Christopher Columbus arrived to the island on December 5, 1492, naming it as La Española, meaning "The Spanish Island". When Peter Martyr d'Anghiera wrote in latin about this island, he wrote "Hispaniola", meaning "Small Spain"; that was not correct. Because the book of Anghiera was translated into English very soon, the name Hispaniola is the most used in English-speaking countries and in scientific works.