There were many reasons for European exploration. As EuropeÃÂs demand for Eastern goods grew Europeans began to search for new trading routes to reduce the expenses. Another reason for exploration was the arrival of Marco Polo. When he returned from China, he came back with stories of the East. In addition, each empire wanted to expand its empire and acquire colonies and gold in order to fulfill the imperialism principle, which stated that a strong empire must have the most bullion or silver. Moreover, Europeans also set off to explore the land in order to spread Catholicism. In other words, ÃÂ God, gold, and gloryÃÂ stated and summarized the EuropeanÃÂs motives for exploration. The Portuguese and Spanish empires were one of the first to start exploring the New World.
The Portuguese exploration was one of the first European explorations. The Portuguese started sending voyages to find new trading routes. The Portuguese also established trading posts along the African shore for the purchase of gold and slaves.
World map depicting America
Portugal Corrida
Map showing main Portuguese (blue) and Spanish (wh...The Portuguese established plantations on the African coastal islands of Madeira, the Canaries, Sao Tome, and Principe. The Portuguese pushed farther southward in search of the water route to Asia. DÃÂas was the first to get to the southernmost tip of the African continent in 1488. Ten years afterwards Vasco da Gama reached India, making him the first to first to find a route to India by going around the tip of Africa or the Cape of Good Hope. Other Portuguese explorers included Magellan, who was the first to sail around the world. At the end, Portugal discovered an eastern route to India that doubled the Cape of Good Hope.
Since the Portuguese set trading post and controlled the only trade route then, the Spanish set out to find their own trade route. Because...