Amerigo Vespucci was born in Florence, Italy. As a young man he loved learning about geography, maps, and stars.

He later traveled on several voyages to South America. As he explored the coastline, he noticed something very important.

Amerigo realized these lands were not Asia. They were part of a “New World” that Europeans had never understood before.

His letters describing these discoveries became very popular. A mapmaker later named the new continents America in honor of Amerigo Vespucci.

Amerigo spent much of his life studying maps and helping sailors navigate safely across the oceans.

Why Did He Explore?

• To learn about new lands.
• To make better maps.
• To understand the world.

His Religion

Amerigo Vespucci was a Roman Catholic Christian. Like many Europeans of his time, he believed God had created the world and wanted to learn more about it.

Remember

America is named after Amerigo Vespucci because he realized the lands were a new continent.

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