Explorers from Portugal and Spain - 06/13/25

Christopher Columbus

Italian explorer who sailed for Spain in the late 1400s

Columbus' goal

He wanted to find a western sea route to India

Columbus' mistake

He didn’t know North and South America existed

What did Columbus find?

He explored Cuba and the Caribbean islands, thinking it was India

Why is it called the West Indies?

Columbus thought he had reached the western part of India

Portugal and Exploration

Portugal led exploration in the 1400s due to its location on the Iberian Peninsula

Prince Henry the Navigator

Portuguese prince who paid for sea expeditions to find trade routes

Why did Henry want a sea route?

To avoid paying Arab traders who controlled land routes to India

Bartolomeu Dias

Led a 1488 expedition around the Cape of Good Hope (Africa) but turned back due to a storm

Cape of Good Hope

Southern tip of Africa; rough waters made it hard to pass

Vasco da Gama

Sailed around Africa and reached India using a better ocean route

Result of da Gama's journey

Opened a sea route to India and made Portugal very rich in the 1500s