Discovery of the East [Africa and Asia]

1. In 1487, Diaz (Portuguese) sailed from Western Europe to the Cape of Good Hope in Africa.
2. In 1497, Da Gama (Portuguese) sailed around the Cape of Good Hope and reached Calicut, India.

Discovered the West [Americas]

1. In 1492, Columbus (Spanish) led and sailed a fleet of Spanish ships to the west. He eventually reached the West Indies.

2. In 1499-1502, Amerigo Vespucci (Spanish) proved that the Americas were a new continent, and ‘America’ was named after him.

3. In 1497, John Cabot (Italian) discovered continental North America. Although the exact location of his discovery remains argued, the Canadian and United Kingdom governments believed that he landed on the island of Newfoundland.

   From 1534 to 1536, Jacques Cartier (French), who accompanied Verrazzano to Nova Scotia and Brazil, was the first European to travel inland in North America.

   From 1609 to 1611, Henry Hudson (England) explored the region around present-day New York. It was under the Dutch East India Company, which was looking for a western route to Asia. He discovered the Hudson River, Hudson Strait, and Hudson Bay.

Circumnavigation

1. In 1519, Magellan (Portugal) led the first expedition to travel around the world, sailing from Spain via the Strait of Magellan to the Philippines. Magellan was killed during the journey, and his crew sailed back to Spain in 1522. This voyage proved the circumnavigation.
2. From 1577-80, Drake (England) led a fleet of five ships on what was officially called a ‘voyage of discovery’ to raid Spanish ships and ports. However, it was an ambitious secret voyage that marked the beginning of the challenge to Spain and Portugal.