Six Well Known Places Named After Famous People

Alexandria: Alexander The Great

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This port of Alexandria Troas was named after Alexander The great. It was a seaport in the Aegean Sea on the coast of North West Turkey. The original site was over 1000 acres. There is also a city named Alexandria in Northern Egypt. It was chosen by Alexander The Great as the capital of his empire. It was one of the greatest cities in the Greco-Roman world.

America: Amerigo Vespucci

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America was named after Amerigo Vespucci. He was an Italian merchant explorer who played a major role in four voyages to the east coast of South America. On his first voyage he discovered that America stretched much further north and south than previous explorers had thought.

Bolivia: Simon Bolivar

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Bolivia was named after Simon Bolivar who fought for independence from Spain in 1825. Since then there has been at least 200 coups and counter plots until Bolivia became democratic in 1982.

The Bronx: Jonas Bronck

The Bronx, an area of New York City, was named after Jonas Bronck. The river that flows through the borough was named after Jonas Bronck in 1641. He was a Swedish sea captain whose land bordered the river.

Carson City: Kit Carson

Carson City was named after the famous frontiersman, Kit Carson . (1809-1868). At the age of 16 Carson joined up with a merchant caravan travelling to Santa Fe. This was the start of his interest in native Americans. He learned the skills of a trapper and taught himself several languages including Navajo, Apache and Cheyenne. He is well known for his work with Fremont, his service in the Mexican American War and the American Civil War.

"Columbia": Christopher Columbus

Christopher Columbus landed on the shores of what was once known as Columbia (now the United States of America). He had sailed from Portugal at the head of a fleet of three ships in the Santa Maria on behalf of Queen Isabel and King Fernando. Columbus actually believed that he had reached Asia but he had in fact landed in "Columbia" in 1492.