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- When Spanish explorer Ponce de Leon discovered the island in 1513 he was amazed by the amount of sea turtles he saw; they were everywhere! He decided to name the island after the magnificent animals and gave the island the name “Las Tortugas” which is Spanish for “the turtles.”
www.drytortugas.com/national-park-history/
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Why is it called Dry Tortugas?
Discovered by Ponce de Leon in 1513, the Dry Tortugas were named after the large population of sea turtles living in the island’s surrounding waters. “Tortugas” means turtles in Spanish, and Ponce de Leon himself caught over 100 sea turtles during his time on the island.
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- Dry Tortugas Museum
Discovered by Ponce de Leon in 1513, the Dry Tortugas were named after the large population of sea turtles living in the island's surrounding waters. “Tortugas” means turtles in Spanish, and Ponce de Leon himself caught over 100 sea turtles during his time on the island.
May 6, 2020 · Originally named Las Tortugas (the Turtles) for the green, hawksbill, leatherback, and loggerhead turtles that Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León encountered here in 1513, Dry Tortugas...
Dec 30, 2020 · The earliest mention of Tortuga was in 1492 during the first voyage of Christopher Columbus, who named the island after a resemblance to a turtle’s shell. The Spanish would settle the island a century later in 1598, for the cultivation of sugar and tobacco as their main crops.
Mar 4, 2024 · During his first voyage to the New World, Cristopher Columbus noticed the island on December 6, 1492, and called it “Tortuga” (turtle in Spanish) because of its resemblance to the shell of a turtle.
Tortuga lies on the north side of the great and renowned island of Hispaniola (modern Haiti), about three leagues from the coast. The island is small; some sixteen leagues in circumference and acquired its name (Ile de la Tortue, “Turtle Island”) because its shape is that of a turtle.
Jun 4, 2017 · Originally named Las Tortugas (Spanish for The Turtles) by Ponce de Leon in 1513, this collection of small sand and coral islands is famous for the abundance of sea turtles that annually nest in the area.