joao de barros was the explorer who discovered a trade route around the southern tip of africa to india.
which explorer discovered a trade route around the southern tip of africa to india?
joao de barros
portuguese were after spices, but they were very expensive because it was an inconvenience to trade. for example, it was dangerous and time consuming to travel by land from europe to india. as a result, king d. joão ii of portugal established a plan for ships to explore the coast of africa to see if india was navigable via around the cape, and through the indian ocean. king joão ii appointed bartolomeu dias, on october 10, 1486, to head an expedition to sail around the southern tip of africa in the hope of finding a trade route to india. dias helped in the construction of the "são gabriel" and its sister ship, the "são rafael" that were used by vasco da gama to sail past the cape of good hope and continue to india.
portuguese discovery of the sea route to india
the viking voyages did not become common knowledge in the old world, and europeans remained unaware of the existence of the americas as a whole, until the first decades following the year 1492. many expeditions were launched from european nations in search of a northwest passage to east asia (or "the indies" as the region was called) in order to establish a shorter trade route to china than the silk road, a trade route which had become desperately needed and yet exacerbated by the fall of constantinople. also, the castilian crown needed an alternative to the portuguese controlled eastern maritime trade route around africa to india and east asia.
exploration of north america