Why the name of the new continents came from a cartographer, Americo, and not from Cristobal Colon.?

Answer 1

amerigo vespucci was not a cartographer, but an explorer. he discovered large parts of south american coasts, and some cartographer named the continent after him. this because he realized that the continent was a new one and not asia, as columbus had believed. anyways, the country of colombia was named after cristopher columbus (latin version of his real name, which was cristoforo colombo, and cristobal colon was the spanish version of the name).

Answer 2

The old story was "that the name of America came from one Amerigo Vespucci, a Florentine transatlantic explorer who was a navigator with Christopher Columbus in 1499, and the first geographer to realise that the Americas were separate continents." but now there is a new theory about the naming. You can read all about it at: http://www.uhmc.sunysb.edu/surgery/broome.html

Answer 3

First, the name did NOT first appear on maps Amerigo Vespucci made himself, nor did he make the suggestion that his name should be used

Amerigo Vespucci sailed on at least two expeditions to South America, exploring much of its east coast. On his voyage of 1501-2 he concluded that this was NOT part of Asia (as Columbus thought until his death), but a NEW part of the world. He was the first to recognize this. (Incidentally, none of his voyages were with Columbus.)

More important for his subsequent fame, Vespucci wrote two letters to a friend in Europe, telling of his journey and conclusions These letters, with their descriptions of the lives and beliefs of South American natives became very popular all across Europe (unlike Columus's diaries).

In 1507 a German clergyman-scholar named Martin Waldseemüller was working on a contemporary world map. He had read of Vespucci's travels and knew about "the New World". In honor of Vespucci's "discovery" (that is, recognition) of this new "fourth part" of the world, Waldseemüller printed his wood block map with the name "America" spread across the southern continent of the New World. He sold a thousand copies of the map across Europe.

Its maker seems later to have changed his mind, but it was too late. The name had spread too far.

Answer 4

While he was charting the new continents, Amerigo Vespucci named them after himself. The name stuck.

Answer 5

Amerigo Vespucci made the maps and therefore he labeled things as he desired.

Answer 6

Sometimes it is all about who you know. Americo hung out with the mapmakers and was more personable.

Answer 7

I think Vespuci predated Colon by a few years.

Answer 8

Because Martin Waldseemuller, a German mapmaker, thought he was the first Euroipean to reach the "New World" and thought it should be named for him.

Answer 9

Because Columbus thought he was in China, and Amerigo did not.