Bartolomeu Dias
| Region | Occupation | Born | Died |
|---|---|---|---|
| Europe, Asia | Explorer, Cartographer | 1450 | 1500 |
While on an 1486 Portuguese-financed exploration southward along Africa's west coast, Dias was blown around the Cape of Good Hope and into Indian Ocean, proving that Indian Ocean was not closed at its southern end (as per Ptolemy). His report on his voyage prepared the way for fellow Portuguese explorer, Vasco da Gama, who, in 1497, continued on in the Indian Ocean up the east coast of Africa and across to India. Dias named the southern point of Africa the Cape of Good Hope.
Sources
Robert A. McCaughey The Portuguese Seaborne Empire, 1415-1825 (1969)Images
Public Domain Source
Related People
Vasco da GamaKing Joao II
Compiler
Peter Richards