In the 15th and 16th centuries, the Europeans wanted to find sea routes to the East. Columbus wanted to find a new route to the Far East, to India, China, Japan and the Spice Islands. If he could reach these lands, he would be able to bring back rich cargoes of silks and spices.
Columbus knew that the world was round and realised that by sailing west, instead of east around the coast of Africa, as other explorers at the time were doing, he would still reach the East and the rich Spice Islands.
Christopher Columbus First Voyage Route
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According to chronology, the four Christopher Columbus voyages were made in between 1942-1504. His first voyage was planned on the year 1942, which was popularly known as Discovery of America. Finally, it was only in 1492 that Columbus was able to leave Cadiz, Spain with three ships, the Gallega, Pinta and Santa Clara. His mission now was to occupy land, and as a reward, he will stand as the governor of those territories.
Christopher Columbus Second Voyage Route
During the second Christopher Columbus voyages he reached at Puerto Rico , and the voyage was set on 1943, immediately after his first voyage. He could not reach at the mainland America until he had his third voyage on 1948. His report on the voyage alongside his proofs impressed Ferdinand and Isabella, granting him another chance to expand the Spanish colonies in a second voyage.
This one left Cadiz in September 1493, and he now had 17 ships with about 1,000 men for purposes of colonization and conversion into Christianity. The men were promised riches and abundance once they transferred these lands to the Spanish government.
Christopher Columbus Third Voyage Route
By his third voyage he reached at South America and on his 4th Voyage he could reach at the Central America on 1504. His voyages laid significant impacts in establishing Spanish colonization in America. His success in discovering new lands and claiming them for the Spanish Crown made him more well-known everywhere, and more than that, as part of the agreement he had with Spain, he was named the governor of Hispaniola. Later on, he was given an opportunity for a third voyage. For this, he left Sanlucar, Spain on May 30, 1498.
This time, he dared to go on a more southern route, heading towards Cape Verde and eventually reaching the river of Orinoco, as well as two places in the present South American mainland which he later named Tobago and Grenada. His arrival along the Orinoco River marked the second time that an explorer reached and stepped on the mainland; the first instance was done by the famous Viking Leif Ericson.
Christopher Columbus Fourth Voyage Route
Columbus made his fourth voyage from Spain to the Americas in 1502. He was such a sure navigator by then that the 3500-mile voyage took a mere 21 days. Columbus was denied permission to enter the colony at Hispaniola, where he remained a very unpopular figure.
He avoided disaster by riding out a hurricane in a small, sheltered harbor, then resumed his quest. His effort was plagued by further storms and doldrums, making his final voyage the most harrowing of all. Columbus sailed along the coast of Central America, hoping in vain to find an opening that would allow him to reach the shores of the Far East.
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