Columbus believed the world was round and that by sailing west from Europe he would eventually end up in India. India was a rich source of trading for Europe. Ships of Columbus' day had to said around the tip of Africa, which was quite dangerous, in order to reach India or return from that country. Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand both realized that if they could find a faster and easier route, they could make a lot of money. Columbus was correct that the earth was round. Unfortunately, he did no realize there were two vast continents between India and Spain when travelling west. Of course we know that North and South America lie between Spain and India if one is travelling west. When Columbus landed on a Caribbean Island, he thought the people he saw were from India. That's why Native Americans were given the name Indians, even though the real India lay thousands of miles further.
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