Columbus Discovers Venezuela

Date: August 1, 1498 • Location: Municipio José Gregorio Monagas, Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of

Christopher Columbus becomes the first European to visit what is now Venezuela.

Christopher Columbus was an Italian explorer and navigator from the Republic of Genoa who completed four Spanish transatlantic voyages in the name of the Catholic Monarchs, opening the way for the widespread European exploration and colonization of the Americas. His expeditions were the first known European contact with the Caribbean and Central and South America.