Amerigo Vespucci was an Italian navigator and explorer who played an important role in exploring the New World, especially South and North America which were named after him.

He was born on March 9, 1451 in Florence, Italy. Although he was born in a wealthy Italian family, Vespucci became a citizen of Spain in 1505. His uncle sent him on a diplomatic mission to Paris and this trip woke up Vespucci's fascination with travelling and exploration.

In 1496, after Christopher Columbus returned from his journey to America, Vespucci had the opportunity to meet him in Seville and this was a huge motivation for him to set off on his first expedition on May 10, 1497. Some people believe that he discovered Venezuela at this journey, a year before Columbus did.

In May 1499, sailing under the Spanish flag, Vespucci set off on his next expedition. Crossing the equator, he travelled to the coast of South America and Vespucci discovered the Amazon River.

On May 14, 1501 he started his third and most successful expedition where he discovered present-day Rio de Janeiro. Believing he had discovered a new continent, he called South America the New World. Vespucci decided to start recording his discoveries in order to get some fame after he dies.

In 1507, a German cartographer proposed that the newly discovered part of the New World should be named America, the female version of the name Amerigo and this led to Southern America being named after Vespucci. 

Decades later, in 1538, another mapmaker called Mercator chose to mark the name America on both the northern and the southern parts of the continent. The definition of America expanded to include more territory and so Vespucci got credit for areas that were actually first discovered by Columbus.

It is not certain if Vespucci went on other expeditions.

He died of malaria in Seville, Spain, in February 1512.