Fact 2 The name 'America' derives from the Latin version of the first name of Amerigo Vespucci.

Fact 3 A cartographer called Martin Waldseemuller printed a wood block map, called "Carta Mariana", with the name "America" spread across the southern continent of the New World.

Fact 4 In 1538 a world map was produced by Gerardus Mercator which was the first to include the names of North America and South America on the two continents.

Fact 5 When was Amerigo Vespucci born? He was born on March 9, 1451

Fact 6 What was his country of origin and where was Amerigo Vespucci born? He was born in Ognissanti, Florence, Italy

Fact 7 Amerigo Vespucci came from a well connected family.

Fact 8 In 1483 he became steward in the powerful house of Lorenzo de Medici

Fact 9 Whilst working for the Medici family he was sent to Seville in Spain where he learnt about the voyages of exploration and the search for a northwest passage to the lucrative Indies

Fact 10 He stayed in Spain and in 1497 was granted permission to undertake a voyage of discovery by King Ferdinand of Spain

Fact 11 He left the port of Cadiz in Spain for his first voyage on May 10, 1497

Fact 12 May 10, 1497: His first voyage took him to the mainland of Guiana located on the northern Atlantic coast of South America.

Fact 13 He returned to Spain on October 15, 1498, reporting his findings to the de Medici family

Fact 14 May 16,1499: The Second Voyage of Amerigo Vespucci with Alonzo de Ojeda set sail for Cape Verde and explored the coast of Guiana and Brazil. They discovered Cape St. Augustine and the River Amazon and then returned to Spain

Fact 15 May 14, 1501: His Third Voyage took him back to Cape Verde and South America

Fact 16 June 10, 1503 The Fourth Voyage to South America. On the return journey he discovered Bahia and the island of South Georgia and the Sandwich Islands

Fact 17 He established a trading agency for brazil wood at Cape Frio, Brazil - it was located exactly on the Tropic of Capricorn and returned to Europe

Fact 18 Amerigo Vespucci married Maria Cerezo and on April 14, 1505 he became a naturalized Spaniard

Fact 19 1505: Fifth voyage to South America

Fact 20 1507: Sixth voyage to South America

Fact 21 1507: The name of Amerigo Vespucci was immortalized by Martin Waldseemuller, who printed the first map that used the name America for the New World

Fact 22 Vespucci became Piloto Mayor (chief pilot) of Spain on August 6, 1508

Fact 23 Amerigo Vespucci died at Seville on February 22, 1512