ABSTRACT
The first landfall of Christopher Columbus on the shore of a Bahamian island on Friday October 12, 1492, has had an immense impact on world history. His first voyage to this con tinent took slightly over 33 days. Columbus sailed a southwestward course from the island of Gomera in the Canaries to an island in the Bahamas. Many historians think that the island upon which Columbus made landfall is Samana Cay. In recent years, the trip from Gomera to Samana Cay has taken modem sailing ships and racing yachts about the same time it took Columbus! Columbus' ships averaged about 31/2 knots during the 33 day crossing. (A knot is a speed of 1 nautical mile per hour. A nautical mile is equal to 1,852 meters or about 6,076 feet, and a statute (land) mile is 5,280 feet.)
a. In statute miles, about how far is it from Gomera to Samana Cay? Indicating units of measure throughout, show how you arrived at your answer. Round your answer to the nearest hun dred statute miles. b. If you traveled this distance southwest of your home, where would you be? Show the route on a map and indicate, on the map, the proportion you used to scale the distance.
