Презентация по английскому языку на тему "The discovery of America"

The discovery of America

Two continents, North and South America, form the part of the world called America.

Christopher Columbus discovered America in 1492.

Columbus was born in the Italian seaport of Genoa but lived in Spain for a long time. He was a seaman and made many sea voyages.

In 1492 the King and the Queen of Spain gave him money to go to India.

Columbus wanted to find a way to India by sea, shorter than the overland route.

In those times it was from Indies that expensive exotic spices, silk, gold and precious stones were brought.

So Columbus decided to sail west because he was sure that our planet was round.

He sailed off on his first voyage from the port of Palos, in Spain.

Cabo (cape) de Palos

The expedition set sail from Palos on August 3, 1492.
They were not sure they would come back.

These brave men sailed in three ships: Niña, Pinta and Santa Maria with fewer than a hundred men on board.

Santa Maria was the flagship of Christopher Columbus (replica)
Flag of Christopher Columbus

After more than a month at sea, after sailing 4000 miles (6400 kms) they finally reached the land.

The sailors landed on an island in the Bahamas and named it San Salvador.

Route of the first Columbus voyage
Over the next few weeks they also landed on Cuba, named Juana by Columbus, and Espaсola, now known as Hispaniola.

Columbus thought it was India but it was a new land, a new continent.

It was America – Central America, in fact. People began to speak about this land as “the New World”.

Christopher Columbus kneeling in front of Queen Isabella I.
Spain was very much interested in this land, in this territory.

Map of “Spanish Americas”
Later the Spanish Kings and Queens had a lot of Spanish settlements in South and Central America and in the south of North America too.

Route of the second Columbus voyage
The second great voyage of Christopher Columbus began in September 1493. He had then 17 ships and discovered some more islands, but he didn’t know that these were islands.

Columbus made some more voyages to the New World but he never
landed on the mainland of North America.