... reported to Queen Isabella I and King Ferdinand V in Barcelona after his first voyage to America.
The monument was erected in 1888, and is 200 feet (60 metres) high. The statue itself is 24 feet (7.2 metres) high.
The statue depicts Columbus pointing with his right hand, while holding a scroll in his left. It's often said that he is pointing towards the New World, but in fact he points in a south–south–easterly direction. Many people believe that the statue points towards Columbus's supposed home city of Genoa, but in fact it points somewhere near the city of Constantine in Algeria. The most likely explanation is that the statue is positioned as it is simply to have Columbus pointing out to sea.
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