Routes important travels GREAT GEOGRAPHICAL DISCOVERIES, a conventional term adopted mainly in historical literature, denoting the largest geographical discoveries European travelers in the 15th mid-17th centuries. In foreign literature, the period of the Great Geographical Discoveries is usually limited to the mid-15th to mid-16th centuries. Great geographical discoveries
The caravel is a symbol of the Great Geographical Discoveries. Great geographical discoveries became possible thanks to the successes of European science and technology. By the 15th century, reliable enough for ocean navigation were created sailing ships(caravels), Great geographical discoveries
Walrus Tusk New trade routes also forced the search for Turkish conquests, which blocked traditional merchant ties with the East through the Mediterranean Sea. In overseas lands, Europeans hoped to find wealth: precious stones and metals, exotic goods and spices, ivory and walrus tusks. Great geographical discoveries
Coat of arms of Portugal The Portuguese were the first to launch systematic expeditions in the Atlantic Ocean. Portugal's activity at sea was predetermined by its geographical location in the far west of Europe and the historical conditions that developed after the end of the Portuguese Reconquista. Great geographical discoveries
Henry (Enrique) the Navigator Traditionally, Portugal's successes at sea are associated with the name of Prince Henry the Navigator (). He was not only an organizer of sea expeditions, but also seriously engaged in the development of open lands.
Azores In 1416, the Portuguese sailor G. Velho, following south along Africa, discovered Canary Islands, in 1419, the Portuguese nobles Zarco and Vas Teixeira discovered the islands of Madeira and Porto Santo, in 1431 V. Cabral the Azores. Great geographical discoveries
Diogo Can in the Congo During the 15th century, Portuguese caravels explored the sea route along west coast Africa, reaching increasingly southern latitudes. In the years Diogo Can (Cao) crossed the equator, opened the mouth of the Congo River and walked along the coast of Africa to Cape Cross. Kahn discovered the Namibian deserts, thereby refuting the legend that had existed since the time of Ptolemy about the impassability of the tropics. Great geographical discoveries
CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS, portrait by an unknown artist of the 16th century. In 1492, after the capture of Granada and the completion of the reconquista, the Spanish King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella accepted the project of the Genoese navigator Christopher Columbus () to reach the shores of India, sailing to the west.
Coin 1 colon with the profile of Columbus The Columbus project had many opponents, but it received the support of scientists at the University of Salamansa, the most famous in Spain, and, no less significantly, among the business people of Seville.
Christopher Columbus (g.g.) From the Canary Islands, Columbus headed west. October 12, 1492, after a month's voyage to open ocean, the fleet approached a small island from the group of Bahamas, then named San Salvador.
Second Expedition Subsequently, Columbus made three more voyages to America in 2010, during which part of the Lesser Antilles, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, Trinidad, etc. were discovered; part of the Atlantic coast of the Central and South America.
Columbus with an anchor and his noble coat of arms For his great discoveries, Columbus was granted a noble coat of arms by the Spanish monarch, on which “the castle of Castile and the lion of Leon were adjacent to images of the islands he discovered, as well as anchors symbols of the admiral’s title.” Columbus's personal coat of arms
Vasco da Gama Returning to Portugal in September 1499, Vasco da Gama was greeted with great honor, received a large monetary reward and the title "Admiral of the Indian Ocean", as well as the title of Don and the cities of Sines and Vila Nova de Milfontes as his fief. In 1519 he received the title of Count of Vidigueira.
PORTRAIT OF VASCO DA GAMA Later he was in India twice more. Died in Cochin (India) on December 24. The ashes were transported to Portugal and buried in the small church of Quinta do Carmo in Alentejo. In 1880, the ashes were transferred to the Jeronimite Monastery in Lisbon.
John Cabot In Spain and Portugal, marine expeditions were equipped every year, which made overseas voyages and discovered new lands. Other European countries also became interested in overseas countries. Over the years, England equipped expeditions led by the Italian navigator John Cabot, who reached the shores of North America near the island of Newfoundland. Great geographical discoveries
Pedro Alvares Cabral In 1500, the Portuguese squadron under the command of Pedro Cabral, heading to India, was greatly diverted by the equatorial current and reached Brazil, which Cabral mistook for an island. Then he continued his voyage, circumnavigated Africa and proceeded through the Mozambique Channel to India. Like previous travelers, Cabral considered the land he discovered in the west to be part of Asia. Great geographical discoveries
Alonso de Ojeda In an 18th-century engraving. The travels of the navigator Amerigo Vespucci were important for understanding the essence of the discovery of Christopher Columbus. Over the years, he made four trips to the shores of America, first as part of a Spanish expedition led by Alonso Ojeda, and then under the Portuguese flag. Great geographical discoveries
Amerigo Vespucci Having compared the data received, and Spanish and Portuguese navigators discovered the entire northern coast of South America and its eastern coast up to 25° south latitude, Vespucci came to the conclusion that the discovered lands were not Asia, but a new continent, and proposed calling it the “New World.” "
John Cabot's explorations in North America were continued by his son Sebastian Cabot. During his years leading English expeditions, he tried to find the so-called Northwest Passage to India and managed to reach Hudson Bay. Having found no shortcut to India, England showed little interest in open lands overseas. Hudson Bay Great geographical discoveries
The difference between America and Asia was finally confirmed by Ferdinand Magellan, who carried out the first circumnavigation of the world (), which became practical evidence of the sphericity of the Earth. Fernand Magellan
A ship from Magellan's fleet. Image from 1523 An expedition led by Magellan explored southeastern part of South America, opened the strait between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans (the Strait of Magellan) and sailed through southern part Pacific Ocean. Great geographical discoveries
Cordova, Calahorra Tower In the years, the Spanish conquistadors J. Ponce de Leon, F. Cordova, J. Grijalva discovered the entire eastern coast of South and Central America, the Gulf Coast, and the Florida Peninsula. Great geographical discoveries
Map of the hike. Expedition to Mexico Great geographical discoveries
Map of California in the 17th century. The territory is depicted as an island. The search for gold, the mythical country of Eldorado, led the conquistadors far into the interior of the American continent. In the years, Sebastian Cabot, who switched to Spanish service, explored the lower reaches of the Parana River and discovered the lower reaches of the Paraguay River.
Francisco Orellana sailed the Amazon from the Andes to the mouth in 1542. By 1552 the Spaniards had explored everything pacific coast South America, discovered the largest rivers of the continent (Amazon, Orinoco, Parana, Paraguay), explored the Andes from 10° north latitude to 40° south latitude. Francisco de Orellana, depicted by a modern artist.
HERNANDO DE SOTO In the second quarter of the 16th century, French navigators also achieved significant success. J. Verrazano (1524) and J. Cartier () discovered the eastern coast of North America and the St. Lawrence River. In the years, the Spaniards E. Soto and F. Coronado traveled to the Southern Appalachians and the Southern Rocky Mountains, to the basins of the Colorado and Mississippi rivers.
Russian explorer Semyon Dezhnev, who discovered the strait between the Asian continent and America in 1617 centuries. Russian explorers explored the northern coast of the Ob, Yenisei and Lena and mapped the contours north coast Asia. In 1642, Yakutsk was founded, which became the base for expeditions to the Arctic Ocean. Great geographical discoveries
Russian explorer Semyon Dezhnev, who discovered the strait between the Asian continent and America Great geographical discoveries In 1648, Semyon Ivanovich Dezhnev (ca) left Kolyma and walked around the Chukotka peninsula, proving that the Asian continent is separated from America by a strait. The outlines were refined and plotted on maps northeast coast of Asia (1667, “Drawing of the Siberian Land”).
Cape Dezhnev But Dezhnev's report on the discovery of the strait lay in the Yakut archive for 80 years and was published only in 1758. In the 18th century. The strait discovered by Dezhnev was named after the Danish navigator in the Russian service, Vitus Bering, who in 1728 opened the strait for the second time. In 1898, in memory of Dezhnev, a cape at the northeastern tip of Asia was named after him. Great geographical discoveries
Henry Hudson made four expeditions to North America over the years. He passed through the strait between Labrador and Baffin Island into a vast gulf in the interior of North America. Later, both the strait and the bay were named after Hudson. A river in eastern North America is also named after him, at the mouth of which the city of New York later arose. Hudson's fate ended tragically; in the spring of 1611, the mutinous crew of his ship landed him and his teenage son in a boat in the middle of the ocean, where they went missing. HENRY HUDSON
John Davis spent three voyages in the waters North Atlantic, discovered the strait between Greenland and America (Davis Strait), explored the coast of the Labrador Peninsula. John Davis Great geographical discoveries
Portrait of William Baffin by Hendrik van der Borcht William Baffin sailed in Arctic waters over the years: he made expeditions to the shores of Spitsbergen, explored Hudson Bay and the sea that was later named after him, discovered a number of islands in the Canadian Arctic archipelago, moving along the western coast of Greenland and reached 78° northern latitude. Samuel de Champlain In the first quarter of the 17th century. Europeans begin to explore North America. At first, France achieved the greatest success in this region. The first governor of Canada, Samuel Champlain. explored part east coast North America, traveled deep into the continent: he discovered the Northern Appalachians, climbed up the St. Lawrence River to the Great Lakes and reached Lake Huron. By 1648, the French had discovered all five Great Lakes.
At the same time, at the beginning of the 17th century, European sailors penetrated the most remote part of the world from Europe, areas located south of South-East Asia. The Spaniard Luis Torres discovered in 1606 South coast New Guinea and passed through the strait separating Asia and Australia (Torres Strait). Torres Strait Map Great Geographical Discoveries
Abel Janszon Tasman In Dutchman Abel Tasman discovered Tasmania, New Zealand, Fiji, and part of the coast of Northern and Western Australia. Tasman identified Australia as a single landmass and named it New Holland. But Holland did not have enough resources to explore the new continent, and a century later it had to be rediscovered. Great geographical discoveries
Today is my little anniversary - exactly two years of non-stop travel. For this date, I prepared a short article, the main thoughts of which were compiled into a list. Every person who decides to take this action will experience a list of wonderful travel moments: to leave everything and everyone behind and go to discover oneself and, as a result, see how the peoples of other countries of the world live and get high from the unreal beauty of the natural wonders around. If every person overcomes internal questions in the style of: “How will I live without my family and friends?”, “What about my work in the office?” (“What about my pension?” a question from the same opera), “How will I save for an apartment/car?” and an endless list of questions, it will open amazing world which is called travel.
Here are my 12 reasons why people simply need to travel!
1. Travel teaches you things you never knew.
First of all, this is geography :) If you had asked me 2 years ago which city is the capital, or, I would have had to shyly go to Google. But now I know even more, due to constant dreams and plans to see this or that country. Secondly, it is the culture and traditions of the peoples of the world. Imagine people who look at life completely differently, who have strange and, at times, terrifying traditions and a completely different religion. All this inspires and awakens your curiosity about everything you see and feel.
Travel is always about exploration!
2. Learn to be tolerant
A useful thing in society. If you are tolerant, it means you are educated and generally a normal person. When going on a trip, expect that people in another country will be different: different in skin color and eye shape, traditions and religion, outlook on life and way of life. Therefore, you must always respect a state of affairs that is different from yours and understand that you are not at home. In another country, you are a guest and must take into account their peculiarities.
Travel is what makes us better!
3. Learn to be independent
When traveling, you never depend on anyone, you completely surrender to yourself and rely only on yourself. Therefore, this is, first of all, self-knowledge and the disclosure of one’s abilities and capabilities.
Traveling is independence!
4. Traveling is fun and always a great adventure.
If you are going abroad not on a hot trip to some all inclusive hotel for a week, and you do everything yourself, including creating an entertainment program, then adventure will definitely find you. It has been tested more than once, especially when you suddenly deviate from the plan of your program, choose a different route from the usual one, or, at worst, decide to go to some crowded cafe on the outskirts of the city. Life just has to provide something like that! Traveling is always fun! Or you bargain at the local market for some little thing and then, having snatched this very little thing for mere pennies, you feel like a hero and smile from ear to ear all day. Or you went to a restaurant to try khinkali, and there was a Georgian ensemble singing at the top of their lungs - and your mood improved! Or there are boys playing football in the yard of the house, who as soon as they see you, run up to say hello and shake hands. Or when you meet many different pets on your way in the mountains, you immediately run to cuddle and pet them (not to mention the million photos on your phone).
Traveling is fun!
5. Good language practice
In my case, English. Every person should know at least basic things English language so that you can explain yourself at least at the level of a first-grader. But since language learning at home proceeds in a passive form, when traveling you can’t go anywhere without active practice. If you communicate every day among native speakers or at least those who are the same as you, but when communicating in your native languages you do not understand each other, then the awkwardness and embarrassment gradually goes away, the level of the language improves and there are fewer misunderstandings with other people. Better than sitting at home and knowing the language only in theory.
6. See what you can or cannot live without
One of the meanings of life is to find for yourself what only you need and determine your comfort zone. Staying far beyond the borders of your country, you begin to understand the true value of things, for example, you rethink communication with family and friends, the need for universal approval. And you completely forget about everyday things, such as the presence of a microwave, TV, hot water.
Travel is a choice!
7. Find out your abilities outside of your comfort zone
When you go far from home, you realize that your soft bed with a pillow will no longer please you, the always clean bathroom will be replaced by one that has already passed through hundreds of people, and in the kitchen everything will not be the way you want it. But it’s always nice to expand your comfort zone, to understand that you could survive anywhere and with minimal waste of nerve cells.
8. Understand what you would like from life and find inspiration
If you feel like life has lost its meaning and you don’t have the strength to do anything, plan a trip! Even for a week. This will give you time to get distracted by thinking, relax and be inspired for new achievements and projects.
Travel is inspiration!
9. Make new acquaintances
Probably the most pleasant thing about traveling is meeting new people and interesting personalities. Through meeting local people you can learn more about the country, city, traditions and religion. Since they are local, neither Wikipedia nor any other blog will tell you about this. They will show you places where you can dine without compromising your health, and show you where to buy fruits/vegetables to make them tastier and cheaper! They will show you how they spend their leisure time and how they have fun and will advise you better than any guide on what to see in the city.
10. Try cuisine from different countries of the world
It is unlikely that you will be able to try real Adjarian khachapuri, Georgian khinkali, and Dal Bat rice, Thai Tom Yum soup and Vietnamese spring rolls at home. People even came up with a new branch in travel - gastronomic tours. Simply put, when you go abroad just to eat and get drunk :)
Travel is always delicious!
11. The opportunity to help people
Volunteering is no longer such a new direction in tourism. People go to poor countries to help both physically and financially. It’s not for me to tell you that a person gets extraordinary satisfaction from helping others. For example, in , after the largest earthquake in history in 2015, a lot of buildings, both ordinary residential buildings and facilities, were destroyed cultural heritage. Without tourism and volunteers, the city would take a very long time to recover. The owner of the house in Nepal, from whom we rented an apartment, is engaged in a large project to rebuild from scratch the only school high in the mountains, which was completely destroyed by an earthquake. He is actively looking for sponsors and collecting cash for the restoration of Yangrima School. To make construction go faster, you can help using this link.
12. Create new pleasant memories that you will never forget
And finally, these are memories. Probably the most expensive thing we can have. We ourselves are the creators of moments: both pleasant and not so pleasant. But still, later it will be cool to remember and in some places understand how you have changed. The main thing is not to forget to live here and now, enjoy life and not look for any reasons to travel. Just open
Why do people travel? Is it really just to take a 2-week break from work, spend the money accumulated over six months and create the illusion that “they can afford it”?
You've been planning for a long time. But work-home-family-responsibilities-loans and other excuses don’t even allow you to breathe out to understand what changes you need. You continue to run at the usual crazy pace of life, without doing anything.
Stop!
Think, look at your life from a different angle, decide what you lack now and what prevents you from living in harmony with yourself. Does not work? Then here’s some working advice for you: leave the house and go a little further than the usual home-work-shop-home route.
By leaving your usual environment, even for a short period of time, turn your life into a journey full of uncertainty, and you will be able to get to know yourself from the most unexpected sides.
Why travel if it's good at home?
Does the unknown scare you? This is fine. Fear of the new is a common occurrence in the life of every person. But weigh all the benefits of travel and your fear – are they on the same scale? Let's figure out what travel teaches us and whether we should actively look for excuses to defend our fears.
What travel can teach you
1. You will look up from the couch.
Thinking about the upcoming voyage, we begin to worry about the difficulties that await tourists. We are worried that we will not find a place to stay for the night, that we will not be able to communicate with the residents of another country in our broken English. What do travel teach? Because all the fears listed above are in vain. Gather your courage, focus on your goal and hit the road. It is a mistake to think that traveling is either a “round the world” trip, where you burn all your bridges, or a package holiday that limits you to an all-inclusive system. How much do you know about the surrounding areas of your city? About the life of residents of neighboring villages? Surely there are a lot of interesting things near you. Start discovering the world small.
2. Travel changes your worldview.
The first thing he learns after visiting different countries is that exotic places are not as dangerous as they seem. You can feel comfortable in any city. This rule also applies wildlife: By following basic safety rules, you are guaranteed to avoid trouble. Moreover, in a metropolis a person is more likely to die (for example, by getting hit by a car) than in a desert or forest.
3. You will constantly expand your horizons.
What are travels for? To get to know the world and get acquainted with the culture of other peoples. Don't worry about the friendliness of the people: the locals always treat travelers politely and try to help them. If you are not one of the “Tagil” fans, don’t spoil their heritage and don’t laugh at the culture of the country in which you are a guest, then traveling will definitely bring you new acquaintances and faith in people. Many people will be happy to provide you with an overnight stay, show you the way, and tell you about the interesting sights of their country.
4. You don’t have to be a millionaire to see the world.
Travel more and you will realize that you don't need to spend millions to do it. Big money is necessary only for those who dream of sea cruise to exotic islands. Although, if you make friends with local residents, and these expenses can be easily avoided. When organizing travel yourself, you only need to have a small amount of cash to buy food, pay for transport and hotel rooms or places in hostels. Living in the latter, by the way, despite its cheapness, can give you a huge amount of experience and impressions.
What kind of travel should I do if I have a modest budget?
Vacation on a grand scale, which the Russian soul requires, in fact turns out to be completely unnecessary: without wasting money, you will spend time much more interesting than buying and ordering everything you want. And the main trophy will be the emotions and discoveries that you make for yourself. A two-day hike with backpacks in the forest will bring more benefits than you won’t get by relaxing in a five-star hotel with “all-inclusive” for two weeks.
5. Things are just things.
First-time tourists consider it their duty to take 10 suitcases on the road with outfits for all occasions and full equipment in case of the end of the world. But over time, travel teaches that an abundance of luggage only gets in the way. A person on the road (as in life) needs a minimum of clothing, two pairs of shoes, hygiene products, money and documents.
You can’t decide which of the two T-shirts you have is better to take with you, but you end up putting both in your backpack. Why do you voluntarily complicate your life? Learn to make choices, starting with little things like this.
Once you start traveling, you will realize that you absolutely do not need most of the things you have, and you can painlessly get rid of them by freeing up space in your closet. The same applies to unnecessary emotions, unnecessary worries, uninteresting people and habitual obligations - by getting rid of such “junk”, you will make room for new things.
6. Find out how a tourist differs from a traveler.
Travelers and tourists are not the same thing. The first ones communicate with local residents, get acquainted with traditions, make new acquaintances, change their worldview and improve their lives. The latter fearfully glance at everything that is happening from the windows of the bus. Locals scam tourists out of money, and share food and shelter with travelers. Travel changes people and teaches them that they need to be simpler and not be afraid to learn new things, teach them to be open with others and appreciate every person who comes into life.
7. Travel is not a vacation.
You've probably heard more than once how traveling changes many people, making them stronger and more resilient. And you actively travel to Cyprus and Turkey, but you don’t notice any changes... And this is not because hiking in the mountains or tundra with a heavy backpack is a workout for the body. Not because in the most harmless resort city you can be left without money or find yourself in a difficult situation. It’s just that when traveling, you don’t set the goal of “lying down” under a palm tree, relieving stress from work or family. You change your lifestyle from the usual to an improved version of it. Traveling can be physically difficult, but it also relieves the mind. Therefore, they are not looking for physical relief; they provide much more than relaxed muscles.
8. You are your best friend and travel companion.
Can't find travel companions to go on the road with a fun group? This will only benefit you. No the best way understand yourself, the world, and cultivate fortitude than solo travel. Traveling alone is an incomparable experience. By relying only on your own strengths, you will begin to believe in yourself more and learn to make responsible decisions on your own. This will make it easier for you to meet new people, try unusual things and take on unfamiliar roles, since you won’t have to look up to anyone and won’t be afraid of anyone’s judgement.
The heroine Reese Witherspoon went on a similar journey in the film “Wild” after upheavals in her life: overcoming the difficulties of the route on a solo trip, she was able to save herself from mental suffering. If you can't figure it out, maybe solo travel– what will help you now?
9. It's a small world.
Long journeys have changed the opinion of millions of people that our planet is vast. It only seems like this when you watch about other countries on TV. In reality, it is possible that you will meet your friends when you go to Cambodia, India or Kamchatka. Or in a quiet remote corner world, meet a person from your hometown.
Travel more and don't be afraid to communicate with people, search. Perhaps one of the billions of people who will change your life will meet you in a place you never thought possible.
10. The joy of returning.
No matter how good it is along the way, returning home is a joyful moment for every person. Arriving in hometown, you will be glad to meet your loved ones and work colleagues. And the changes that happen to you on your journey will certainly affect your life. And if you want to change your life now, try to start with at least a short trip to an unfamiliar place.
Each era has its own people who are not limited to the idea of the world given to them. Their whole life is a search. It was thanks to such restless natures that America, Australia, New Zealand and many other points on the map were discovered. And Europe became the richest in travelers in the 15th-16th centuries - the time of colonization.
Miklouho-Maclay (1846-1888)
The future traveler and ethnographer was born in St. Petersburg into the family of an engineer. He was quickly expelled from the university for participating in the student movement. So he finished his education in Germany. From there he set off on his first trip to the Canary Islands, then to Madeira, Morocco, and the Red Sea coast. I went there as a fauna researcher, and returned as an ethnographer. He was more interested not in animals and flowers, but in people.
Miklouho-Maclay researched the indigenous populations of Southeast Asia, Australia and the Pacific Islands. Lived for several years on the northwestern coast of New Guinea, visited the islands of Oceania. Made two expeditions to the Malay Peninsula. Studying the indigenous inhabitants of these little-explored lands, the scientist came to the conclusion about the species unity and kinship of different races. He spent the last years of his life in Indonesia and Australia and even proposed a project for a Papuan Union in New Guinea. According to the researcher, he was supposed to resist the colonial invaders. One of his latest ideas is Russian artel communities in New Guinea - an ideal version of a government system.
The scientist died in his native St. Petersburg in a hospital bed; by the age of 42, numerous expeditions had completely worn out his body. Collections and papers of Miklouho-Maclay - sixteen notebooks, six thick notebooks, plans, maps, own drawings, newspaper clippings, magazine articles, diaries different years- were transferred to the Imperial Russian Geographical Society and placed in the museum of the Imperial Academy of Sciences.
Christopher Columbus (1451 – 1506)
Christopher Columbus became a real navigator thanks to his father-in-law, the owner of one of the islands in Portugal. While studying geography, Columbus decided that the treasured India could be reached through Atlantic Ocean. Indeed, in those days, strong Turkey blocked the routes to the East, and Europe needed a new road to this land of spices. Only the Spanish crown agreed to sponsor Columbus, and in 1492 the three caravels "Santa Maria", "Nina" and "Pinta" set out on open water. First, the ships headed for the Canary Islands, then to the west. Several times the crew demanded to return, but Columbus insisted on his own. As a result, they landed on the island of San Salvador (Guanahani). Then the islands of Juana (present-day Cuba) and Hispaniola (Haiti) were discovered. True, the traveler was sure that they were on the coast, washed by Indian Ocean. He returned to Spain in triumph, and a squadron consisting of 14 caravels and three merchant ships set off on a new journey.
But Columbus was not a scientist, but pursued completely selfish goals: to provide for his family and himself. And this affected his future fate: the indigenous population rebelled. In the colonies, where the main principle was acquisitiveness and greed, even the colonialists themselves wrote complaints to Spain about Columbus and his brother. But he did his job - he opened the Greater Antilles archipelago, the mouth of the Orinoco River, and Central America to Europe. True, until the end of my life I was sure that all this was adjacent to India.
Columbus, in illness and poverty, and even after death, did not find peace. His remains were transferred from city to city several times.
Vasco da Gama (1460 – 1524)
P was the first to travel across the ocean from Portugal to the East. The future discoverer grew up in a noble family in Portugal. He went on an expedition to the East instead of his father, a traveler, who died suddenly. In 1497 his ships left the port. Few people believed in the Portuguese's success. But he did it. Da Gama rounded the cape Good Hope and headed for India. Sailors died from scurvy and in skirmishes with Muslim traders who flooded Africa. They saw the traveler as a competitor. And for good reason. Two years later, the Portuguese brought back ships of spices - one of the most expensive goods at that time.
The second expedition was also successful. Da Gama already had warships at his disposal to protect himself from ill-wishers.
The third expedition was the last for Vasco da Gama. He was appointed as the royal family's representative in India. But he did not stay in this position for so long. In 1954 he died from a serious illness.
Ferdinand Magellan (1480-1521)
Born in 1480 in northern Portugal. The first time he went to sea was as part of the fleet of Admiral Francisco Almeda. He took part in several expeditions before setting out on his own to find new routes to the Malay Archipelago in Indonesia. Spain supported Magellan - it sponsored a journey across the Atlantic Ocean. In 1519, five ships reached South America. The expedition made its way south along the coast of America with sweat and blood. But in 1520 the strait Pacific Ocean was found - later it will be called Magellanic. A year later, the traveler had already arrived at his destination - the Moluccas. But on the Philippine Islands, the traveler was drawn into a local war among the leaders, and he was killed. The return of the rest of the crew to their homeland was not easy. Only one ship out of five and 18 people out of 200 made it.
James Cook (1728-1779)
Cook was born into the family of an English farm laborer. But he made a career from a simple cabin boy to the leader of an expedition. Skill, intelligence and ingenuity were quickly appreciated. James Cook's first expedition began in 1767 on the ship Endeavor. Official version- observation of the passage of Venus through the disk of the Sun. But in fact, colonial England needed new lands. In addition, among the tasks was the exploration of the east coast of Australia. During the voyage, Cook did not stop studying cartography and navigation. The result of the expedition was the information that New Zealand- that's two independent islands, and not part of an unknown continent. The scientist also compiled a map of the eastern coast of Australia and discovered the strait between Australia and New Guinea.
The results of the second expedition (1772 - 1775) became even more impressive. New Caledonia, South Georgia, Easter Island, Marquesas Islands, and Friendship Island were mapped. Cook's ship crossed the Antarctic Circle.
The third voyage took 4 years. Several others have also been explored. It was on the Hawaiian Islands, during one of the conflicts between the natives and the British, that James Cook died - a spear pierced the back of his head. But evidence that the aborigines ate Cook has not been found.
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The correct idea of the Earth and its shape was formed by different nations not immediately and not at the same time. People's ideas about the Earth were influenced by the nature around them. Thus, the inhabitants of Babylon imagined the Earth as a mountain, on the western slope of which Babylon was located. The ancient inhabitants of India imagined the Earth in the form of half a sphere resting on elephants, which, in turn, stand on a huge turtle. The ancient Greeks believed that the Earth had the shape of a convex disk, which was washed on all sides by the Ocean River. A copper firmament stretches above the Earth, along which the Sun moves, rising and plunging daily into the waters of the Ocean.
With the development of technology and shipbuilding, people began to travel ever longer. And gradually evidence of the sphericity of the Earth began to accumulate.
The development of navigation and long-distance travel not only made people think about it, they provided a huge amount of information about newly discovered territories. This information had to be somehow recorded and transferred from one person to another. This is how the first images of the area appeared, which began to be improved and subsequently turned into.
The ancient Greeks were outstanding travelers. The historian Herodotus traveled through Asia Minor, the Balkans, and also through the southern regions of the East European Plain - the lands of the legendary Scythians. He compiled descriptions of nature, collected interesting, sometimes semi-fantastic information about the peoples who lived in the north and northeast. Another traveler from the Ancient One was the astronomer Pytheas. He explored the north of Europe, reached Britain, and was the first to establish the relationship between geographical latitude and the length of day and night. (Trace the route of Herodotus and Pytheas on the map.)
But the real time of geography became (XV-XVII centuries). An amazing journey preceded her. In 1271, he, along with his father and uncle, set off on a long trading journey. Their path ran through, then along the Tigris River valley to the Persian Gulf, then through the deserts and mountains of Central Asia to China. The Polo family traded there for 17 years and then sailed back. The path ran through the islands, around, past Ceylon. In total, the Polo family traveled for 22 years.
Stories from travelers about distant countries, their wealth and luxury prompted Europeans to look for a convenient sea route to the countries of the East. The expedition set out to find a route around Africa in . This expedition lasted for more than two years, and a new sea route from Europe to India was opened.
Following this, the idea was born to sail from Europe to India not to the east around Africa, but to the west and reach India on the other side. managed to convince the Spanish kings to equip an expedition, and in 1492 three ships set sail. Columbus reached the islands of Central America, but they learned that this was a new part of the world, and not Asia, much later.
Made his first trip around the world. In 1519, his flotilla of five ships left. Only one ship returned back in 1522. Magellan himself died.
Russian travelers contributed to the discovery of the last unknown continent -. In 1820, ships under their command came very close to the shores of the ice continent.
Nowadays, all land areas have been sufficiently explored and described. Now the attention of scientists has turned to the upper, depths of the Earth and Ocean. For research, sounding balloons are launched, space satellites transmit signals about processes occurring on Earth, ultra-deep wells are drilled, and special devices are lowered to the bottom of the World Ocean. Results geographically; research is used in all spheres of human life.
