In 1492 Christopher Columbus (1451–1506) sailed west across the Atlantic Ocean. He was hoping to find a sea route to East Asia, the lands of spices and silks. These lands were known to Europeans as the Indies. When Columbus set foot on land after crossing the ocean, he was certain that he had reached the Indies. He had, in fact, landed in the Americas, a continent then unknown to Europeans.

Early life

Christopher Columbus was born in the Republic of Genoa in 1451. In those days, Genoa was an independent state with its own language (he was known as Christoffa Corombo). Columbus went to sea before he was 20. He later travelled to England, and, possibly, Iceland, before moving to work as a trader in Lisbon, Portugal. Hungry for knowledge, Columbus read widely about astronomy, geography and history, including the works of Claudius Ptolemy and the travels of Marco Polo.

In Columbus's time, Europeans were looking for a trade route to Asia, where valuable goods such as silk and spices could be found. Going by land was too difficult and dangerous, so sea routes were explored. The Portuguese searched for an eastern route around Africa, but Columbus thought there was a quicker way. Knowing the world was round—like most educated people at the time—Columbus worked out that East Asia lay only about 3700 kilometres (2300 miles) travelling west across the Atlantic Ocean (in fact, the distance is about 20,000 kilometres or 12,000 miles).

First voyage

Columbus's fleet sailed from Palos, Spain, 3rd August 1492 with three ships under his command: the flagship Santa María and the Niña and Pinta.

On the voyage, Columbus pretended to his nervous crew they were nearer Spain than they really were.

After several false alarms, land was sighted in October. The crew landed on a tiny island which they named San Salvador (“Holy Saviour”). Here they met friendly natives.

Cuba and Hispaniola

The men sailed on to Cuba, which was inhabited by the friendly Taino people. The Europeans were amazed to discover that they slept in hanging beds called hammocks and smoked tobacco leaves. In November, the Pinta's crew deserted the expedition, disappointed that no treasure had been found.

Second voyage

Following Columbus's triumphant return to Spain, Ferdinand and Isabella made him the governor of the new islands he had discovered. Six months later, in September 1493, Columbus set out for Hispaniola once more, this time with a large fleet of 17 ships and a crew of over 1000 men.