Exploration

• The Impact of Technology on Exploration

  During the fifteenth century exploration and successful navigation depended heavily on advancements in technology
• Technological advancements/inventions


  • Enabled explorers to venture further and more safely than ever before, laying the groundwork for the Age of Discovery
• Key technological impacts on exploration during this period

  • Invention of navigational instruments, such as the Magnetic Compass, astrolabe
  • Improved Hull designs made ships more seaworthy and capable of withstanding the harsh conditions of open ocean voyages
• Navigators who depended on technology

  • Prince Henry the Navigator established a school for navigation at Sagres
  • Christopher Columbus Used a fleet that included the Niña, Pinta, and Santa María
  • Vasco da Gama's successful voyage to India in 1498 was made possible by the use of the caravel and advanced navigational techniques
• Impact of Geography on voyages

  Geography impacted voyages by shaping routes, determining the feasibility of exploration, and influencing the outcomes of these journeys
• Ways in which geography impacted voyages

  • The natural landscape sometimes created Barriers during voyages, likewise the landscape also facilitated voyages
  • The predictable trade winds facilitated transoceanic voyages, particularly during the Age of Discovery
  • Vast deserts, such as the Sahara, were challenging to cross due to harsh conditions and limited resources
  • Rivers like the Nile, Amazon, and Mississippi served as natural highways, facilitating exploration and trade deep into continents
  • Large bodies of water such as oceans and seas were both obstacles and enablers
• Navigators impacted by geography

  • Norse explorers, such as Leif Erikson, navigated the challenging North Atlantic waters
  • Portuguese explorers, like Vasco da Gama, navigated around the southern tip of Africa (Cape of Good Hope) to reach India
  • Lewis and Clarke exploration of the American West was heavily influenced by the geography of the Missouri River and the Rocky Mountains
• Climatic and weather conditions that impacted exploration

  • Regions with extreme climates, such as the Arctic and Antarctic, posed severe challenges
  • Tropical rainforests, with their dense vegetation and heavy rainfall, also presented significant obstacles
  • In the Indian Ocean, monsoon winds were critical for maritime navigation
• Technological advancements that facilitated exploration

  • Navigational instruments, such as the Magnetic Compass, astrolabe
  • Sturdier and bigger ships, like the caravel
  • Advances in Cartography
  • Invention of the printing press
  • Advances in sail design
• Encomienda system


  A system of work established by the Spanish Crown during the colonization of the Americas to regulate and control Native American labor and behavior
• Encomienda system


  • Primary purpose was to allow colonizers to obtain wealth from the newly discovered territories
  • Allowed them to use the Amerindians to work for them while rewarding them for their services and converting them to christianity
  • They were to also protect them
• The encomienda system disrupted traditional social structures and ways of life for Native Americans