FIND OUT MORE. Mapping 220–221 • Mediterranean Seafarers 374
NAVIGATION
Navigation is any method used to find one’s way or hold a ship
on course. In the 16th century, sailors had various kinds of
instruments to help them cross the oceans.
WHY DID COLUMBUS SAIL WEST?
In 1492, Christopher Columbus persuaded King
Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain to sponsor a
voyage westwards. Its aim was to find a new trading
route to Asia. Columbus landed in the Bahamas,
starting a new age of exploration and invasion.
OLD WORLD
Europe, Asia, and Africa had been known
to geographers since ancient times. They
became known as the Old World after the
European discovery of the Americas.
HOW WAS DISTANCE MEASURED?
Distances travelled at sea were calculated from speed
and time. To measure these, a wooden log was
thrown overboard. The crew called out the time it
took the log to pass between two measuring points
on the ship. The ship’s course and progress were
measured on a peg-board.
WHAT INSTRUMENTS WERE USED?
Sailors used a compass to check the direction they
were travelling. They could also work out a ship’s
position by measuring the angle of the Sun or stars
above the horizon. They did this with a metal plate
called a quadrant, a disc called an astrolabe, or a
simple stick called a cross-staff.
NEW WORLD
The New World was one of the terms
which came to be used by Europeans to
describe the newly discovered lands of
North and South America.
1 FORTRESS ISLAND
Spain invaded Puerto Rico in 1508.
Defences were first built at San Felipe
del Morro (above) in 1540. Spain’s
colonies soon came under attack
from rivals such as the English.WHO EXPLORED THE OLD WORLD?
In the Middle Ages, the Venetian Marco Polo and
the Moroccan Ibn Battutah travelled east to China.
The Chinese admiral Zheng He sailed west to Africa
in the 15th century. By the 16th century, Portuguese
and Dutch ships were trading in southeast Asia.
TREASURES FROM THE EAST 3
Silk reached Europe from China along the overland trading routes
followed by Marco Polo. Porcelain became a major Chinese export as
east–west shipping routes were opened up in the 16th and 17th centuries.4 LANDFALL IN A NEW WORLD
Columbus and his crew meet the Taino people of the Bahamas,
believing them to be Asians. The conquered Tainos had to give gold to
the Spaniards as tribute. Columbus’ discovery brought huge wealth to
Spain, but spelt disaster for the native peoples of the Caribbean.
HENRY THE NAVIGATOR
1394–1460
This Portuguese prince
founded an observatory and a
school of navigation on Cape
St Vincent, Portugal. Here, a
new type of ship, called a
caravel, was designed. Henry
also sponsored voyages along
the coast of West Africa.