Question

Почему Христофор Колумб назвал жителей открытых земель индейцами?

Answer 1

Колумб ошибся в своих расчетах и думал что достиг берегов Индии, и потому местное население называл индейцами. 

Вот так по ошибке можно открыть Америку. 

Получается, что не всегда ошибки это плохо

Answer 2

Why Christopher Columbus called the inhabitants of the newly discovered lands "Indians"

Christopher Columbus called the inhabitants of the newly discovered lands "Indians" because he believed that he had reached the East Indies, which was his original destination. Despite landing in the Americas, he mistakenly thought he had arrived in Asia and thus referred to the indigenous people as "Indians".

This misconception arose from Columbus's miscalculation of the Earth's circumference and the size of the Eurasian landmass. He believed that the distance to Asia was much shorter than it actually was, leading him to think he had reached the East Indies when he landed in what is now known as the Bahamas.

This naming of the indigenous people as "Indians" has had a lasting impact on history and terminology, despite the geographical error made by Columbus.

Note: The sources used for this response are primarily historical and may contain varying interpretations of events.