European contacts within Sierra Leone were among the first in West Africa during the 15th century. In 1462, Portuguese explorer Pedro de Sintra mapped the hills surrounding what is now Freetown Harbour, naming the shaped formation ''Serra da Leoa'' or "Serra Leoa" (Portuguese for Lioness Mountains). The Spanish rendering of this geographic formation is ''Sierra Leona'', which later was adapted, misspelled and became the country's current name. However, according to Professor C. Magbaily Fyle, this might have been a misinterpretation of historians. According to Professor Fyle, there has been evidence of travellers calling the region ''Serra Lyoa'' long before 1462 (before the first arrival of Sintra to the region). This would imply that the identity of the person who named Sierra Leone is unknown.