Final answer:
Christopher Columbus called the people he met in the Americas 'Indians' because he believed he had reached India.
Step-by-step explanation:
Christopher Columbus called the people he met in the Americas 'Indians' because he believed he had reached the eastern shores of India. He had set out on his voyage with the intention of finding a new, western route to India, but instead landed in what is now known as the Caribbean islands. When he encountered the native people there, he mistakenly thought he had arrived in India, hence referring to them as Indians.
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