Amerigo Vespucci was traveling primarily along the coast of South America in the Western Hemisphere. During his voyages from 1497 to 1503, he explored the eastern coast of South America, including present-day Brazil, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de la Plata, the Amazon River, and the southeastern coast of the continent. He was the first to realize that these lands were not part of Asia but a New World distinct from the Eastern Hemisphere
. He sailed under the flags of Spain and Portugal, exploring areas from the northern coast near present-day Venezuela down to the southern parts of Brazil, crossing the equator and mapping the coastline extensively
. Vespucci's voyages helped prove that the lands discovered by Columbus were not part of Asia but a previously unknown continent in the Western Hemisphere
. In summary, Vespucci was traveling around the Western Hemisphere, specifically along the coast of South America, not in India, the Eastern Hemisphere, or Russia
