Barcelona, Spain: Columbus Monument

It might seem a little odd to have a statue in the middle of Barcelona saluting an Italian who lived more than 500 years ago. But insert the name Christopher Columbus into the discussion, and things come into focus.

Columbus, of course, was an explorer who made the first European contact with the Caribbean and Central America in 1492 and succeeding years. He did it while working for King Ferdinand V and Queen Isabella, the leaders of Spain at the time. 

Columbus is depicted on top of the statue, supposedly pointing to the New World. But he's actually pointing to Algeria, which isn't exactly the Caribbean. The guess is that Columbus is actually pointed to the sea, where his famous adventures started. Eight people join him on the podium, including Ferdinand and Isabella. 

It was built for the 1888 Barcelona International Exhibition, and was placed on the point where Columbus and the crew first touched European land on their return. 

And what do you know ... there's an inside to the statue. Let's take a quick look: