The islands that make up The Bahamas were first inhabited by Lucayan clans, an Arawak-speaking people who migrated from Cuba from the 7th century and whose ancestors originated in the Amazon Basin. By the 15th century their population may have reached 40,000, with sizeable settlements across several islands. Christopher Columbus made landfall on one of the easterly islands (known to the Lucayans as Guanahani) on 12 Oct. 1492 and named it San Salvador.