Eventually everything cleared up.
In different historical periods, examining ancient maps, people tried to find the legendary rich territory. But, often, floating on the seas and oceans, many lost their way and stuck to the coast at all those lands that were looking for. It is because of such confusions icy Greenland was “Green land”, Australia is the southernmost continent.
1. Greenland
Translated from the Norwegian Greenland (Grønland) means “Green land”, although on the island you can see the solid glaciers. If you believe the chronicler of the XI century Ari the Wise, harmonious name, gave the island its discoverer Erik the Red, who thus wanted to create a colony. According to another version, in the tenth century climate in Greenland really was softer, so before the eyes of Erik the Red could be green landscapes of the South-Western part of the island.
2. Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands got its name from an easy hand of the Spaniard Medana de Nera in the XVI century. When the traveler bartered with local natives gold, he compared them the land of Ophir, the legendary country referred to in the Bible where supposedly there were countless treasures intended for king Solomon. We can only guess whether Medana de Nera believed that opened a mythic land, or simply wanted to draw attention to his person, as the discoverer of Ophir.
3. Madagascar
The island of Madagascar got its name from the Italian traveler Marco Polo, entangled in descriptions of African countries. The sailor, most likely, decided that the territory of the island “Madagasikara” lush is a place Mogadishu (current name of the capital of Somalia).
4. Australia
Mainland Australia also got its name by mistake. In the XVII century, travelers thought that they finally found Terra Australis Incognita – the land in the very South of the globe, depicted on ancient maps. A period of time, Europeans believed that on the mainland, no one resides while in 1770 the English Navigator Alexander Dalrymple did not submit evidence that the population of Terra Australis Incognita at least 50 million people. When everything fell into place, the mainland has remained Australia, i.e. the “South land.”
5. Brazil
According to one version, Brazil confused with the island of Brazil (O Brasil and hi-Brasil), which is mentioned in Irish mythology. Island in the Atlantic ocean were depicted on maps of the XIV-XVII centuries to the West of Ireland. Attempts to find him have been made repeatedly since high Brasil was considered the Promised Land.
Other researchers are of the opinion that the name “Brazil” was made in 1510, in Lisbon, the merchant has established trade red wood with Portugal. In the metropolis called this species Pau Brasil” (from port. Brasa – charcoal heat). The Portuguese decided that they had opened the territory, where the Arabs were getting valuable mahogany.
