Explorers Flashcards
Cortez
He was the Spanish conquistador who defeated the Aztec people and claimed Mexico for Spain.
Columbus
He sailed west to get east and reached a new continent previously unknown to the Europeans. Claimed land for Spain. He was looking for gold. Spain needed money to pay for wars. Queen Isabella and king Ferdinand gave him three ships.
Ponce de Leon
He explored Florida, looking for the Fountain of Youth.
Pizarro
He was a Spanish explorer and he explored Peru and concerned the Inca empire.
John Cabot
He sailed for king Henry of England, traveled to what is now Newfoundland, claimed land for England, and told Europeans all about the codfish in the water off Newfoundland
Balboa
First European to cross Panama and see the Pacific Ocean. He claimed it for Spain.
Jacques Cartier
He was the first French explorer to sail up the St. Lawrence River looking for the Northwest passage.
Magellan
He was a Portuguese captain who sailed for Spain. He gets credit for having his ship make the first trip all the way around the world, even though he himself was killed before the ship returned to Europe.
Amerigo Vespucci
This astronomer looked for a star in the southern skies that could guide sailors like the North Star did in the northern hemisphere. He explored the coast of Brazil. Stories of his travels have been exaggerated. A German mapmaker put Amerigo’s name on the map of the new world.
Champlain
He was a French explorer who traveled in the Great Lakes Region. He discovered a lake that is now in between Vermont and New York State. He started a fur trading post at Quebec.
The Vikings
These people were excellent ship builders who traveled from Scandinavia and explored Ice Land, Greenland and Newfoundland, which they called Vineland.
Henry Hudson
He sailed for the Dutch East Indian Company and explored a famous river near what is called now New York. He also explored Canada searching for the Northwest Passage. His crew left him to near the Bay that is named for him.
Sir Walter Raleigh
He sponsored several attempts to colonize Virginia, including the “Lost Colony” of Roanoak Virginia
