The most famous travelers and their discoveries

A real sailor, a professional navigator, must gain experience from his sea travels. If Pireira had taken advantage of the Canary and North Passat currents, he would inevitably have repeated van Olmen's mistake. But he was lucky, because the beginning of his expedition coincided with the offensive winter season. Taking into account this circumstance, which threatened storms and hurricanes, it was decided to sail along an alternate route. In addition, it was necessary to prevent a meeting with ships flying the Spanish flag.
The South Passat Current is considered the most convenient for crossing the ocean in a westerly direction. Starting off the coast of the Gulf of Guinea, in the water area with coordinates 1 0 north longitude and 2 0 –2 0 30 / south latitude (at this place the width of the current reaches 300-350 km), it gradually expands as it moves to the West.
Further on its path, the ocean river covers the entire space from the meridian of Cape Palma at 2 0 northern latitude and even goes beyond 5 0 south latitude. And at 10 0 western longitude it reaches a width of 8 0 -9 0 (800-900 km). At some distance to the west of the meridian of the island of Ferro, an arm 20 0 wide is separated from the current moving its waters to the northwest, and in some places reaches the boundaries of 30 0 north longitude. The South Trade Wind Current itself, approaching Cape San Roca on the Brazilian coast, is divided into two currents - the Guinea Current, moving north to the Caribbean Sea, and the South Brazilian Current, extending to the South Winds.
It is interesting that the speed of the sea current, carrying its waters from Africa to South America, is unstable: at its very sources it covers a distance of 4-5 km per day, on the meridian of Cape Palma (at summer period) – 8-12 km, at 10 0 west longitude it decreases to 6 km, but sometimes increases to 11 km.

Currents on the Atlantic Ocean

Most likely, Duarte Pireira entered the South Trade Wind Current off the coast of Guinea and headed for Brazil. Regardless of his will, the wide and powerful ocean river led the expedition exactly to its destination. Being a cartographer, Pireira maps the outline of the coastline and determines the latitude and longitude coordinates of the place and, without wasting any time, returns. Such haste did not allow the matter to be completed.

Duarte Pasheco Pireira (1469-1533)

It can be assumed that one of the main instructions given by King Juan II when sending a secret expedition to the west of the Atlantic, after reaching the shores of the much-needed land, the sailors, without wasting time, were to rush to their homeland with happy news. Judging by the history of this expedition, the king's order was fulfilled.
It would take about a month to replenish water supplies and repair the ship. This was a big mistake, which Cabral repeated six years later.
What was this mistake? Study open land would entail a loss of time, which would be a direct violation of royal instructions. For this reason, having discovered land, the Portuguese sailors had to immediately move away from the coast. It was because of this that Pireira, who did not find the opportunity to check the shores of the open land, decided that the land lying in front of him was not a mainland, but some islands. After all, Columbus, returning from his first voyage, announced his discovery of a group of numerous islands in the Western Ocean. Also, when Cabral first landed on these lands, he thought that it was a large island.
Despite all this, it is likely that Pireira returned to Lisbon in the first quarter of 1494. Every detail of the report submitted was subject to detailed scrutiny. It reflects all the distances to the Brazilian coast, from Lisbon, from the remote western coast of Africa, from Madeira and the Cape Verde Islands. The main attention was paid to the longitude coordinates of this newly discovered area, which was kept secret until a certain time. Having studied several options, taking into account the coordinates, I came to the conclusion that Pireira landed on the shores of Brazil, approximately in the vicinity of the cities of Lewis and Belem, located at 1 0 south latitude and 42 0 -43 0 west longitude, but due to the strong ruggedness coastline stripes, especially on the San Luis Peninsula, mistook them for a group of islands.
Here the question may arise, why do I believe that Pireira reached the place where modern São Luis is now located? According to my assumption, Pireira headed west, taking advantage of the familiar South Passat Current, which originates near the Guinean coast and, when approaching South America, meets the Guiana and Brazilian currents. It continues its further journey to 10 south latitude along the Guiana Current, which carries its waters strictly to the North and rises to the latitude of the Iberian Peninsula. Moreover, this is the most suitable option in order to return to Europe without wasting time.
Despite the fact that the coordinates in Christopher Columbus's report were encrypted, the Portuguese knew that the Spaniards encountered land west of 50 0 West longitude. Until the beginning of 1494, the question of geographical latitudes did not interest Pireira. Two factors played a major role in this. According to the Treaty of Alcazovaz, the Spaniards did not have legal law conduct searches below the 28th parallel of the northern hemisphere. Secondly, due to the fact that the execution of the royal order had to winter period, Pireira decided to take advantage of the South Trade Wind Current, moving in a westerly direction, below the equatorial line. As a result, the Portuguese managed to achieve success. However, it could never have occurred to them that the discovered land was part of a huge continent.

Christopher Columbus (1451-1506)

6 years have passed and King Manuel I equips an expedition led by Pedro Cabral. The fleet, initially moving south from the Cape Verde Islands, was soon picked up by the South Trade Wind Current, rushing to the West. But this time, when approaching the mainland, they swim to the shore thanks to the Brazilian Current, carrying its waters to the South. Of course, enormous credit for this goes to Duarte Pireira. But will the presence on the team of such experienced famous sailors as Bartolomeu Dias, Gonçalo Coelho and Duarte Pireira harm the secrecy of this mission? Under any circumstances, it is impossible to imagine that such professional sailors could not get lost in the waters of the Atlantic Ocean. Be that as it may, Bartolomeu Dias, aware of everything, took this secret with him into the depths of the ocean.
The most experienced, capable and famous sailors on the Iberian Peninsula - Bartolomeu Dias and Duarte Pireira - took part in Cabral's expedition. No storm, not even the most ferocious one, would have forced them to deviate from their course. Unlike Cabral, the southern waters of the Atlantic were familiar to them. In addition, they were both graduates of the most prestigious navigator school in Portugal and close friends. Returning to Lisbon after the discovery of the Cape Good Hope at the southern tip of the African continent, Bartolomeu Dias saved castaway Pireiro.

Pedro Alvares Cabral (1467-1520)
( From the engraving the beginning XIX century )

The difference between them was that Bartolomeu Dias studied the entire western coast of Africa, from North to South. And Pireira knew well all the islands and archipelagos known to Portuguese sailors in the Atlantic Sea, and easily sailed in this water area. If only because of its high professional qualities and the knowledge of the Atlantic, the discovery of Brazil should have been entrusted to him. Considering previous events, Pireira, as a professional, should not have made the mistakes that Vogado, Telles, van Olmen and other sailors made.
But fate decreed otherwise and the trip to India with Cabral became the last for B. Dias, who discovered the Cape of Good Hope for Europeans. Historical documents report that the expedition that left Brazil, when approaching the Cape of Good Hope, was caught in a terrible storm that carried four ships with their entire crew to the ocean floor. From this tragic day the name Bartolomeu Dias went down in history.
One of those initiated into the secret of the discovery of Brazil, the chronicler of the Peru expedition, Vash Caminha, also did not return from this voyage. Fifty crew members, including P.V. Caminha, were killed during a skirmish between the Portuguese and the population of the Indian city of Calicut. The main witnesses and bearers of the secret of the discovery of Brazil took it with them to the grave. Which, however, was beneficial to the king.

Peru Vaz de Caminha (1450-1500)

So, through the efforts of Duarte Pireira, the Portuguese kingdom took possession of vast territories. Although, if this expedition, like all those that preceded it, had ended in failure, then Portugal would have been forced to be satisfied with the islands it discovered in the Atlantic Ocean.
The Portuguese, who had all the necessary information, pretending that they have no idea about the existence of Brazil, in the name of justice, demand that the demarcation line be moved to 50 0 west longitude. Since the sphericity of the Earth had not yet been proven, most people imagined its shape as a plane. The Portuguese understood perfectly well that during the Tordesillas negotiations it was thanks to this misconception that they managed to deceive the Pope. Since the surface of the Earth is flat, then all the lands located from West to East should belong to the Portuguese.

(The article continues - “ The cunning actions of Duarte Pasheco Pireira
and Christopher Columbus »)

Research writer Ramiz Deniz
Presidential Fellow in Literature,
laureate of the Golden Pen Award

We were familiar with some representatives of the fauna.

The first stage of research of the Atlantic Ocean

The initial period of development - from ancient times to the beginning of the era of the Great geographical discoveries can be called backstory scientific research Atlantic Ocean.

The most ancient navigators were the Egyptians, the inhabitants of the island. Crete had a good idea of ​​the winds, currents, and shores of the water areas known to them. In the second millennium BC. e. central object research was the Mediterranean Sea. In the VI century. BC e. The Phoenicians had already sailed around Africa. The first written and cartographic documents date back to the first millennium BC. e., these were the works of the ancient Greeks and then the Romans.

In the 4th century. BC e. A native of the city of Massalia (Marseille), Pytheas made voyages to the North Atlantic, where he determined, among other things, the height of the tides. Pliny the Elder (beginning of the new era) made the first attempt to connect the phenomenon of ebb and flow with the phases of the Moon. Aristotle wrote about the difference in temperature at the surface and at depth. Ancient scientists knew a lot about the physics of the ocean, they remained quite detailed descriptions and maps with depth measurements.

In the 10th century AD Norman navigator Eric the Red was the first to cross the North Atlantic, reaching the shores of the island. Newfoundland, sailed to 40° N. w. and visited the coast of North America. However, these studies were in many ways inferior to the ancient ones in terms of the amount collected.

The second stage of research of the Atlantic Ocean

(XV-XVIII centuries) - a time of more fundamental knowledge of nature and, first of all, the Atlantic.

At this time, Europeans began to thoroughly master the route to, skirting the shores of Africa. In 1498. Six years earlier, he reached the shores of America and made three more voyages - in 1493, 1498 and 1501. The distance from the coast of Europe to the Caribbean was established quite accurately, the velocities of the Northern Equatorial Current were measured, the first depth measurements were taken, soil samples were taken, the first descriptions of tropical hurricanes were given, and magnetic declination anomalies were established near the Bermuda Islands. In 1529, the first bathymetric map was published in Spain, indicating reefs, banks, and shallow waters. During this era, the Northern Trade Wind Current, the Gulf Stream, and the Brazilian and Guiana Currents were discovered off the coast of South America.

The third stage of research of the Atlantic Ocean

In the 19th and first half of the 20th centuries. Systematic expeditions had already been carried out, during which general geographical and special oceanographic research was carried out. Natural scientists often took part in the voyages.

were determined and specific gravity sea ​​water at different depths, information was collected about the prevailing winds, bottom topography and sea soils. In 1848, a map of winds and currents was published. A special place in Atlantic studies late XIX V. belongs to the specialized oceanographic expedition of the British Royal Society on the steam corvette Challenger (1872-1876). Much work was carried out in a variety of directions: physics, chemistry, geology, ocean. Following the example of the Challenger, other countries began to carry out work.

In 1886, the ship “Vityaz” under the command of Admiral S.O. Makarova conducted research on the waters of the Atlantic: temperature, density, and specific gravity were determined. At the beginning of the 19th century. Research was carried out to lay an undersea cable between the Old and New Worlds.

The fourth stage of research of the Atlantic Ocean

Currently running detailed study ocean and its seas. The main directions of expeditionary research: climate study, accumulation of standard data, comprehensive research in little-studied regions, studying the dynamics of ocean waters and, finally, work directly related to servicing the economy, i.e. solving practical problems (identifying material resources, servicing ships, detecting schools of fish, etc.).

From 1951 to 1956, the Anglo-American expedition carried out large-scale surveys of the structure and dynamics of water in temperate and tropical latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere, while simultaneously taking depth measurements. The work was supervised by the famous oceanologist G. Dietrich. In 1959, the Soviet ship Mikhail Lomonosov discovered at 30° west. d. countercurrent in equatorial latitudes, which was named after M.V. Lomonosov. In 1962-1964. International studies of the tropical Atlantic were carried out between 20° N. w. and 20° S. w. In 1974, an international experiment was conducted to study the tropical Atlantic (ATE).

Much work is currently underway on the global research program. atmospheric processes(PIGAP). As a result, data were obtained on physical and chemical processes above the ocean and in the ocean to a depth of 1.5 km. total area research amounted to 52 million km 2 (between 20° N and 10° S). Important conclusions have been drawn about the role of tropical ocean regions in heat balance. Ocean exploration continues.

The second largest ocean is the Atlantic. The ocean surface underwater was formed in different periods of time. The formation of the ocean began in the Mesozoic era, when a supercontinent split into several continents, which moved and as a result formed the primary oceanic lithosphere. Further, the formation of islands and continents occurred, which contributed to changes in the coastline and area of ​​the Atlantic Ocean. Over the past 40 million years, the ocean basin has opened along one rift axis, which continues to this day, since the plates move annually at a certain speed.

History of the study of the Atlantic Ocean

The Atlantic Ocean has been explored by people since ancient times. The most important trade routes of the ancient Greeks and Carthaginians, Phoenicians and Romans passed through it. In the Middle Ages, the Normans swam to the shores of Greenland, although there are sources confirming that they completely swam across the ocean and reached the shores of North America.

During the era of great geographical discoveries, expeditions crossed the ocean:

• B. Diasha;
• H. Columba;
• J. Cabot;
• Vasco da Gama;
• F. Magellan.

Initially, it was believed that sailors crossed the ocean and discovered new way to India, but much later it became clear that this New Earth. The development of the northern shores of the Atlantic lasted in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, maps were drawn up, the process of collecting information about the water area was underway, climatic features, directions and speed of ocean currents.

In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, significant development and study of the Atlantic Ocean belonged to G. Alice, J. Cook, I. Krusenstern, E. Lentz, J. Ross. They studied temperature regime water and plotted the contours of the shores, studied the ocean depths and bottom features.

From the twentieth century to the present day basic research Atlantic Ocean. This is an oceanographic study, with the help of special devices that make it possible to study not only water regime water area, but also bottom topography, underwater flora and fauna. In addition, it is studying how the ocean climate affects the weather of the continents.

Thus, the Atlantic Ocean is the most important ecosystem of our planet, part of the World Ocean. It needs to be studied because it has a huge impact on environment, and in the depths of the ocean opens amazing world nature.

Travel has always attracted people, but before it was not only interesting, but also extremely difficult. The territories were unexplored, and when setting off, everyone became an explorer. Which travelers are the most famous and what exactly did each of them discover?

James Cook

The famous Englishman was one of the best cartographers of the eighteenth century. He was born in the north of England and by the age of thirteen began to work with his father. But the boy turned out to be incapable of trading, so he decided to take up sailing. In those days, all the famous travelers of the world went to distant lands by ship. James became interested in maritime affairs and advanced so quickly career ladder that he was offered to become captain. He refused and went to the Royal Navy. Already in 1757, the talented Cook began to control the ship himself. His first achievement was the design of the channel of the St. Lawrence River. He discovered his talent as a navigator and cartographer. In the 1760s he explored Newfoundland, which attracted attention Royal Society and the Admiralty. He was entrusted with a journey across the Pacific Ocean, where he reached the shores of New Zealand. In 1770, he accomplished something that other famous travelers had not achieved before - he discovered a new continent. Cook returned to England in 1771 as the famous pioneer of Australia. His last journey was an expedition in search of a passage connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Today, even schoolchildren know the sad fate of Cook, who was killed by cannibal natives.

Christopher Columbus

Famous travelers and their discoveries have always had a significant influence on the course of history, but few turned out to be as famous as this man. Columbus became a national hero of Spain, decisively expanding the map of the country. Christopher was born in 1451. The boy quickly achieved success because he was diligent and studied well. Already at the age of 14 he went to sea. In 1479, he met his love and began life in Portugal, but after the tragic death of his wife, he and his son went to Spain. Having received support Spanish king, he went on an expedition, the purpose of which was to find a way to Asia. Three ships sailed from the coast of Spain to the west. In October 1492 they reached the Bahamas. This is how America was discovered. Christopher mistakenly decided to call the local residents Indians, believing that he had reached India. His report changed history: the two new continents and many islands discovered by Columbus became the main focus of colonial voyages over the next few centuries.

Vasco da Gama

The most famous traveler of Portugal was born in the city of Sines on September 29, 1460. From a young age he worked in the navy and became famous as a confident and fearless captain. In 1495, King Manuel came to power in Portugal, who dreamed of developing trade with India. For this, a sea route was needed, in search of which Vasco da Gama had to go. There were more famous sailors and travelers in the country, but for some reason the king chose him. In 1497, four ships sailed south, rounded and sailed to Mozambique. They had to stop there for a month - half the team by that time was suffering from scurvy. After the break, Vasco da Gama reached Calcutta. In India, he established trade relations for three months, and a year later returned to Portugal, where he became a national hero. The discovery of a sea route that made it possible to get to Calcutta along the east coast of Africa was his main achievement.

Nikolai Miklouho-Maclay

Famous Russian travelers also accomplished a lot important discoveries. For example, the same Nikolai Mikhlukho-Maclay, born in 1864 in the Novgorod province. He was unable to graduate from St. Petersburg University, as he was expelled for participating in student demonstrations. To continue his education, Nikolai went to Germany, where he met Haeckel, a natural scientist who invited Miklouho-Maclay to his scientific expedition. This is how the world of wanderings opened up for him. His whole life was devoted to travel and scientific work. Nikolai lived in Sicily, Australia, studied New Guinea, implementing a project of the Russian Geographical Society, and visited Indonesia, the Philippines, the Malacca Peninsula and Oceania. In 1886, the natural scientist returned to Russia and proposed to the emperor to found a Russian colony overseas. But the project with New Guinea did not receive royal support, and Miklouho-Maclay became seriously ill and soon died without completing his work on the travel book.

Ferdinand Magellan

Many famous navigators and travelers lived during the era of the Great Magellan is no exception. In 1480 he was born in Portugal, in the city of Sabrosa. Having gone to serve at court (at that time he was only 12 years old), he learned about the confrontation between his native country and Spain, about travel to the East Indies and trade routes. This is how he first became interested in the sea. In 1505, Fernand got on a ship. For seven years after that, he roamed the seas and took part in expeditions to India and Africa. In 1513, Magellan traveled to Morocco, where he was wounded in battle. But this did not curb his thirst for travel - he planned an expedition for spices. The king rejected his request, and Magellan went to Spain, where he received all the necessary support. Thus began his journey around the world. Fernand thought that from the west the route to India might be shorter. He crossed the Atlantic Ocean, reached South America and opened a strait that would later be named after him. became the first European to see the Pacific Ocean. He used it to reach the Philippines and almost reached his goal - the Moluccas, but died in a battle with local tribes, wounded by a poisonous arrow. However, his journey revealed a new ocean to Europe and the understanding that the planet was much larger than scientists had previously thought.

Roald Amundsen

The Norwegian was born at the very end of an era in which many famous travelers became famous. Amundsen became the last of the explorers trying to find undiscovered lands. Since childhood, he was distinguished by perseverance and self-confidence, which allowed him to conquer the South Geographic Pole. The beginning of the journey is connected with 1893, when the boy dropped out of university and got a job as a sailor. In 1896 he became a navigator, and the following year he set off on his first expedition to Antarctica. The ship was lost in the ice, the crew suffered from scurvy, but Amundsen did not give up. He took command, cured people, remembering his medical education, and brought the ship back to Europe. Having become a captain, in 1903 he set out to search for the Northwest Passage off Canada. Famous travelers before him had never done anything like this - in two years the team covered the path from the east of the American continent to its west. Amundsen became famous throughout the world. The next expedition was a two-month trip to the Southern Plus, and the last enterprise was the search for Nobile, during which he went missing.

David Livingston

Many famous travelers are associated with sailing. became a sushi explorer, namely African continent. The famous Scot was born in March 1813. At age 20, he decided to become a missionary, met Robert Moffett and wanted to go to African villages. In 1841 he came to Kuruman, where he taught local residents how to Agriculture, served as a doctor and taught literacy. There he learned the Bechuana language, which helped him in his travels around Africa. Livingston studied in detail the life and customs of the local residents, wrote several books about them and went on an expedition in search of the sources of the Nile, in which he fell ill and died of a fever.

Amerigo Vespucci

The world's most famous travelers most often came from Spain or Portugal. Amerigo Vespucci was born in Italy and became one of the famous Florentines. He received a good education and studied to be a financier. From 1490 he worked in Seville, in the Medici trade mission. His life was connected with sea travel, for example, he sponsored Columbus's second expedition. Christopher inspired him with the idea of ​​​​trying himself as a traveler, and already in 1499 Vespucci went to Suriname. The purpose of the voyage was to explore the coastline. There he opened a settlement called Venezuela - little Venice. In 1500 he returned home, bringing 200 slaves. In 1501 and 1503 Amerigo repeated his travels, acting not only as a navigator, but also as a cartographer. He discovered the bay of Rio de Janeiro, the name of which he gave himself. From 1505 he served the King of Castile and did not take part in campaigns, only equipping other people’s expeditions.

Francis Drake

Many famous travelers and their discoveries benefited humanity. But among them there are also those who left behind a bad memory, since their names were associated with rather cruel events. The English Protestant, who sailed on a ship from the age of twelve, was no exception. He captured locals in the Caribbean, sold them into slavery to the Spaniards, attacked ships and fought with Catholics. Perhaps no one could match Drake in the number of captured foreign ships. His campaigns were sponsored by the Queen of England. In 1577 he went to South America to destroy the Spanish settlements. During the journey, he found Tierra del Fuego and a strait, which was later named after him. Having sailed around Argentina, Drake plundered the port of Valparaiso and two Spanish ships. Having reached California, he met the natives who presented the British with gifts of tobacco and bird feathers. Drake crossed Indian Ocean and returned to Plymouth, becoming the first British person to circumnavigate the world. He was admitted to the House of Commons and awarded the title of Sir. In 1595 he died on his last trip to the Caribbean.

Afanasy Nikitin

Few famous Russian travelers have achieved the same heights as this native of Tver. Afanasy Nikitin became the first European to visit India. He traveled to the Portuguese colonialists and wrote “Walking across the Three Seas” - a most valuable literary and historical monument. The success of the expedition was ensured by the career of a merchant: Afanasy knew several languages ​​and knew how to negotiate with people. On his journey, he visited Baku, lived in Persia for about two years and reached India by ship. After visiting several cities in an exotic country, he went to Parvat, where he stayed for a year and a half. After the province of Raichur, he headed to Russia, charting a route through the Arabian and Somali peninsulas. However, Afanasy Nikitin never made it home, because he fell ill and died near Smolensk, but his notes were preserved and provided the merchant with world fame.

When our planet emerged 4.5 billion years ago, it was hot and consisted of liquid rocks. Over the next millions of years, the Earth cooled, and its outer surface gradually acquired a hard shell.

However, this happened unevenly. As the already solidified layers of rock sank into still liquid ones, vast depressions appeared, which later became deep-sea basins. The Earth slowly cooled, causing hot water vapor to rise and a dense layer of clouds to form.

When the Earth cooled sufficiently, rain began to flow from this cloud, which fell continuously for thousands of years. Getting into hot water rock, the water evaporated and steam rose again, as a result of which the rain only intensified. As temperatures on Earth fell, less and less water began to evaporate and sediment accumulated in huge deep-sea basins.

Ancient Oceans

About 300 million years ago, all the land on our planet was united into one huge continent called Pangea. This supercontinent was surrounded by one giant ocean - Panthalassa. Some scientists suggest that 1-2 billion years before the appearance of Pangea, there was an even larger part of the land, surrounded by an even larger proto-ocean. But this theory still has no confirmation.

Ancient Ocean Tesis

There was another one ancient ocean— Tesis. This is a huge ocean that existed approximately 250 to 65 million years ago. When the continent of Pangea split into two parts, this ocean arose between the resulting northern (Laurasia) and southern (Gondwana) parts. The modern Mediterranean Sea between Southern Europe and Northern Africa - remnants of Tethys.

Changes in seas and oceans

Seas and oceans are constantly changing - expanding and contracting. For example, about 300 million years ago, when all parts of the land collided, the supercontinent Pangea arose. At the same time, most of the seas shrank. About six million years ago, the Mediterranean Sea almost dried up when an unexpected obstacle stood in the way of water. This happened because the Strait of Gibraltar was closed after the collision of Africa with Europe. Only a million years later did the Mediterranean Sea fill with water again. The water in the Atlantic Ocean rose and splashed out in a huge waterfall onto the dry area. During the last ice age about 10,000 years ago, so much water turned to ice that sea levels dropped by 90 meters. Imagine: you could get from America to Africa on foot!

People and oceans

For a long time, people believed that the sea was a calmly flowing and deep river. They also thought that the Earth was disk-shaped. An ancient map drawn 2,500 years ago shows that this “river” washes the disk-shaped Earth on all sides. But already in those days there were brave sailors who dared to go far into the unknown sea. Despite the new knowledge gained, the idea of ​​the sea and our planet in human consciousness changed very slowly.

First research expeditions

Already thousands of years ago, people sat in a canoe or on a raft and set off to uncharted continents. People who lived in the Stone Age, the aborigines of Australia, crossed the sea 60 thousand years ago on their way from Southeast Asia. It is known that 3000 years BC, some peoples of Oceania undertook research expeditions to the islands located in the South Pacific Ocean. Already 4,000 years ago, sailors and traders sailed ships across the Arabian Sea.

The most famous European sailors of the Middle Ages

The most famous European navigators early Middle Ages(800-1000) were Vikings from Northern Europe who crossed the Atlantic Ocean, moving to Greenland, Iceland and Newfoundland. There is a version that the Vikings reached North America. Today, researchers agree that it was they, and not Christopher Columbus, who discovered America.

What Thor Heyerdahl proved

Thor Heyerdahl (1914-2002) was a Norwegian naturalist, explorer and traveler who became famous for sailing on the Kon-Tiki raft from Peru to the Polynesian islands. Thus, he proved that people long before European sailors could undertake such journeys.

In 1970, Heyerdahl, on a sailboat of his own construction, successfully traveled from Morocco to the Caribbean islands (Atlantic Ocean), substantiating his theory according to which the ancient Egyptians could sail on similar ships from North Africa in America.

Animal skin boat

British traveler Tim Severin in 1976-1977 sailed on the Brendan boat, made of ox hides, from Ireland to Newfoundland (Canada). From ancient sources, he learned that an Irish monk, around 570 AD, sailed on a ship made from animal skin to North America. With his journey, Severin wanted to prove that this was possible on such a ship - and he succeeded.

Voyages of seafarers - search for sea routes

The main reason for searching for sea routes to Asia is trade in goods, which were absent in Europe. First of all, these were spices and other valuable things. The sailors wanted to establish a stable trade connection, since at that time trade was controlled by the Arabs. Europeans had to transport goods through Arab countries and, accordingly, pay high duties. In addition, at the beginning of the 15th century, wars broke out every now and then on Arab territory. The seafarers believed that they could easily deliver goods to Europe if they found a sea route to East Asia. The initiator of the search was Henry the Navigator (1394-1460), Prince of Portugal, who pushed European sailors to great discoveries.

Columbus's famous voyage

The great Italian navigator Christopher Columbus (1451-1506) set out on behalf of the Spanish crown in search of a western sea route from Europe to India. On the ships "Santa Maria", "Nina" and "Pinta", he sailed across the Atlantic and reached the Bahamas, deciding that these were the islands located in front of India. This is how America was discovered - a double continent, previously unknown in Europe.

On the way back, the Santa Maria was shipwrecked. In 1493, Columbus returned to Spain on the two remaining ships.

Who was the first to circle the Earth

The Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan (1480-1521) was the first to travel around the Earth. He began his voyage from Spain in 1519, setting off with five ships to the west. Magellan crossed the Atlantic and Pacific oceans and discovered the Philippines in 1521, but was killed on one of the islands in a clash with the aborigines. Juan Sebastian Elcano - one of its captains - took command, and in 1522 only one of the five ships returned to Spain.

After the first trip around the world It was finally proven that the Earth is round. They also learned that Christopher Columbus did not open the route to India, but discovered a new, hitherto unknown continent. In addition, it became clear that there is a World Ocean that washes our Earth.

The first European to discover a sea route to India

The Portuguese navigator Vasco da Gama (1469-1524) was the first to find a sea route to India. On behalf of the Portuguese king in 1497, he set sail on 4 ships. His route was from Portugal to the Cape of Good Hope at the southern tip of Africa, from there along the east coast of Africa to Malindi (Kenya) and finally northeast to the west coast of India, which da Gama reached in 1498.