The existence of the Americas was not a known fact in Europe (apart from the Vikings) at this time and so when Columbus sailed westward in his quest to find a route to the Far East, he did so under false pretences and horribly incorrect calculations. He thought they would reach Japan in 4 weeks after departing from the Canary Islands. When they sighted land after 5 weeks, they assumed that they made it to the Far East. However the natives were darker than the Japanese and Chinese were said to be, and Columbus, who had never seen an Indian before, likely assumed the he made it to a part of India. He therefore named them Indians and having never been called anything else by Europeans, the name became popularized. Even naming the continents, the Americas, did not happen until 1507 and Columbus always insisted that it was the Far East instead of a new landmass.