Transcript Portuguese Sailors

Exploration – part 2
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Started the Age of Exploration
After the fall of Constantinople to the Turks
It was very dangerous and expensive to go to
the East over land
Portugal was determined to find a new route
to the Spice Islands
They decided to sail East, down and around
Africa to get to Spice Islands
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Never sailed
Set up a school of navigation in Southern
Portugal
Meeting place for explorers, map-makers
Shared Information
Prince Henry sponsored expeditions to Africa
No one knew how big Africa was
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Portuguese sailors needed to go around
Africa
To get to the spice Islands
1487 Diaz reached the tip of Africa
Called it ‘Cape of Storms’
Turned back
Portuguese King renamed it ‘Cape of Good
Hope’ – Why?
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10 years after Diaz, da Gama travelled all
around Africa
Reached Calcutta in India
Returned with spices and rubies
New route to Asia had been discovered
Portuguese now obsessed with controlling
this route
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Wanted to find a sea-route to spice islands
Found the route around Africa
Prince Henry the Navigator taught sailors and
explorers great knowledge
Diaz = reached cape of good hope
Da Gama = reached spice islands
Portugal happy with their route
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Not interested in travelling out west over Atlantic
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