When did the Portuguese decide to extend their West African exploration to finding a sea passage to India?

When did Portuguese explorers begin to sail along the west coast of Africa?

Access to commodities such as fabrics, spices, and gold motivated a European quest for a faster means to reach South Asia. It was this search that led the Portuguese down the coast of West Africa to Sierra Leone in 1460.

When did Portuguese began searching for a way around Africa?

As early as 1341, Portuguese sailors had made their first forays into the tempting waters that lay beyond their shores, exploring the Canary Islands off the northwestern coast of Africa.

What did the Portuguese want to explore in the 1400s?

Under the leadership of Prince Henry the Navigator, Portugal took the principal role during most of the fifteenth century in searching for a route to Asia by sailing south around Africa. In the process, the Portuguese accumulated a wealth of knowledge about navigation and the geography of the Atlantic Ocean.

Why did the Portuguese begin to expand their exploration of the world?

Motivated by the desire for new markets and an ongoing opposition to the Muslims, Portuguese sailors had begun to explore the West African coast in the first half of the fifteenth century.

How did the Portuguese gain control of the East African coast between 1498 and 1510?

Between his return in 1500 and 1510 the Portuguese managed to seize control of the East African littoral from the Swahili and establish hegemony over the trade routes that crossed the Indian Ocean through ruthless military operations carried out with crusader zeal against their Muslim opponents (Gilbert 2002; Crawfurd

Who was the first Portuguese explorer to discover the sea route?

Portuguese explorer Vasco de Gama becomes the first European to reach India via the Atlantic Ocean when he arrives at Calicut on the Malabar Coast. Da Gama sailed from Lisbon, Portugal, in July 1497, rounded the Cape of Good Hope, and anchored at Malindi on the east coast of Africa.

Who was the first Portuguese to explore Africa?

Contents. In 1488, Portuguese explorer Bartolomeu Dias (c. 1450-1500) became the first European mariner to round the southern tip of Africa, opening the way for a sea route from Europe to Asia.

Who was the first Portuguese explorer to reach Africa?

Bartolomeu Dias



Bartolomeu Dias
Nationality Portuguese
Other names Bartholomew Diaz
Occupation(s) Navigator and explorer
Known for Being the first European mariner to round the southern tip of Africa

Why did the Portuguese have to explore the coast of Africa so many times before finally sailing around the tip into the Indian Ocean?

Why did the Portuguese have to explore the coast of Africa so many times before finally sailing around the tip into the Indian Ocean? The water current kept putting them in the wrong direction.

What Portuguese explorer sailed along the west coast of Africa?

Bartolomeu Dias ( c. 1450 – 29 May 1500) was a Portuguese mariner and explorer. In 1488, he became the first European navigator to round the southern tip of Africa and to demonstrate that the most effective southward route for ships lays in the open ocean, well to the west of the African coast.

How did Portuguese explorers reach West Africa?

Early Portuguese Exploration.



Portuguese explorers landed on the shores of West Africa during the 1430s, after they had begun to build ships that could navigate the shallow waters and strong currents around Cape Bojador, which lies just below the Canary Islands, in the modern nation of Western Sahara.

When did the Portuguese maritime empire begin?

16th century



The Portuguese Empire (16th – 17th centuries)



At the beginning of the 16th century, thanks to their superior navigational skills, Portugal was able to create the largest commercial and maritime empire the world had ever seen. It extended from South America to the Far East, and along the coastlines of Africa and India.

Similar Posts: