Maritime navigators, caravel ships, circumnavigation, and world maps.
Test your knowledge with these top questions!
Which maneuverable ship carried Portuguese explorers along the African coast?
Lateen sails let caravels sail close into the wind, while shallow hulls allowed probing unknown coasts.
Which navigator finished the first circumnavigation after Magellan died mid-voyage?
Elcano commanded the surviving ship Victoria back to Spain with 18 sailors in 1522.
Which 1507 mapmaker first labeled the new continent "America"?
Waldseemüller honored navigator Amerigo Vespucci, whose reports suggested the land was a separate continent.
Which explorer's 1492 voyage reached the Americas while seeking Asia?
Columbus made four voyages to the Caribbean and died convinced he had reached Asia rather than a new world.