Spain marks 500th anniversary of world’s first circumnavigation
Sanlúcar de Barrameda, Spain, Sep 6 (EFE).- Spain marked Tuesday the 500th anniversary of the first circumnavigation of the world, considered one of man’s greatest feats.
Spain’s king Felipe IV paid tribute to the 18 sailors that embarked on the round-the-world voyage in Sanlúcar de Barrameda, near the southern city of Cadiz, on board the Navy training vessel “Juan Sebastián Elcano”.
On 6 September 1522, the “Victoria” arrived in Sanlúcar de Barrameda, commanded by Juan Sebastián Elcano, after completing a three-year trip that proved, for the first time, that the earth is round.
The circumnavigation’s importance in history has been compared to that of the first trip to the moon.
The commemoration kicked off Tuesday morning with 21 cannon salutes and the Spanish anthem as Felipe IV boarded the “Juan Sebastián Elcano” vessel, named after the Basque navigator who commanded the voyage.
The naval parade will replicate the last steps of the historic expedition and arrive in Seville by crossing the Guadalquivir River on Thursday. EFE
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