European Exploration

Portugal: Prince Henry the Navigator Fascinated by what lay beyond the known boundaries for the world Set up a center for exploration in Portugal He brought astronomers, geographers, and mathematicians to share their knowledge Sailors from his school moved south along the West Coast of Africa, where they established trading posts

Portugal: Bartholomeu Dias In 1487, the king sent Bartholomeu Dias to explore the southernmost part of Africa He ran into storms that carried him off course and around the Southern Tip of Africa. Upon learning of Dias’s discovery, King John II renamed this southern tip of lad the Cape of Good Hope

Portugal: vasco DA gama The first Portuguese voyages to India were made years later. Vasco Da Gama rounded the Cape of Good Hope and visited cities around the East coast of Africa. He made it all the way to India in 1498

The Spanish: Vasco Nunez De Balboa Conquistador who was the first European to see the eastern shore of the Pacific Ocean. He hiked through the jungle in what is now Panama. Claimed all of the lands that touched the ocean for Spain.

The Spanish: hernando Cortez Sailed to America to seek his fortune. He became a wealthy landowner in Cuba, but wanted more. He was picked to lead the expedition to Mexico He defeated the Aztecs, took over their capital city, and used the Natives to mine gold (which he sent back to Spain).

The Spanish: Francisco Coronado Traveled throughout Mexico, into what is today Arizona and New Mexico. He searched for “gold cities” but was unsuccessful. He is credited for discovering the Grand Canyon

The Spanish: Francisco Pizzaro Led an expedition of 180 men into Peru. Fought against the Inca Empire and killed thousands. Pizzaro took control of the Inca territory, which became Peru.

The Spanish: Hernando De Soto Traveled into Florida in hopes of finding gold. He traveled North through Georgia, and into the Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina. He did not find any gold, but severely mistreated Native Americans (they made fun of him in the “booger dance”) He eventually discovered the Mississippi River.

The Italians: Christopher Columbus Columbus was an Italian explorer who sailed for SPAIN. He took four separate voyages across the Atlantic Ocean, taking specimen of plants, animals, and people back to Spain.

The Italians: Amerigo Vespucci An Italian explorer who set out to find a water route to Asia. He realized that the land he saw was not Asia, but was a New World A German mapmaker was so impressed by Vespucci’s account of the lands, that he named the continent “America”

The Italians: John Cabot One of the first explorers to chart a northern route across the Atlantic Ocean in search of Asia. He crossed the Atlantic Ocean and landed in what is now Newfoundland, Canada. He claimed the land for England.

The French: Jaques Cartier Sailed the St. Lawrence River in to what is today Montreal. He was blocked by rapids, which ended his hopes of finding the Northwest Passage.

The French: Giovanni Da Verrazano Set sail in order to find the Northwest Passage. He explored the coastline of North America, but there was no passage to be found.