The Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama (1469–1524) reached the harbor of Calicut, at the time one of the most thriving and cosmopolitan trading centers of South India. This made him the first European explorer to succeed in finding a sea route to India. Following the discovery, new spices were introduced into Europe and the competition between colonial powers to exploit India’s rich natural resources began.
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Further Readings:
- Fernández-Armesto, Felipe. Pathfinders: A Global History of Exploration. New York: W.W. Norton, 2006.
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1498