1. European Explorers Portugal and Spain
Ms. Hunt
Unit 3
RMS IB

2. What lead to European Exploration?
The Renaissance –spirit of adventure, curiosity, learning, and admiration of human achievement.
Economics – The most important reason was the desire for wealth.
The Desire to Spread Christianity – Europeans wanted to continue to fight the spread of Islam, and bring Christianity to non-Christians in Asia
Claim New Lands – European powers wanted to start settlements and trading posts.

3. Portugal’s Location- Critical to Exploration
Portugal faces the Atlantic Ocean
Spain stopped Portugal from expanding into Europe or the Middle East.
HAD TO GO WEST!

4. Strong Government Support
Prince Henry the Navigator
son of the King of Portugal.
Interested in overseas exploration during a war in North Africa
He was determined to find a water route to Asia
Goal- Wealth and spread Christianity.
Founded a navigation school in 1419.
Taught mapmaking, instrument creation and use, ship builders, and science

5. Portuguese Use of Technology
Caravels – new ship design of the 1400’s were sturdier
than previous ships. They were about 65 feet long.
2. Lateen sails – triangular sails adapted from Arab boats,
made it possible to sail against the wind.
3. Astrolabe – Arabic invention, allowed navigators to
determine their location by using astrology
4. Magnetic Compass – Chinese invention, 220 B.C., Recently adopted in Europe as a navigational device.

6. Astrolabe and Caravals

7. Portuguese are the First to Reach the East
Portuguese sailors begin to sail down the west coast of Africa
Bartholomew Diaz – 1487 reaches the Cape of Good Hope, the Southern tip of Africa
Vasco da Gama – rounded Africa and reached India.
He returned with a cargo valued at 60 times the cost of his voyage!
** Pedro Alvares Cabral- 1500, leading a fleet to India from Portugal, when he goes off course, and discovers Brazil.

8. Portuguese Explorers Bartholomew Diaz Pedro Alvares Cabral
Vasco De Gama

9. The Spanish Expeditions
1492 – Christopher Columbus – Italian sailing for Spain
Columbus was convinced the world was round and he could reach the East Indies by sailing west.
Landed in present day Bahamas, which he thought were unknown islands of the East Indies.
Claimed the land he discovered for Spain.
Opened up New World for Exploration!

10. Vasco Nunez de Balboa
1510- founded first permanent European settlement on the mainland of the Americas
Present day Panama
first European in America to see the Pacific Ocean

11. Ferdinand Magellan
1519- Portuguese captain led several ships from Spain, around the Southern tip of South America.
Became the first voyage to circle around the globe.
Proved that the world was round.
Claimed Philippine Islands for Spain giving Spain an empire in the Pacific.

12. Hernando De Soto
1541 –becomes the first European to see the Mississippi River.

13. Explorer’s Interactive Notebook Foldable
Label each margin with 1 exploring nation
Portugal
Spain
Draw and then cut lines along the paper creating enough tabs for the number of explorers from the country.
Portugal- 4
Spain- 4
On each tab, write the dates, names, and significant accomplishments of each explorer we talked about.
Neatness and creativity count. Color and illustrate it as you see fit. You will be graded on it.
Each student receives 2 colored sheets of paper.
Fold the paper to have a 1 inch margin along the long edge of the paper.
Glue the margin down as close as possible to the spiral/ interior of your notebook