FIRST EXPLORERS

BARTOLOMEU DIAS

• Portuguese explorer
• He wanted to reach Asia by sea
• He would sail around the southern tip of Africa
• There was a huge storm that blew his ships to the other side
• He explored the southeast coast if Africa and wanted to sail to India

VASCO DA GAMA

• He was also a Portuguese explorer
• First explorer to reach India by sea
• His voyage gave Portugal a direct sea route to India

CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS

• Italian sea captain
• Find a route to Asia by sailing west across Atlantic Ocean
• Reached an island on the Caribbean in 1492
• His voyage opened the way for European colonization
• The impact of his journey was to increase tensions between Spain and Portugal