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The Silk Road.
In the late 1400's, Muslim traders dominated the Trans-Sahara Trade Routes. But Portugal dominated the seas. Prince Henry of Portugal was fascinated by Africa, the huge continent to the immediate south of Portugal. It was such a vast place. He had been there during the wars with Morocco in 1415. He had a hunch that maybe, just maybe, his wonderful sailors could find a way around Africa by sea. It had never been done. It might not even be possible. There might not be a river through or a sea around Africa. The way Prince Henry looked at, though, was - what good was it to be a prince if you could not follow your hunches? Sure enough, around 1434, under the able guidance of Prince Henry the Navigator, several well organized explorations left Portugal and sailed down the west coast of Africa in search of a short cut to India, where they knew they would find gold, gems, spices, and silk. It was a good hunch. Prince Henry was right. There was a way round Africa. Around 1488, Captain Dias rounded the Cape of Good Hope. Ten years later, Vasco da Gama, probably the most famous of the many famous Portuguese explorers, rounded the Cape of Good Hope and continued on to India. When Portugal showed the world that it was easier to sail around the coast of Africa than travel though the desert, the cities and towns that had sprung up along the Trans-Sahara Trade Route began to decline in influence. Trade did not stop, but it did slow down considerably. It was far less dangerous and far less costly to travel by ship than by camel.
the route in the sea
They wanted to find an all water trade route to Asia that bypassed the Mediterranean.Many wanted to spread Christianity.Some countries wanted to expand their own empires.In many cases they were simply curious.
No, San Francisco did not get named after Francisco Pizarro.