If you ask the question, after whom America is named, many will answer without hesitation - Amerigo Vespucci. But is it really so? Who actually discovered the "New World"? Historians have been looking for answers to these questions for a long time. Let's figure out who named it and who first discovered it?
historical injustice
It is very difficult to answer who America is named after. Indeed, for many centuries, some of the facts were hidden, and some documents were lost. However, very often in print media you can find articles that talk about historical injustice. According to many, the discoverer of the new continent was However, his name was never immortalized, and America was named after another traveler.
But at the same time, experts say that Columbus did not discover the New World. And there is no injustice. The purpose of the expeditions of Christopher Columbus was the search for the West Indies. For this discovery, he received a laurel branch. The traveler was looking for new trade routes so that ships could not sail past Asia, which was restless at that time. So why Columbus? He didn't call America America. And this is a fact.
Amerigo Vespucci
After Columbus, there were still a lot of travelers who sought to discover new lands. Amerigo Vespucci followed him. He traveled frequently along the eastern and northern coasts of the new continent. It is worth noting that the maps of Christopher Columbus practically did not change anything in the maps of Magellan. As for the documents, they made it possible to form an accurate picture of America as a new continent.
It is worth noting that the travelers were good friends. Amerigo Vespucci often helped Columbus equip expeditions. According to contemporaries, this man was smart, kind, honest and talented. Thanks to him, not only notes about new lands were created, but also about their flora and fauna, the starry sky, and the customs of the local population. Many believe that some facts have been slightly exaggerated.
What traveler is America named after?
Amerigo Vespucci never aspired to take the place of a friend. He did not claim the laurels of Christopher Columbus. After the new continent was named, the sons of the discoverer did not even make claims to Amerigo. At one time, Vespucci proposed to call the discovered continent "New World". However, it was not his fault that Martin Waldseemülle from Lorraine - a cartographer - announced Amerigo as the discoverer of the fourth. This man was one of the best specialists of that time. It was to him that Vespucci handed over his works and all the materials. This fact influenced the choice of the final name for the continent. As a result, the "New World" became America.
After 30 years, this name became official and generally recognized. It was indicated even in the maps of Mercator and extended to the lands located in the north. But this is only one version of who America was named after. There are other versions of the story.
Another version
So who is America named after? There are several versions. The latter is even documented. Together with the expeditions of Vespucci and Columbus, another navigator, Giovanni Caboto, a native of Barcelona, set off several times to the shores of the new continent. His travels were financed by the patron Ricardo Américo. Cabot's expedition sailed to the shores of Labrador. The team of this traveler set foot on the lands of the new continent earlier than Amerigo Vespucci. Cabot is the first navigator who made an accurate map of the coast of North America: from Nova Scotia to Newfoundland.
Experts suggest that the new lands were named after the philanthropist Ricardo Americo. In addition, there are official marks in the Bristol calendar, which date back to 1497. The documents indicate that merchants from Barcelona found new lands that arrived there on the ship "Matthew". This event took place on June 24 - the day of St. John the Baptist.
Or maybe everything was different?
Some historians believe that America was discovered long before the voyages of Columbus, Vespucci and Cabot. The first mention of new lands, in their opinion, is subsidized by the 4th century BC. The Greeks and Romans have been here. There are myths among the Aztecs, which speak of bearded white gods who arrived from the east. However, apart from the legends, nothing remains.
There is also a version that the Vikings were the first to set foot on the lands of America, and this happened about 500 years before the travels of Columbus. As proof of this, documents are cited that speak of several settlements that were left in Greenland.
Finally
Now you know who America is named after. There is evidence that Vespucci changed his nicknames and began to call himself after the new continent. All these versions are proven and have the right to exist. It follows that no one offended Christopher Columbus. After all, America was discovered before him.
Every schoolchild knows that the first European to reach the shores of America was Columbus. But in honor of whom America is named, and why Columbus remained "out of work", they still argue. But in order to understand what the dispute is about, it is worth familiarizing yourself with the issue closer, which we will now do.
What is America?
America is called the part of the world, consisting of two continents. In addition to directly North and South America, it includes many nearby islands, which include Greenland, although economically and politically this large island belongs to European Denmark. As you already understood, this is a huge territory, and it is all the more interesting to know who America was named after. And maybe it would be more honest to call it something else ...
Why not Columbia?
Many geographical objects receive the names of their discoverers. But Christopher Columbus was not so lucky. Like all travelers, he dreamed of making a great discovery, but his expedition, consisting of three ships, officially pursued somewhat different goals. The Santa Maria, the Pinta and the Nina had to find a shortcut to India, whose wealth haunted the Spanish Crown. The fact is that the spices that can now be found in every kitchen were worth their weight in gold at that time. The Spanish monarchs Ferdinand and Isabella really wanted to get them faster and cheaper in order to profitably resell them to other countries. So the expedition faced a purely economic task.
Columbus assumed that India could be reached not only by land or around Africa, as the Portuguese always did. He guessed that if he went west, the path would be both easier and closer. On October 12, 1492, Columbus reached his goal. His team landed on the "Indian" coast. In fact, the expedition discovered a new continent, but never guessed it. Columbus visited his "India" three more times, but never realized the mistake. Most likely this was the reason why the continent was not named Columbia. Thus, the main question, after whom America is named, is still open.
Version one (main)
The main version of the origin of the modern name of the mainland suggests that it was formed on behalf of the outstanding traveler, cartographer and businessman Amerigo Vespucci. It was he who, exploring the shores discovered by Columbus, compiled detailed maps and managed to understand that this was not the West Indies, but a completely new continent previously unknown to Europeans. But the one for whom America is named used a different name himself. The described lands Amerigo Vespucci called the "New World".
The talented cartographer not only made maps of the lands, but also described nature, spoke about unusual animals, and indicated which stars you can focus on. He also introduced Europeans to the mores of the natives. Strictly speaking, it was not quite a scientific work, since Vespucci also turned out to be a talented writer. Many believe that the process of describing new lands greatly excited the author's imagination. Vespucci's letters and travel notes were published as a separate book and were a resounding success in his homeland.
Who first introduced the name "America"?
Cartographers-geographers quickly got their bearings in the situation. They realized that both Columbus and Vespucci describe the same lands, and this is precisely the new continent. Then they divided it into northern and southern parts, that is, into North and South America. The demarcation of the continents conditionally runs along the Isthmus of Panama. The islands located in the Caribbean Sea, geographers attributed to North America.
For the first time, the faceless name "New World" was changed on the maps of Martin Waldseemüller. It was he who coined the name America. The cartographer motivated this decision by the fact that the map was compiled on the basis of the more complete materials of Vespucci, and not on the approximate descriptions of Columbus. It took almost 30 years for the world to adopt the new name. According to some sources, Vespucci himself was not very pleased with this fact. He did not really want to be the one after whom America was named, since he was friendly with Columbus and his family.
Friendship Above All
Columbus himself did not understand that he had discovered a new continent, but his family meekly accepted the state of affairs that had arisen. After the death of their father, the sons of Columbus did not start disputes and lawsuits with his friend because of the name of the new lands. They valued the old friendship and understood that nothing depended on Amerigo himself. Moreover, the person in whose honor America was named never used the new name himself.
Version two (quite possible)
On the question of who America is named after, the final point has not been made because there is another quite possible version. This version is mainly insisted on by the British. They believe that the continent of America is named after a wealthy merchant from Bristol, Richard America. This man took a serious financial part in equipping John Cabot's expedition. The ships of this traveler followed the path of Columbus and reached new lands earlier than the team led by Amerigo Vespucci.
Cabot's expedition left Bristol in 1497. It consisted of only 18 people. The ship was called "Matthew". Even here there are disagreements, the name is associated with the Evangelist Matthew, or so the name of D. Cabot's wife, Mattea, was immortalized.
During the expedition, Cabot worked on a map of the coast of North America, although he himself for a long time believed that he was describing China. In fact, Cabot landed on the northern part of the island of Newfoundland. Cabot considered his most valuable discovery to be the rich fishing grounds (Great Newfoundland Bank), where numerous shoals of cod and herring were found.
This version of the origin of the name is based on the chronicle of Bristol, which records that in 1497 merchants who arrived from Bristol on the ship Matthew found the land and named it America.
Comedy of Errors
The famous writer Stefan Zweig called the story of finding the final name of the new mainland a comedy of errors. And indeed, he discovered one, described the other, and was named, perhaps, in general in honor of the third. Many still believe that Columbus was treated unfairly, although he was mistaken in the ownership of new lands. But no matter what they say, the fact remains: the man, after whom the continent America was named, definitely stepped on its shores among the first. For many, this is enough.
Not at all in honor of the Italian merchant, navigator and cartographer Amerigo Vespucci. America is named after Richard America, a Welsh merchant from Bristol.
Americ financed the second transatlantic expedition of John Cabot - the English name for the Italian navigator Giovanni Caboto - whose voyages in 1497 and 1498 provided the groundwork for subsequent English claims to Canada. In 1484, Cabot moved from Genoa to London and received permission from Henry VII himself to search for unexplored lands of the West.
In May 1497, on his small ship "Matthew" Cabot reached the shores of Labrador, becoming the first officially registered European to set foot on American soil - two years earlier than Vespucci.
Cabot mapped the coast of North America from Nova Scotia to Newfoundland.
Being the main sponsor of the expedition, Richard America, of course, expected that the newly discovered lands would be named after him. The Bristol calendar has an entry for that year:
"... on the day of St. John the Baptist was found in the land of America by merchants from Bristol, who arrived on a ship from Bristol with the name "Matthew".
The recording seems to make it clear how things really were.
And although the author's manuscript of the calendar has not been preserved, there are a number of other documents of that time, where it is mentioned more than once. This is the first time in history that the word "America" has been used as the name of a new continent.
The earliest extant map using the same name is Martin Waldsmuller's 1507 large world map. However, it only applies to South America. In his notes, Waldsmuller suggests that "America" most likely comes from the Latin version of the name Amerigo Vespucci. It was Vespucci who discovered South America and mapped its coastline in 1500-1502.
It turns out that Waldsmuller did not know for sure and was simply trying to somehow explain the word that he met on other maps - including on the Cabot map. The only place where the term "America" was known and actively used was Bristol, a city that Waldsmuller, who lived in France, hardly ever visited. Moreover, in his world map of 1513, he already replaces the word "America" with "Terra Incognita" (Unknown Country (lat.)).
Amerigo Vespucci has never been to North America. All early maps of this country and trade with it were English. Moreover, Vespucci himself never used the name "America" for his discovery.
By the way, there are good reasons for this. New countries and continents have never been named after someone by the name of a person - only by his last name (Tasmania, Van Diemen's Land or the Cook Islands).
If an Italian explorer had consciously chosen to name America after himself, it would have become the "Land of Vespucci" (or "Vespuccia").
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The history of the name of each of the continents is very interesting. Why is Asia called Asia and Antarctica is called Antarctica? The origin of some names is connected with ancient myths - the merit of the ancient Greeks in the etymology of many words, including their own names, is very great. For example, Europe is a mythical heroine that appeared thanks to the boundless imagination of the ancient Greeks, who composed an incredible number of myths.
Why is Europe called Europe?
There are several versions. Here is one of the most common.
In the place where the state of Lebanon is now located, Phoenicia was located in ancient times. According to ancient Greek myths, the god Zeus fell in love with an insanely beautiful earthly woman named Europa. Historians suggest that the word "Europa" in Phoenician meant "sunset" (the word itself is most likely Assyrian).
Beauty Europa was the daughter of Agenor, king of Phoenicia. The Thunderer Zeus wished to make Europe his wife, but King Agenor would not allow this. Zeus had no choice but to kidnap the beauty.
Turning into a white bull, Zeus stole Europa and transported her to the island of Crete. Later, according to some myths, Europe became the wife of the Cretan king. That is why the inhabitants of Crete began to call their land Europe.
"The Abduction of Europe", V. Serov, 1910
In the 5th century BC, the name Europe spread to all of Greece. Gradually, gaining new knowledge about the world around us and traveling more and more, ancient people pushed back the borders of Europe. And only in the middle of the 18th century the final borders of Europe were established, which are also marked on modern geographical maps.
Perhaps that is exactly what happened, and Europe was called Europe in honor of the heroine of ancient Greek myths. In any case, this is a very interesting and curious version.
Why is Asia called Asia?
The name "Asia" in relation to the continent also appeared thanks to the ancient Greeks and their myths. However, the word "asia" itself is Assyrian, translated as "sunrise". Now it is clear why the largest part of the world was called Asia, because it is there that the sun rises.
The word "Asia" among the Assyrians was just a word, but it became the name of a part of the world thanks to the Greeks. In ancient Greek mythology, there is a titan god named Oceanus. Asia (Asia) is his oceanid daughter, whom the Greeks themselves depicted riding a camel. In her hands were a shield and a box of fragrant spices. In some versions of the myths, Asia is the mother (and in some - the wife) of Prometheus himself - the very hero who brought fire to people.
G. Dore "Oceanides", 1860
Everything east of Europe and closer to the place where the sun rises, the ancient Greeks began to call Asia. The Scythians, who lived beyond the Caspian Sea, the Greeks called the Asians. And the ancient Romans, by the way, called the inhabitants of their eastern province Asians.
When the period of great geographical discoveries began, it was decided to use the word "Asia" to refer to vast lands located closer to sunrise (that is, to the east). Thus, we owe the appearance on the map of a part of the world called Asia to the Assyrians and the ancient Greeks.
Did ancient Greek mythology influence the name of any other part of the world? Yes! And that part of the world is Antarctica.
How did Antarctica get its name?
Antarctica is derived from the word "Antarctica". The south polar region was named Antarctica. Translated from Greek, Antarctica means "opposite to the Arctic", because the name "Arctic" appeared earlier as a designation of the area adjacent to the North Pole. It is the word "Arctic" that is directly related to ancient Greek mythology.
The Thunderer Zeus fell in love with the nymph Callisto, but the envious gods could not see how happy Zeus and Callisto were and turned the pregnant woman into a bear. After that, she gave birth to a son. Arkad, that was the name of the son (in Greek, the bear is arktos), grew up without a mother. Once, while hunting, he swung a spear at his mother, the bear Callisto (of course, he did not know who she was). Seeing this, Zeus turned both creatures dear to him into constellations - this is how Ursa Major and Ursa Minor appeared.
These constellations helped to find the polar star, which always points north. Therefore, the ancient Greeks began to call the entire northern region the Arctic. Then came the name Antarctica (the opposite of the Arctic). Well, later the word Antarctica appeared - the sixth part of the world, the southern mainland at the very pole of the Earth.
This part of the world was discovered by Russian sailors under the command of Thaddeus Bellingshausen on January 28, 1820. True, this is the official date - it was then that the sailors saw the "ice mainland". A year later, the sailors saw the shore and called this area the Land of Alexander the First. However, this name never spread to the entire mainland, which eventually received the name Antarctica, associated with ancient Greece.
So, the three parts of the world - Europe, Asia and Antarctica - got their names thanks to ancient Greek myths. But how did the names of other parts of the world and continents come about?
Even children know that America was discovered by Christopher Columbus. Then why was this part of the world not called Columbia or Columbia? And what is the origin of the name America?
Christopher Columbus, of course, discovered America, but at the same time he himself did not know that he had discovered a new part of the world, believing that the land on the other side of the Atlantic was China (Katay, as it was called in the time of Columbus).
Columbus still became famous for centuries. But much less often they talk about the Florentine navigator, who lived at the same time as Columbus, but was younger than him. Amerigo made four trips to the western shores of the Atlantic Ocean, but two of them are considered by historians to be nothing more than a hoax. However, at least one journey was in fact - Amerigo made it in 1501-1502 to the shores of Brazil.
Returning, Amerigo Vespucci began to colorfully describe the course of the trip and his impressions, sending these notes by letters to his friends and banker Lorenzo Medici. After some time, Vespucci's letters were published and were a huge success with readers.
Vespucci himself proposed to call the land he discovered new world, but in 1507, a Lorraine cartographer named Martin Waldseemüller decided to map a new land and name it in honor of the "discoverer" - Amerigo Vespucci. After all, reading Amerigo's notes, many came to the conclusion that Vespucci had discovered some new continent that had nothing to do with China, discovered by Columbus on the other side of the Atlantic.
However, not much time passed, and geographers-cartographers concluded that both Columbus and Vespucci discovered the same continent. Cartographers left for him the name " America”, dividing it into North and South.
Thus, already in 1538, North America and South America appeared on the maps. However, until the end of the 17th century, that is, another two and a half centuries, these lands in Europe continued to be called the New World. But, as we know, the name America was officially recognized.
Stefan Zweig called this whole story a comedy of errors, and A. Humboldt dubbed the very name of this part of the world "a monument to human injustice." No wonder they say that Columbus was lucky alternately: “he went to discover one, found another, but what he found was given the name of the third.”
Australia, the fifth continent, was discovered in the early 17th century by the Dutch navigator Willem Janszoon. Since then, this part of the world has appeared on maps, but under the name of New Holland. However, the borders of the continent were unknown at that time. How australia name
changed its own, ceasing to be just New Holland?
Australia. Shot from space
The answer must be sought in the mists of time. Australia was talked about long before it was discovered. Even the great Ptolemy was sure that there was a huge continent in the southern hemisphere, which should “balance” the planet. For the mysterious land, which either exists or does not exist, a conditional name has been assigned Terra Australis Incognita, which in Latin means "Mysterious (or Unknown) Southern Land."
The British in the 18-19 centuries were actively engaged in the search for the Mysterious South Land or New Holland. And, finally, James Cook and Matthew Flinders, having made several voyages, contributed to the fact that the shores of the fifth continent appeared on the maps.
Flinders was the first to circumnavigate the mainland. He wrote that he was shackled by the name Terra Australis (Southern Land), but with great pleasure he would have called the mainland in a different way -. So, with the light hand of Flinders, this continent began to be called Australia, because the option proposed by the navigator seemed very, very successful to the learned cartographers and geographers.
Why is Africa called Africa?
There is no exact and only accepted answer to this question. There are many theories, each of which has the right to life. Let's give just a few.
How the name "Africa" appeared: the first version. The name "Africa" was coined by the Greco-Romans. The territory of North Africa to the west of Egypt, the ancient Greeks and Romans for a long time called Libya, because there lived tribes, which the Romans called "Livs". Everything south of Libya was called Ethiopia.
In 146 BC, Rome defeated Carthage. A colony was founded on the territory captured as a result of the war, on which Tunisia is now located. This colony was given the name "Africa", as the local warlike tribes of the Afariks lived in these places. According to another theory, the inhabitants of Carthage themselves called people who did not live in cities the word "afri", which is supposedly derived from the Phoenician afar (dust). The Romans, having defeated Carthage, used the word "afri" for the name of the colony. Gradually, Africa began to call all the other lands of this continent.
The ruins of one of the cities of the state of Carthage
How the name "Africa" appeared: version two. The name "Africa" was coined by the Arabs. Arab geographers have long known that Asia and Africa are separated from each other by the Red Sea. The Arabic word "faraka" is translated as "separate", "separate one from the other."
From the word farak, the Arabs formed the word "Ifriqiya" - that is how they called the fourth continent (the ancient name can be translated as "Separated"). The famous Arab scholar of the 16th century, Muhammad al-Wazan, wrote about this. Later, Ifriqiya turned into Africa, which was associated with the peculiarities of borrowing foreign names in different languages.
And also find out if it is true and true that The original article is on the website InfoGlaz.rf Link to the article from which this copy is made -
Why is America called America? After all, don’t ask anyone, even the smallest child, who was the discoverer of America, he will immediately answer Christopher Columbus ....
Why is America called America? After all, whoever you ask, even the smallest child, who was the discoverer of America, he will immediately answer Christopher Columbus. So why is the name of the mainland in no way connected with its name or surname? Let's figure it out.
Columbus in American history
Christopher Columbus, during his navigation, did not have the task of discovering a new continent, he considered his task to be to find a new shorter sea route that would be used in trade, and which would not pass through the territory of Asia. And he succeeded, having reached the Asian coast, he paved a new sea route to India. On his way, Columbus, of course, discovered America, but he assumed that this was China, and in his entire life he never knew that he had actually discovered a new land. But his name still went down in history.
Contribution of Amerigo Vespucci
In those days, there lived another man, Amerigo Vespucci. Vespucci was a friend of Christopher Columbus and even helped equip his expedition. According to the people of that time, Amerigo Vespucci was a talented person, far from stupid and noble. Vespucci, like Columbus, was a navigator and he decided to follow the sea route, following his friend. Then each navigator added his own notes and corrections to the map of Magellan, which they noticed during the trip. And it was the maps of Amerigo Vespucci that made it possible to imagine what exactly the mainland America is, which cannot be said about the maps of Columbus. Vespucci obviously had a bit of writing talent, he very succinctly and clearly described the new lands, their flora and fauna, local residents and their customs.
In addition, Vespucci himself never claimed to be a discoverer and did not propose to name the mainland America. Amerigo Vespucci, proposed a completely different name for the discovered lands, namely "New World". But some of the largest cartographers of that time, Martin Waldseemülle declared Amerigo Vespucci the discoverer of a new continent, a new part of the world. After all, Waldseemülle, based on the material provided by Vespucci, leaving Columbus's notes without attention. And then the cartographer decided that the mainland should be named after its alleged discoverer Amerigo Vespucci, and the mainland was named America. Less than ten years later, the new name took root and became famous and recognizable all over the world. Over time, geographers, together with cartographers, nevertheless came to the general conclusion that the lands that Columbus discovered and the lands of Vespucci are one and the same continent, but it was too late. Later, this story was given different names, whether it was a "comedy of errors" or "a monument to human injustice."
But this is only one of the versions of the development of events, there are several more versions of what is happening. For example, there is a version associated with the sea expedition of John Cabot, which at the same time as Columbus and Vespucci went towards America. An Italian philanthropist sponsored Cabot, and the name of this virtue was Ricardo Americo. So Cabot, ahead of Vespucci and the first to map the American coast, and Cabot decided to give the name of the new continent in honor of his patron, who sponsored him. And if you follow this version, then Vespucci took a nickname in honor of the continent, which had already been named before. Interestingly, both versions are supported by documents, and which one is true is not completely known.
A few more versions
There are several more versions that few people support, but nevertheless, they also have a right to exist. For example, historians from Brazil are trying to prove that the very name "America" is a local name derived from the word "maroca". From time immemorial, the inhabitants of Brazil had a deity whom they worshiped and called him exactly Maroka.
A few more scientists from America argued that at the time of the description of the mainland by the navigator Vespucci, the mainland was already called America. And quite by chance, the name of the mainland is similar to the name of a navigator.
Of course, the most common and well-known is the first version of events. So, in answer to the question: “Why was America called America?”, we can safely answer that in honor of the navigator Amerigo Vespucci.
Geography Answers (South America is called the country of records: name them)
In one of the tasks in geography for grade 7 it is written: South America is called the country of records, name them. With a close study of this continent, you can get acquainted with many of its unique features.
What is South America like?
South America, together with the islands, occupies about 18.2 million km² in area. This continent was once settled by people who arrived south, according to the generally accepted opinion, from North America. Compared to other continents, the appearance of man here happened not so long ago - about 15-20 thousand years ago. It was then that the first inhabitant of these lands was an Indian.
Why is America called America? Everyone probably knows who discovered it. The Italian traveler Christopher Columbus planned to reach India, but sailed to her not to the East, as was usually done, but to the West in order to circumnavigate the globe. Together with his team, he reached the desired shores, confident that these were some islands of India.
But who is America named after? The idea that the discovered lands were not Indian islands at all, but a new mainland, was later expressed by Amerigo Vespucci. He took part in expeditions to these new territories and prepared their description. It was his attention to this issue that caused the continent to be called America.
There are 2 continents with this name - northern and southern. But which America is then called Latin? This name is given to the region, covering the entire South American mainland and part of the north, territorially connected with the south, including Mexico.
After the discovery of Columbus, these lands were attacked by the Spanish conquerors. Most of the native Americans were either killed or enslaved. The legacy of such invasions was the almost universal spread of the Spanish language in South America, except for Brazil. In Brazil, Portuguese has been and is being used. But both originated from ancient Latin, and this explains the fact why Latin America is called Latin. The largest countries in this region are Mexico, Colombia, Argentina and Brazil. And Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro are among the largest cities on the planet.
Features of the South American continent are unique. This continent gave the world tomatoes, cocoa, peppers, corn, and even potatoes, so familiar and familiar to everyone.
For a long time, the lands developed in isolation, which caused some of the specific features that South America has.
Wonders of the Continent
These territories are sometimes called the continent of miracles. Many of the natural records that South America is known for are due to its humid climate and isolation. Among the natural records are the following:
- The wettest continent on earth. The Andes play the most important role: they form a climatic barrier. Sea air coming from the Atlantic Ocean supplies moisture to the territories, which is facilitated by their flat character. Further, faced with an obstacle in the form of the Andes, the most powerful mountain system in South America, moist air rushes up and cools, returning to the earth with heavy rainfall.
- The driest place in the world (Akatama Desert). An amazing combination in the context of the title of the wettest continent. This feature of the desert is explained by its position and the influence of the Peruvian Current.
- The longest mountain range on land (Andes).
- The widest strait in the world (Drake Passage). This strait separates South America and Antarctica and connects 2 oceans: the Pacific and the Atlantic.
- The deepest river in the world (Amazon).
- The longest river in the world (Amazon). Despite the fact that this river of South America could not share the palm with the Nile for a long time, in the end, according to recent measurements, it was found that the latter is still inferior to it. Thus, the South American river system began to be called the longest river.
- The highest waterfall in the world (Angel). It is located in Venezuela. The height of the water fall is more than 1000 meters.
- The widest waterfall (Iguazu). The second unique waterfall in this area. It is far from being so large compared to the grandiose Angel, but rather, on the contrary, small, but its dimensions are extraordinary: the overflowing stream approaches 3 km in width.
- The largest lowland of the planet (Amazonian). Located in Brazil.
- The highest mountain capital in the world (La Paz, the capital of Bolivia). Its height above sea level is 3400 m.
- The largest reserves of copper. The Andes region is incredibly rich in ore. The very name of the mountain system comes from the word "anta", used by the ancient inhabitants of South America, the Inca Indians, to designate copper.
- Unique representatives of flora and fauna that are found only here. These include sloth, howler monkey, capybara.
- Tepui is a mountain that looks like a table with a flat top and almost sheer slopes. This is a great natural site. Such mountains are found only in Venezuela.
Thus, South America is a continent with its own unique history. The story of the origin of its name is amazing, which is inextricably linked with geographical discoveries and gives an answer to the question why America is called America. But not only historical facts are unique. The natural and geographical features of this continent are widely known for their wonders and records.
