Portugal Leads the Way of Exploration

Salt of Portugal

• Portuguese merchants were the first to establish sea trade with Asia

• Prince Henry was a huge supporter of exploration

• He would sponsored voyages of exploration

• Prince Henry would be known as “the Navigator”

New Technology

• Portuguese shipbuilders perfected the caravel

• Ship design for long voyages

• European ships used square sails (More Power)

• Arabian ships used triangular sails (Quicker on Turns)

Portuguese Use Tools from Other Cultures

• Borrowed the idea of the compass

• Astrolabe (invented by the Greeks)

• Measures the angle of the stars above the horizon

• Help sailors find their ship’s latitude

Reaching India• By Prince Henry’s death, Portugal had set up trading posts in West Africa• 1488 Bartolomeu Dias rounded Africa’s southern tip • Vasco da Gama extended Dias route to India• Set up trade post in India• Portuguese moved to Indonesia

Questions

• What instruments were used to aid Portuguese exploration?

• Answer: Caravel, Compass, and astrolabe

• How did Portugal find an ocean route to Asia?• Answer: Dias rounded the tip of Africa; da Gama

extended Dias route all the way to India