Unraveling the Geographical Misconceptions of Columbus

When Christopher Columbus landed on a tropical island in 1492, he firmly believed he had reached the Indies. However, as history has shown, Columbus was mistaken. Little did he know that he had stumbled upon an entirely different landmass, completely separate from his intended destination. Columbus had set out to find a new route to Asia, and he thought he had succeeded. Despite being off by a few thousand miles, Columbus died with the conviction that he was right. This peculiar twist of geography led to an intriguing question: What if Columbus was actually correct?

Wait, hold on! Before you jump to conclusions, let me clarify. When I say "What if Columbus was right," I'm not referring to his actual destination or the Indies themselves. Rather, I'm pondering the idea of the world's land masses aligning with the map Columbus had at his disposal. You see, the maps of that time depicted the continents in a different way than we know them today.

Now, let me apologize for any confusion caused by the title or thumbnail of this blog. I'm aware that some eager Twitter users may have misunderstood the concept without actually watching the video. My intention was to present a thought-provoking idea while enticing viewers to engage with the content. If you already grasp the concept I'm discussing, feel free to skip ahead. For those who are still curious or puzzled, stick around—I promise you might learn something fascinating.

Lately, I've been captivated by how people in the past perceived the world we inhabit. I'm not merely referring to the flat Earth theory but rather to how pre-Discovery era societies envisioned the planet. How did they imagine the world from a celestial or space perspective? Whenever distant lands were explored, information was relayed through journals rather than maps. This brings us to the influential figure of Marco Polo.

Marco Polo's writings had a significant impact for one crucial reason: they portrayed the Far East as a prosperous market teeming with cities of gold. While there are detailed videos by others delving into the specifics of Polo's writings, for our purposes, it's essential to know that his accounts inspired the creation of a map—a map that would, in turn, inspire Columbus. However, it's worth noting that this map wasn't based on the most accurate descriptions but rather on hearsay.

One intriguing artifact that showcases the fuzzy nature of information during that time is the oldest surviving globe, the Erdapfel, created in 1492. From the perspective of Columbus's contemporaries, this globe was a fairly accurate representation of the world. It incorporated Polo's writings, flaws and all. Notably, Asia was depicted as a much larger continent than it truly is, while Africa featured a peculiar coastline. Off the coast of China (or Café, as Polo referred to it), thousands of tiny islands were shown, with the most significant among them being Sapengu, which we now know as Japan.

When Columbus first encountered the Americas, he immediately referred to the indigenous people as "Indios" or Indians, assuming he had landed on one of the islands east of Sapengu. From the perspective of the Taino natives, this must have been an absurd situation. Imagine an unfamiliar force arriving, believing they are in a place you've never heard of before, only to discover that their expectations align perfectly with your own. It's almost like extraterrestrials coming to conquer us because they thought they had found a similar blue planet, albeit not ours.

So, there you have it—the backstory and the essence of the scenario we're exploring. We are delving into the realm of imagination, taking the inaccurate map that Renaissance Europe had to offer and realistically envisioning what this world could have been like. Admittedly, this scenario is undeniably Eurocentric, imagining how other societies might have evolved if they had the geography that Medieval Europe imagined for them. Let's be clear, though—this is purely a fantasy map, akin to the world of Warhammer Fantasy. No matter the justifications or excuses, such a world could never have existed.

Similar to the continent of Mu video I produced last year, I'm embarking on the challenge of rationalizing yet another outdated abomination. But before we dive into it, let's address the Americas. Did they simply vanish in this alternate scenario? Perhaps parts of the continent sank beneath the ocean, similar to the concept of Zealandia. That was my initial explanation. However, upon revisiting Toscanelli's map, it becomes evident that there is still a significant distance between Europe and Asia, only slightly larger than the Atlantic. Therefore, Asia would have to be much larger as well. And here's where things get interesting—the Pacific Ocean is vast, covering 30% of the world's surface. If Columbus had been correct, this would mean an enormous landmass, leaving the majority of the planet as inhospitable wastelands.

If there's one lesson to take away from all this, it's that if the world truly resembled Columbus's perception, the Renaissance world as we know it would never have come to be. The intricate relationship between geography and history is undeniable, shaping the course of civilizations. However, let's remember that this is all a flight of imagination. I'm pushing the boundaries and venturing into uncharted territories of conjecture. So, join me as we embark on this fantastical journey, exploring a world that could have existed but never did.