By: Grace and Sam

•Born in 1469, in Sines, Portugal•Father was Estevao da Gama, a Portugese noble and courtier•Became a naval officer in 1492•Died on December 35, 1524, in India•Da Gama was married to Catarina de Ataide•Had 6 sons and 1 Daughter

• King Manuel 1 chose Portugese navigator Vasco da Gama to sail to India

• Vasco da Gama sailed to find a new route to Asia and trade with the princes of India

• Vasco da Gama wanted to find a trade route to India and bring back all the riches and spices back to Europe

• In 1498 Vasco da Gama reached Kozhikode, India by sea

• Vasco da Gama sailed from Portugal and after 5 months he rounded the cape of good hope

• He sailed with a crew of 170 men

• He headed north after rounding the Cape of Good Hope and stopped at trading centres that are now Mocambique, Mozambique, Mombassa, and Malinda, Kenya

• The Indian princes had no interest in trading with Vasco da Gama because they didn’t like what he had to offer

• 117 of Vasco da Gama’s crew men on the ship to India died of Scurvy

• On August 29, 1498, a bunch of Indians told Vasco da Gama and his crew that he had to pay high taxes and leave the goods behind

• One of Vasco’s ships got lost and out of sight on his first voyage to India

• Vasco da Gama sailed with four ships, the Berrio, the Saint Gabriel, the Saint Raphael, and a supply ship

• Crossing the Indian ocean to India. Sailing with the monsoon wind, had taken da Gama’s ship only 23 days to reach India

• In September 1499 da Gama was richly rewarded as the mean who had brought fruition a plan that had taken eighty years to fulfill

• While in India, Vasco and his crew had to fight natives that wanted to take advantage of them and charge them high taxes

• The sea routes established by Vasco da Gama opened up a new trade routes

• He was the first explorer to reach India from Europe

• For a short time in 1524 Vasco da Gama was governor of Portuguese India under the title of Viceroy.

• He had acquired a fearsome reputation as a “fixer” was sent to the subcontinent once more in 1524

•www.worldbookonline.com• www.portcities.org. •www.carnivorehealth.com.uk• Dreher, Diane. Explorers Who Got Lost. New York, NY, LLC,1992 Angle Entertainment.•Rosemary, Burton. Journeys Of The Great Explorers. Priestly road, Basingstoke, Hampshire. RG24 9NY, 2001

Where was Vasco da Gama born?

Portugal

England

A

B

How many men did Vasco da Gama take with him on his voyage?

170

200

A

B

How many of da Gama’s men died of Scurvy?

117

53

A

B