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Ptolemy created a map of Africa that had the Nile and Great Lakes of Africa that greatly interested Portugal when they saw it. This map was created of what they thought all the world had, so it did not have the America's on it. This is important because this map was what the conquistadors used in the Age of Exploration.
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African Exploration in the Middle Ages was stopped when Islam had control over the continent. The only people allowed to explore it was European Jews, like Abraham Cresques and his son Jehuda. Slowly European countries started joining forces to explore the west coast which eventually led to the whole exploration.
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Britain, France, The Netherlands, and Portugal were the first countries to start trading off the coast of Africa. Things that were traded include;cloth, copper, iron, and cowry shells. Jewelry, beads, and mechanical toys were also good trades.
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Africa was the "dark continent'" because it was unexplored and the only things that lived there were wild animals and heathens. This excited and motivated many European explorers which led to Africas exploration during the 1400s.
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Due to the Portuguese not getting the Black Plague they were able to explore Africa without any worries. This was good because they were not worried.
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In 1415 the Portuguese captured Ceuta which was in northern Africa. This is what sparked the idea of Henry the Navigator sailing down the coast of west Africa.
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The first person to circum navigate the African continent in 1460. This is important because nobody had done it before.
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Fernao Gomes rented rights of African Exploration for five years. Portuguese explored modern day Ghana. When they found Ghana they also found an abundance of gold therefore naming it 'Gold Coast'.
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Astrolabe was also another helpful measuring tool during the Age of Exploration,.It was used to find latitude by the Portuguese sailors sailing down the African coast in 1481. Although it was used at see it was more accurate on land.
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Portuguese started a base in Sao Tome that was settled with criminals in 1485. In 1497, Jews also living there. Sao Tome is an island off the coast of Africa close to the equator.
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Bartholumeu Dias was the first Portuguese to circumnavigate the southern tip of Africa. He also explored the Cape of Good Hope. He opened sea routes and trade routes that hadn’t been there before.
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The Cape of Good Hope was first reached by Bartolomeu Dias who was sent by Portugal
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The caravel was a new, faster ship created by the Portuguese. Henry the Navigator used it to sail around the western coast of Africa
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Vasco da Gama was a Portuguese explorer who rounded the Africa's tip and reached India. Although they lost many ships and voyagers on the journey it was highly profitable and he came back with many spices. This is important because it showed Portugal how to directly access Asian markets without using long, overland routes.
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Africa was explored by Portugal under command by Henry the Navigator. It was explored from sailing down the Western Coast trying to find an easier trade route to India. Henry did not get around the southern tip of Africa though.
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In 1519 Cortes and his men started a journey to take over the Aztec Empire in Africa. When they got they they captured the empire. This is important because if this would have not happened the Spanish could not have expanded their Empire.
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When Portuguese colonized Africa, they destroyed and conquered many civilizations already there. by the 1580s almost all of the big civilizations were wiped out. This was important because this is where the Portuguese got their slaves to trade with. Much of this happened in modern day Angola.
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Slave trade grew big in the 1600s because of the Dutch and English. This is important because when the Portugal explored Africa and found the people living in poverty the slave trade doubled.
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When the Dutch explored Africa they established Cape Town. This was the first European colony established in Africa. This led the way for other countries to invade.
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The Galleon was a ship invented in the 16th century to help trade and fishing, you could also convert it into a warship. These ships were great ships to have because of their swiftness and they were easily able to change direction under certain circumstances.
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The sextant determined longitude and latitude by using angles between the horizon and celestial bodies. This tool was a major help in the Age of Exploration.
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These were the motives of overseas exploration. Gold is for material gain, God is the militant crusading, and Glory is the compition between monarchies
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In 1788, a group of British men founded the African Association. It was created to fund the exploration of Africa. They explored modern day Libya.
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Interest in Central Africa grew quickly in the 1800s. Societies formed and funded expeditions, like the The Parisian Geographical Society had a prize of 10,000 to whoever could reach the town of Timbuktu. Present day Timbuktu is Mali.
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During the 1850s many Europeans started racing to explore and conquer Africa. They highly depended on African men and kings who wanted allies and markets. Two big explorers who debated over the source of the Nile river were Richard Burton and John H. Speke.
