Bartolomeu Dias

Bartolomeu Dias was a Portuguese navigator who, in 1488, became the first European known to sail around Africa’s southern tip, opening a sea route toward the Indian Ocean.

Cape of Good Hope: A headland at Africa’s southwestern tip, named by Portuguese navigators after their voyages around the continent. Dias rounded this headland in 1488, though he called it the Cape of Storms.
Volta do mar: A Portuguese sailing strategy that used broad ocean wind and current patterns to return efficiently to a destination. Dias’s ships turned into the Atlantic to avoid unfavorable coastal winds on their return.
Prince Henry the Navigator: A Portuguese prince who sponsored voyages and exploration along the Atlantic coast of Africa in the fifteenth century. His earlier patronage helped establish the Portuguese program of African exploration that preceded Dias.
Vasco da Gama: A Portuguese navigator who led the first recorded European voyage by sea from Europe to India, reaching Calicut in 1498. His expedition followed the African route Dias had demonstrated was navigable.
Mossel Bay: A bay on South Africa’s southern coast where Portuguese sailors landed during early voyages around Africa. Dias’s fleet landed here during its return from the southern Atlantic.
Caravel: A small, maneuverable sailing ship used by Portuguese navigators during the Age of Discovery. Caravels gave Dias’s expedition vessels suited to exploration and coastal sailing.
Afonso V of Portugal: King of Portugal from 1438 to 1481, whose reign included the expansion of Portuguese exploration and overseas claims. Portuguese voyages under his rule extended knowledge of the African coast before Dias’s expedition.
Portuguese India Armadas: Annual Portuguese fleets that sailed from Europe to India after the sea route was established in the late fifteenth century. Dias’s voyage helped make these later voyages around Africa possible.
Kwaaihoek: A headland on South Africa’s southeastern coast where a Portuguese stone cross from the fifteenth century was found. Dias erected a padrão here, marking the eastern reach of his voyage.
Astrolabe: An instrument for measuring the altitude of celestial bodies, used to estimate latitude at sea. Celestial observations helped Portuguese navigators determine their position during ocean crossings.

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