Portugal Leads the Way of Exploration
• 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”
Salt of Portugal
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