Abubakari II
It is now widely accepted that Columbus did not discover the Americas when he landed in the Caribbean in 1492, as there were Native Americans watching him from the continents’ shores. According to a number of sources, Abubakari II, Mansa (King) of the Mali Empire in the 14th century, led Malian sailors to the Americas, specifically present-day Brazil, almost 200 years before Columbus arrived. Abubakari II ruled what was arguably the richest and largest empire on earth – covering nearly all of West Africa.
In 1311, he handed his throne to his brother, Kankou Moussa, and set off on an expedition. Believing that the Atlantic Ocean, similar to the River Niger, had another bank, Abubakari left to explore across the Atlantic ocean.
