhabited by the native Taino, who lived on the island. It was popular the mother of all lands. And the land of the high mountains since around 650 AD. However, it was Columbus who introduced the island to the whole world.
Dominica
As soon as Columbus landed on the island nation of Dominica (Sunday in Spanish) after the day, he landed on it. Sandwiched between Martinique and Guadeloupe, Dominica is still an independent republic within the Commonwealth.
To this day, Dominica remains one of the most uninhabited islands and has retained much of its natural beauty. The island boasts lush rainforests, hot springs, active volcanoes, and hiking trails. No wonder the island is popular as ‘the nature island.’
Grenada
Columbus went on to discover Grenada way back in 1498. Although Grenada is gorgeous, people choose the more popular Caribbean islands. This includes St. Lucia and Barbados over Grenada because they do not know much about the place.
Grenada’s Grand Anse is a beautiful white-sand beach. People still flock to this gorgeous place thanks to people enjoying world-class diving and snorkeling.
When Christopher Columbus discovered Grenada, the island was already inhabited by the Carib Indians, who moved from the South American mainland. They went on to enslave the peaceful Arawaks residing on the island. The Amerindians named their island Camerhogue. But Columbus first named it Concepcion. However, the passing Spanish sailors fell in love with lush green land so much that it reminded them of Andalusia, and they went on to name it Granada.
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is a nation in Central America. You can locate the place midway between Mexico and Colombia, with Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The land of Nicaragua starts from the Caribbean Sea on the nation’s east coast and the Pacific Ocean bordering the west. Nicaragua has a series of islands and cays entrenched in the Caribbean Sea.
Columbus spotted Nicaragua on his fourth and final voyage in 1502. He found that the Sumo Amerindians ruled the northern part of the country, the Miskitos governed the eastern part, and the agricultural tribes ruled around Lakes, Nicaragua, and Managua. They combined Nicarao with the Spanish name for water, agua.
Today, the country is one of Central America’s most underrated travel destinations. The country offers beautiful sights from wildlife, lush rainforests, beautiful beaches, and gorgeous churches.
Cuba
When Columbus first hit the shores of Cuba in October 1492, he was in love with the natural beauty. And he was prompt to record his sentiments in his journal. And to this day, travelers are in awe of the beauty of this gorgeous place.
Christopher Columbus was in Cuba and named it Juana, after Prince Don Juan, son of Queen Isabella. The Indian name of the same was Cubanacan. However, slowly, the Spanish adopted Cuba. And many people concur that Columbus gave it the name. Cuba’s size and diverse landscape made Columbus think he had found Asia.
Jamaica
Christopher Columbus sailed west to reach the East Indies and came upon the region now known as the West Indies, landing in Jamaica. This was his second voyage to the West Indies. Columbus heard about Jamaica, or the Xaymaca, from the Cubans who described their land as the land of blessed gold. However, Columbus soon discovered that there was no gold in Jamaica. Columbus landed in Jamaica’s Discovery after looking for gold on his second voyage in 1494.
Christopher Columbus had discovered and introduced the New World for the Europeans and inspired countless other voyagers to set sail and discover the unknown.