DEVELOPMENT OF

GEOGRAPHIC
THOUGHT
Spanish, English,
Dutch
Christopher Columbus
Heard of a theory by
Paolo Toscanelli that it
was possible to reach
Asia by sailing west
across the Atlantic Ocean
1484: Proposed a
westward voyage to King
John II
Spain: Queen Isabella
and King Ferdinand
appointed a special
commission to study his
proposal.
Christopher Columbus
Provided with three ships:
Santa Maria The flagship, whose master was
Juan de la Cosa, a cartographer
Pinta Commanded by Martin Pinzon
Nina Commanded by Vicente Pinzon
Ships carried:
Cheap merchandise used by the Portuguese to
trade with natives in Africa
Letters of introduction in case they met the
Great Khan
Juan de la Cosa
Master of Santa Maria,
took part in a number
of Spanish expeditions
to the west
Created a map which
showed recent
discoveries by the
Portuguese and the
Spanish
Earliest chart in
existence to show the
Americas
Ferdinand Magellan
Born around 1480 in
Portugal
Became a page at
Portuguese Court,
where he met
Francisco Serrao,
who was a lifelong
friend of Magellan
Ferdinand Magellan
1505: Francisco de Almeida
Magellan sailed for Malacca, an important
trade port, with the first Portuguese fleet to
visit the Malay peninsula
1507?: Alfonso de Albuquerque
Ferdinand Magellan
Magellan would propose sailing westwards to Moluccas, and
King Charles agreed to the expedition
Magellan and Ruy Faleiro (a Portuguese cosmographer) were
appointed captains general
Five ships: All old and patched-up
Trinidad flagship
San Antonio largest ship
Concepcion
Victoria
Santiago
Magellan sailed with Antonio Pigafetta, who kept daily
accounts of the voyage
Other Spanish Explorers
Vasco Nuez de Balboa
Spanish governor in Panama.
He heard from the Indians about another
ocean to the west.
He took a Spanish expedition through the
dense forests of Panama, he was the first
European to see the Pacific Ocean.
Other Spanish Explorers
Hernando Cortes - Overcome the Aztecs
at Tenochtitlan, present-day Mexico City
Francisco Pizarro - Conquered the Inca
empire, present-day Peru
John Cabot (1450 1498)
An Italian from Genoa,
probably from a
Venetian family
1490: Moved to
England, settling in the
Port of Bristol
Discovered the
northeastern part of
North America from
Cape Hatteras to
Newfoundland in an
attempt to find Asia
Francis Drake (1540 1596)
Elizabethan sailor and
navigator
Born in Tavistock,
Devon around 1540,
went to sea at an early
age.
Became known as the
first Englishman to
circumnavigate the
world.
Spanish considered him
a pirate.
The Northern Passages
Henry Hudson
Searched for the
northwest passage.
In 1610, he
discovered the great
bay which bears his
name.
William Baffin
Reached 78 North in
the narrow water
between Greenland
and Ellesmere Island.
Terra Australis
According to Ptolemy, there is a great
southern continent, Terra Australis
Incognita
Without it, the earth could not be balanced.
Thought to be a land of gentle climate and
fabulus wealth.
James Cook (1728 1779)
October 27, 1728: Born
in Middlesborough,
Yorkshire
Moved to the coast at
the age of 17, where he
worked with a coal
merchant
An experienced
navigator and surveyor,
mapped the Pacific,
New Zealand, and
Australia
Abel Tasman (Dutch)
Sailed south in the Indian
Ocean, he explored the
southern coast of Australia, in
search of the vast southern
territory
In 1642, discovered the island
now known as Tasmania.
Traveling farther east, he
eventually first sighted New
Zealand on December
13,1642.
A Dutch map maker gave the
name Nieuw Zeeland to the
land Tasman had discovered.