Columbia Finds Sunken Treasure
Columbian historians have discovered a Spanish ship that sank off the coast of the country over 300 years ago, possibly with the world's greatest sunken treasure. Experts have seen the wreckage of the San Jose with the help of underwater cameras. The ship was on its way back to Spain when it was sunk by a British warship in 1708, carrying 600 people . It is said that the sunken treasure , 11 million gold coins and other precious gems, were on board. It has a value of billions in today's currency.
In the past few years Spain, Columbia and the United States have been quarrelling over which country has the right to the sunken treasure. In 1981 an American-based company that was in search of the ship said it had located the wreckage. The Columbian government announced that all of the found treasure would belong to the government.
Authorities have released pictures of the San Jose.The Columbian president said that parts of the treasure would go on display in a museum. The vessel, which belonged to the fleet of King Philip V, was among hundreds of ships that sank off the coast of Columbia during the Age of Exploration.
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Words
- Age of Exploration = time between the 15th and 18th centuries in which Europeans sailed to other parts of the world in order to find and discover new places
- announce = to say officially
- authorities = organisation that has power and can make decisions
- billion = a thousand million
- coast = where land meets the sea
- coin = round metal that you use as money
- currency = the system or type of money that a country has
- discover = to find something for the first time
- fleet = group of ships controlled by one country
- gem = beautiful stone that has been cut into a special shape
- government = people who rule a country
- go on display = to be shown
- historian = someone who studies history or historic events
- locate = find where something is
- possibly = maybe
- precious = valuable, worth a lot
- quarrel = fight, to have an argument
- release = to make public
- right = to be allowed something
- treasure = group of valuable and expensive things, like gold, silver and jewels
- value = what something is worth
- vessel = ship
- wreckage = parts of a plane or ship that are left over after an accident