Theme: Exploration of North America
Topic: The Great Navigations
Read the text below to answer Questions 1-7 in your notebook.
The Great Navigations
The Age of Exploration (also called the Age of Discovery) began in the 1400s and
continued through the 1600s. It was a period of time when the European nations began
exploring the world. They discovered new routes to India, much of the Far East, and the
Americas. The Age of Exploration took place at the same time as the Renaissance.
Why explore?
Outfitting an expedition could be expensive and risky. Many ships never returned. So why
did the Europeans want to explore? The simple answer is money. Although some
individual explorerswanted to gain fame or experience adventure, the main purpose of an
expedition was to make money.
How did expeditions make money?
Expeditions made money primarily by discovering new trade routes for their nations. When
the Ottoman Empirecaptured Constantinople in 1453, many existing trade routes to India
and China were shut down. These trade routes were very valuable as they brought in
expensive products such as spices and silk. New expeditions tried to discover oceangoing
routes to India and the Far East.
Some expeditions became rich by discovering goldand silver, such as the expeditions of
the Spanish to the Americas. They also found new land where colonies could be
established and crops such as sugar, cotton, and tobacco could be grown.
Henry the Navigator
The Age of Exploration began in the nation of Portugal under the leadership of Henry the
Navigator. Henry sent out ships to map and explore the west coast of Africa. They went
further south than any previous European expedition and mapped much of western Africa
for the Portuguese. In 1488, Portuguese explorer Bartolomeu Dias was the first European
to sail around the southern tip of Africa and into the Indian Ocean.
Christopher Columbus
Soon the Spanish wanted to find a trade route to the Far East. Explorer Christopher
Columbus thought that he could sail west, across the Atlantic Ocean, to China. He could
not get the Portuguese to fund his expedition, so he went to the Spanish. Spanish
monarchs Isabella and Ferdinand agreed to pay for Columbus' trip. In 1492 Columbus
discovered the New World of the Americas.
Portugal and Spain
Portugal and Spain became the early leaders in the Age of Exploration. Through the
Treaty of Tordesillas the two countries agreed to divide up the New World. Spain got most
of the Americas while Portugal got Brazil, India, and Asia.
Spain sent over conquistadors to explore the Americas and to conquer the peoples there.
Hernan Cortes conquered the Aztec Empire in Mexico and Francisco Pizarro conquered
the Inca Empire in Peru. They made Spain rich with the gold and silver they found in the
Americas.
Portugal sent out Vasco da Gama who found a trade route around the southern tip of
Africa and to India. They also explored much of the Far East and were the first Europeans
to establish a trading colony in China at Macau.
Colonies
Other countries such as Great Britain and the Netherlands established colonies in the New
World. Eventually Great Britain would surpass all of the European nations in terms of the
size of their world wide empire including the thirteen colonies in the Americas that later
became the United States.
Geography
The Age of Exploration was one of the most important times in the history of world
geography. A significant portion of the unknown world was mapped during this short
period. Also, many advances were made in navigation and mapping which helped future
explorers and travelers.
Interesting Facts about the Age of Exploration
● During the Age of Exploration Europeans referred to the entire area of Southeast
Asia and India as the "East Indies".
● The first expedition to circle the globe was led by Portuguese explorer Ferdinand
Magellan. Unfortunately, Magellan was killed during the expedition and did not
complete the voyage.
● Some areas of the world were not fully mapped or discovered until well after the
Age of Exploration including Eastern Australia, the interior of Africa, the Arctic, and
the Antarctic.
● Many explorers such as Captain James Cookand Sir Francis Drakesearched for a
Northwest Passage to East Asia, but it wasn't until 1906 that explorer Roald
Amundsencompleted the journey.
1. What were the primary motivations for European nations to explore during the Age
of Exploration?
2. How did the capture of Constantinople by the Ottoman Empire in 1453 affect
European trade routes?
3. Who was Bartolomeu Dias, and what was his significant achievement during the
Age of Exploration?
4. Describe the role of Christopher Columbus in the Age of Exploration and what he
discovered.
5. What was the Treaty of Tordesillas, and how did it impact the division of the New
World between Spain and Portugal?
6. Explain the significance of Spain’s conquests in the Americas, particularly those by
Hernan Cortes and Francisco Pizarro.
7. Why was the Age of Exploration an important period for the advancement of world
geography?
