How Christmas shaped the world map: A legacy of discovery
Christmas has inspired the names of many places worldwide, which European sailors discovered. No other holiday has influenced the map to such an extent.
During the age of great geographical discoveries, European sailors often named newly discovered locations based on the day they were found. Christmas is a holiday that frequently appears on world maps. As "Conde Nast Traveler reports," no other holiday has lent its name to so many locales.
One such place is Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean. English captain William Mynors discovered it on December 25, 1643. It is an Australian territory known for its lush landscape, tropical forests, caves, and coral reefs. Tourists often visit in October and November to witness the migration of over 50 million red crabs.
Another island with the same name, discovered by James Cook on Christmas Eve 1777, is now known as Kiritimati. It's the world's largest coral island, part of the nation of Kiribati. Kiritimati is a paradise for bird lovers and is located west of the International Date Line, allowing its residents to celebrate the New Year among the first in the world.
The Portuguese word "Natal," meaning Christmas, also appears on maps. An example is the Brazilian city of Natal, founded on December 25, 1599, on the Atlantic Ocean. The city is famous for its dunes, which can be toured on camelback. The name Natal was also used for one of South Africa's provinces, now known as KwaZulu-Natal, primarily inhabited by the Zulus.
Bethlehem on the world map
There are many places named Bethlehem worldwide, not just in Judea. In the USA, there are over twenty cities with this name. One of them, founded on Christmas Eve 1741 in Pennsylvania by Moravian Protestants, is surrounded by other cities with biblical names, such as Emmaus and Nazareth. Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, once was a significant steel producer, contributing to constructing the Golden Gate Bridge and the Empire State Building.
