Why is the exact location of Christopher Columbus’s first Caribbean landfall disputed?

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Map showing the transatlantic and global routes of major early voyages of discovery and exploration by Spain, Portugal, England, and France during the 15th and 16th centuries. The map traces the journeys of explorers such as Columbus, Cabot, Magellan, da Gama, and others, with labeled paths crossing the Atlantic and encircling Africa and South America, as well as lines of demarcation dividing Spanish and Portuguese exploration zones. — European exploration Map depicting the European exploration of the New World in the 15th and 16th centuries, including the voyages made by Christopher Columbus, John Cabot, Alonso de Ojeda and Amerigo Vespucci, Pedro Álvares Cabral, Ferdinand Magellan and Juan Sebastián del Cano, Giovanni da Verrazzano, Jacques Cartier, Sir Francis Drake, and others. The lines of demarcation represent an early division between the territory of Spain (to the west) and Portugal (to the east).

The exact location of Christopher Columbus’s first Caribbean landfall, which he named Guanahani, remains a subject of historical debate because the original records lack sufficient geographical detail to definitively identify the island among the many in the Bahamas.123

While many scholars believe the landing occurred at present-day San Salvador Island, other researchers have presented evidence suggesting alternative locations, most notably Samana Cay, as well as other sites such as Rum Cay, the Plana Cays, or the Turks and Caicos Islands. Because Columbus spent very little time at the site before pressing onward in his search for Asia, he did not leave behind enough descriptive evidence to resolve the uncertainty surrounding the specific island.1234