Gaspar de Lemos, Amerigo Vespucci, and Coelho
The explorers Amerigo Vespucci and Christopher Columbus both made voyages to the Americas in the late 15th and early 16th centuries. While Columbus initially believed that he had reached the shores of Asia, Vespucci and other explorers who followed him recognized that the lands they encountered were not a part of Asia, but were instead a new continent. This realization led to the naming of the continent “America” in Vespucci’s honor.
Vespucci and other explorers recognized that the lands they encountered were not a part of Asia because of several key differences between the two continents. For example, the flora and fauna they encountered were different from those found in Asia, and the native peoples they encountered were distinct from those found in Asia. Additionally, the explorers calculated that the distance between the land they discovered and Asia was too great to be the same continent.
The explorers calculated the distance between the land they discovered and Asia by using a variety of methods. One of the primary methods they used was navigation and mapping, which involved measuring the distance between different points on the map, as well as determining the latitude and longitude of their location. They also used astronomical observations to determine their position.
In addition to this, they could compare the previously existing maps with their own observations. They would compare the shape of the coast, compare the way the sea currents were flowing, compare the altitude of the stars to what they should be for that location. They also kept detailed log books of their voyage with the observations of the sea, weather, astronomical observations and other information that allowed them to triangulate their position.
By combining these different methods, the explorers were able to determine that the distance between the land they discovered and Asia was too great to be the same continent.
As well, the shape of the coast and the landscape were different, the navigational measurements and the map of the world it corresponded to didn’t match the known Asian coast.
All of these factors led Vespucci and other explorers to conclude that the lands they had discovered were not a part of Asia, but were instead a new continent, which led to the naming of the continent “America” in Vespucci’s honor.
