POLAR REGIONS

Arctic Exploration

John Cabot (about 1425-1499) was a great explorer who lived in Venice. When he moved to England, he was sent in 1497 by King Henry VII to search for a route to Cathay. He sailed west and, 52 days after leaving England, he found land. In fact he had rediscovered Newfoundland and was the first European to see it since the Vikings. But he had not found Cathay and the English ignored his discovery. whalers. Like the fishermen, the Basques sailed north. In the cold Arctic Ocean many lost their lives during the hunt. Little is known of their voyages. They were a very secretive people and did not make records of their trips. Basque Whalers A group of tough seafarers lived around the Bay of Biscay in northern Spain. They were called Basques and were

W haling was very dangerous work. The men in the small boat are trying to harpoon the whale to kill it. Routes to Cathay Most of Europe, however, was more interested in the Far East. Marco Polo had made an overland journey to Cathay (China) at the end of the 13th century. When he returned home to Venice he was a wealthy man. He told of silks and spices and many other goods for trade. The overland route was very dangerous. So Portuguese, British, and Dutch navigators searched for a sea route to Cathay. Vasco da Gama (see left) sailed around South Africa in 1497-98. He discovered a route for the Portuguese. Ferdinand Magellan’s voyage (see page 28) was the first circumnavigation of the world in 1519-1522. His route took him round South America. These voyages gave Portugal and Spain southern sea routes to Cathay. The French, Dutch and English had to go north to find another way.

The Arctic Route to Cathay Many attempts were made during the next 300 years to find other ways to Cathay. The English and Dutch tried ways around North America in one direction, through the Northwest Passage. They also tried to find a way north of Russia in the other direction, the Northeast Passage. In the end neither way led them to the wealth of the Far East.

J ohn Cabot, shown here with his son Sebastian, left Bristol in 1497 looking for an Arctic route to Cathay. He rediscovered North America.

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