Claim: Antigua and Barbuda was the birthplace of Christopher Columbus.
Evidence: The country 's name was given by Christopher Columbus in 1493 after discovering the island , in honor of the Virgin of La Antigua in the Seville Cathedral.
During his first voyage in 1492 , he reached the New World instead of arriving at Japan as he had intended , landing on an island in the Bahamas archipelago that he named `` San Salvador ''.