Samana Cay is a small island in the central Bahamas, uninhabited most of the time, and believed by some researchers to have been the location of Columbus's first landfall, on October 12, 1492. Christopher Columbus (1451 – May 20, 1506) was a navigator and maritime explorer credited as the discoverer of the Americas. ... is the 285th day of the year (286th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Not to be confused with 1492: Conquest of Paradise. ...

The natives on the island that Columbus first landed on called it Guanahani. Samana Cay was first proposed to be Guanahani by Gustavus Fox in 1882, but the predominant theory for most of the 20th century gave the honor to San Salvador Island (see the Guanahani article for a list of other candidates). However, in 1986 Joseph Judge of the National Geographic magazine made new calculations based on Columbus's logs, and declared that Samana Cay was indeed the right location. Judge's identification has been controversial. Guanahani was the name the natives gave to the island that Columbus called San Salvador when he first arrived at the Americas. ... Gustavus Vasa Fox (13 June 1821 – 29 October 1883) was a U.S. Navy officer who served during the Civil War. ... Year 1882 (MDCCCLXXXII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Tuesday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999... San Salvador Island, also known as Watling Island, is an island and district of the Bahamas. ... Guanahani was the name the natives gave to the island that Columbus called San Salvador when he first arrived at the Americas. ... Year 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link displays 1986 Gregorian calendar). ... (1929? - April 20, 1996) was a writer and editor for National Geographic Magazine, retiring as Senior Associate Editor in 1990 after 25 years of service. ... The National Geographic Society, headquartered in Washington, D.C. in the United States, is one of the worlds largest not-for-profit educational and scientific organizations. ...

The island is nine miles long (in the east-west direction) and between 1 and 2 miles wide. Its geographical coordinates are 23°05′N, 73°45′W.

Samana Cay had a permanent population during the first half of the 20th century (the ruins of this settlement are still visible on the south side of the island, near the western end), but is today uninhabited. Residents of nearby Acklins Island visit Samana Cay occasionally to collect cascarilla bark, which grows abundantly on the island. The island is about 45 km2 in area. Diversity About 1200 species Species Some species: Croton acronychioides Croton alabamensis Croton argyratus Croton aridus Croton arnhemicus Croton californicus Croton ciliato-glandsulosus Croton cortesianus Croton coryi - Corys croton Croton corymbulosus - encilla, manzanilla Croton craco Croton crassifolius Croton dioicus - grassland croton Croton dissectistipulatus Croton draco Croton echinocarpus Croton eleuteria...

External links

• Paleogeographic evaluation furthering the Samana Cay landfall theory
• Maps and aerial photos Coordinates: 23.083124° -73.741551°
  • Street map from Google Maps, or Yahoo! Maps, or Windows Live Local
  • Satellite image from Google Maps, Windows Live Local, WikiMapia
  • Topographic map from TopoZone
  • Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA