Exploration and Empire
Section 1: Early Explorations
- Columbus. Before Columbus's voyage, Europeans did not know the Western Hemisphere existed.
- During the 1400's, Europeans became interested in finding a short sea route to the Far East--a region of spices and other valuable goods.
- Columbus, an Italian navigator, believed he could find a short route to the East by sailing west.
- Financed by the Spanish king and queen, he set sail westward from Spain on Aug. 3, 1492. Columbus reached land on October 12, and assumed he had arrived in the Far East. Actually, he landed on San Salvador, one of the islands just east of the North American mainland.
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