North American Fun Facts! Here are some details the scouts have found especially surprising or interesting about North America so far:
Christopher Columbus did not name America; it was named after Amerigo Vespucci, who sailed to Venezuela in 1494. (AZ)
Columbus thought he found India when he “discovered” America, and called the local people “Los Indios.” That’s how they got the name American Indians. (CZ)
Native Americans used animal skins as camouflage while hunting. They would wear the animal’s head on top of theirs. (CZ)
Sacagawea was pregnant when she traveled across the country with Lewis and Clark. She had the baby in the woods. (AZ)
Canada is the second largest country in the world and they speak English in some parts and French in others. (AZ)
The far north of North America is covered in snow for eight months of the year. (AZ)
Mexico City is the biggest city in the world, but Mexico is the smallest country in North America. (AZ)
Most people in Mexico speak Spanish but there are 53 different groups of Indians that live in Mexico and they all have their own language. (CZ)
On Mexico`s flag, there are three stripes, the green one stands for hope, the white one stands for purity, and the red one stands for the blood lost fighting for freedom. (CZ)
The Mayans invented writing and the calendar in around 300 AD. In their calendar, the year had 365 days but it was divided into 18 periods of 20 days, plus 5 days which were unlucky!! Every year had a name and the names did not repeat for 52 years! (CZ)
Globe Scouts 