Time discoverers of new lands to the Europeans began the end of the fifteenth, sixteenth and seventeenth century.The most curious and restless people grouped in three countries: Portugal, Spain and Russia.
most important discoveries of the century
In the late eighties of the fifteenth century the great navigators of Portugal's already ransacked and western and southern coast of distant Africa, in 1492, Christopher Columbus sailed to the Bahamas, the Lesser Antilles and discovered America, and in 1497also became an important geographic discoveries: Vasco da Gama discovered the sea route to India, skirting the African continent.And in 1498, Columbus, Vespucci and Omeha were pioneers of South America, they have five years studied, as well as Central America.
great Russian navigators explored mainly the Arctic Ocean.They went all the great northern Asia, opened the Yamal Peninsula and Taimyr, Chukotka Peninsula proved that America is a continuation of Asia, coming from the Arctic to the Pacific Ocean through the Bering Strait.This expedition was led by the great Russian explorer S. Dezhnev and F. Popov.Since 1735 Khariton and Dmitry Laptev Seas traveled to Siberia, one of which was later called their name.The names of the great navigators are usually present on the map, they are composed.
Dutchman W. Barents walked Novaya Zemlya and Spitsbergen.The Englishman G. Hudson and his associates discovered Greenland, Baffin Island, Labrador peninsula, Hudson Bay.S. Shampilen Frenchman opened the northern Appalachians and all five North American Great Lakes.The Spaniard L. Torres traveled to New Guinea.Dutch Yanszon B. and A. Tasman mapped Australia, Tasmania and the islands of New Zealand.
Something about Columbus
mysterious man left for posterity Christopher Columbus.Photography, of course, not invented yet.But there were portraits.In them we see a man with wise eyes and a seemingly distant from any adventurism.The entire identity and fate of complete turmoil Columbus ambiguous, vague, it is possible to write a novel-epic, and even there not contain all the vicissitudes of his life.
According to one of multiple versions, he was born on the island of Corsica in 1451.On this subject until now scientists fierce controversy last six cities in Italy and Spain swear that this is where the birthplace of Columbus.
His whole life - a legend.One thing is clear - he lived in Lisbon, and before it went to a lot of ships in the Mediterranean Sea.From there, from Portugal, and began the most important journey of Columbus, which has not yet made the greatest sailors in the world.
Island of Cuba and other
In 1492 he set foot on the island of Cuba.There Columbus found one of the most civilized nations of Latin America, to build a huge building vayavshy beautiful statues already familiar to Europe to grow cotton and completely unknown potatoes and tobacco, which then conquered the whole world.So far on the island birthday of Christopher Columbus - a national holiday.
pioneer of tropical strip of the Atlantic, the first pierced in the Caribbean, South America and opens the central necks, who inflicted on the cards Bahamian archipelago Small and Greater Antilles, the islands of the Caribbean island of Trinidad - it's Christopher Columbus.Photo shows the same handsome man, quietly gazing from the portrait, without the slightest trace on the face of the turmoil.
Let the Europeans say that in North America before Columbus road was protorёn Vikings from Iceland to the eleventh century.In the Middle Ages the sea to go across the ocean and for the tenth time - an incredibly difficult and dangerous.And in any case, too much land in the two Americas that before Columbus did not discover anyone.
From the messengers of the court - in the great navigators
Ferdinand Magellan was born in 1480 in northern Portugal and the age of ten orphaned.In search of bread sat in the royal court - a messenger.And he went out to sea for the first time in five dvadvat, although the sea loved since childhood.Magellan vain dream of the great navigators and their discoveries.He managed to get into the team, F. de Almeida, who first moved the ships under the flag of Spain in the East.
Magellan was a very apt pupil, quickly learned seamanship in all professions.Left in India, having lived in Mozambique, he finally became a captain.You could return to their homeland.
five years he tried to convince the Portuguese ruler in all the benefits of the Eastern expeditions, but it did not go smoothly, and in 1517 Magellan entered the service of King Charles, is that the first and Spanish, but in the future - the emperor of the Roman Empire.
World Tour
In 1493 was issued by Pope bull that opened up new lands to the east - the Portuguese, and to the west - Spanish.Magellan led an expedition to the west, to bring evidence that the island, where there are spices, belong to Spain.
And this journey has so small and mercantile goal turned out the world's first world tour.Far behind were and the great navigators and their discoveries, which Magellan named in the children's dreams.This voyage has not taken no one, especially the fact that the earth is round, while expected, not all travelers.
Magellan did not manage to introduce the world to prove their assumptions, he died in the expedition - in the Philippines.However, he was dead sure he is right.Remains of the team returned to Spain only in 1522.
Cossack Ataman Semyon Dezhnev - Arctic Mariner, Cossack Ataman, explorer and discoverer of many geographic features, was born in the Pomor family, Pinega, in 1605.Cossack started service as a private in Tobolsk, and then he was transferred to Yeniseisk, and even later - in Yakutia.Everywhere he mastered the new land, the river, even crossed the East Siberian Sea at the mouth of homemade nomadic Indigirka to Alazeya.From there his teammates on two makeshift courts moved to the East.
In Kolyma Delta went up the river and founded the town Srednekolymsk.A few years later the expedition continued to the east - to the Bering Strait, which is still about eighty years will not Bering: Dezhnev went strait first.The most eastern point of the mainland - Cape, named after the discoverer Dezhnev.In addition, the island, the bay, the peninsula and the village are named after him.In the center of the city of Veliky Ustyug in the Vologda region is a monument to him.Reliable was a man.Honest and hardworking.Hardy.Strong.He fought.Of the thirteen wounds - three heavy.But always and everywhere sought to peace.
South Mainland
By the seventeenth century the main outlines of the planet Earth saw the Europeans.However, unexplored areas were huge.Scouting the territory sought most cunning colonialists.Historians have not found out how ordinary Dutch peasants Abel Tasman became a sailor, but his travels have brought the world the invaluable discoveries.
Aristotle before our era was convinced of the existence of an unknown southern land."Terra Australis Incognita" ("Terra Australis") - he outlined in his notes.That this land and went to look for and explorer Tasman on a sailing vessel "Zehaan."In the southern latitudes of the inhospitable nature.An icy wind and the sun almost never.South and southwest sends monstrous storms.Such waves do not happen near the mainland, so the South land somewhere not here.And Tasman, reflection, replaced the previously laid course.Ahead was a complete unknown.
correct choice
After the change of the course of nature relented sailors - left behind the clouds and the sun quickly warmed ship.Soon she appeared and the earth.It so happened that Tasman landed on the island, which will be named after him, it is considerably south of the mainland.Australia itself, he simply missed.Tasmania has been surveyed, mapped.Then there will arise the city.And at that time there were more to do nothing - bad climate, gloomy cliffs, wild nature, local people can not offer anything.
Tasman went further.He was incredibly lucky with the discovery of the islands.Next was New Zealand.However, the local Maori welcomed Tasman, as well as all future travelers unfriendly.Rather, even hostile.When trying a new land survey, several members of the crew were killed.Therefore, Tasman left the job descendants, and "Zehaan" immediately departed for home.He did not find a short route to Chile.But to prove that Australia exists.
