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Columbus sailed west to reach the lands of the East : China and India. Knowing the hazards of routes around Africa, Columbus thought that crossing the ocean would be faster and easier. But he had underestimated the actual distance to Asia, which would have made his trip impossibly long if he had not encountered the unexpected continents of the Americas.

Landing in the Bahamas, Columbus believed that he had reached the "Indies", and the red-skinned tribes were similar enough to natives of India that he called them "Indians, " a misnomer that continues to this day.

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13y ago

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