What is Age of Discovery?
The '''Age of Discovery''' or '''Age of Exploration''' was a period from the early [[15th century]] that continued into the early [[17th century]], during which [[Europe]]an ships traveled around the world to search for new trading routes and partners. They were in search of trading goods such as [[gold]], [[silver]] and [[spice]]s. In the process, Europeans met people and mapped lands previously unknown to them. Among the most famous [[exploration|explorers]] of the period were [[Christopher Columbus]], [[Vasco da Gama]], [[Pedro Álvares Cabral]], [[John Cabot]], [[:en:Yermak Timofeyevich|Yermak]], [[Juan Ponce de León]], [[Juan Sebastián Elcano|Juan Sebastian Elcano]], [[Bartholomeu Dias]], [[Ferdinand Magellan]], [[Willem Barentsz]], [[Abel Tasman]], [[Jean Alfonse]], [[Jacques Cartier]], [[Samuel de Champlain]], and [[Willem Janszoon|Willem Blaeu]]. [[Image:Al-Idrisi's world map.JPG|200px|thumb|right|This south-oriented map, made by Arab geographer [[al-Idrisi]] in 1154, was one of the most accurate world maps prior to the age of European exploration.]] == Portuguese Empire == [[Henry the Navigator]] started by paying Portuguese sailors to explore the west coast of Africa. In 1419 Joao Goncalves Zarco discovered the [[Madeira Islands]]. Later in the [[15th century]], [[Vasco da Gama]] reached the southwestern tip of [[Africa]] and established the city of [[Cape Town]], a Portuguese colony. This opened the way to the [[Indian Ocean]]. In the next two centuries, the Portuguese created a great trading empire on coasts of Africa, the [[Arabian Peninsula]], and [[India]]. The [[Portuguese Empire]] eventually weakened after the [[Dutch East India Company]] rose as the major power in Indian Ocean trade. {{Further|Portuguese Empire}} == Spanish Empire == In a hurry to compete with Portugal for a colonial empire, Spain sent explorer [[Christopher Columbus]] to the opposite route of the Portuguese. Instead of going south along the west coast of Africa, Columbus sailed across the Atlantic Ocean. He believed that he