Vasco da Gama’s 1497 Voyage to India

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Scavenger Hunt Quiz

Read the descriptions in the pop-up windows on the map. Then answer these questions and click Submit Answers.

  1. Which stop is described as a busy European port where merchants crowded the harbor and where da Gama officially began his voyage?
  2. Which stop is described as a group of volcanic islands used as an early checkpoint, where steady winds helped ships leave the safety of the European coast and head into the wider Atlantic?
  3. Which stop explains that da Gama’s fleet turned away from the African coastline into deeper Atlantic waters to catch powerful trade winds that would later curve them back toward the south of Africa?
  4. Which stop talks about a stormy southern cape that sailors both feared and respected, where ships faced huge waves and violent winds while trying to move from the Atlantic into the Indian Ocean?
  5. Which stop describes a coastline where busy port towns connected African gold and ivory with merchants from the Middle East and Asia, and where some leaders were curious but others were suspicious of the Portuguese?
  6. At which stop did da Gama encounter a major Swahili Coast city whose people viewed the Portuguese with suspicion, leading to tense relations and no lasting friendship?
  7. At which stop did da Gama find a friendly ruler and hire an expert navigator who understood the monsoon winds and helped guide the ships across the open Indian Ocean?
  8. Which stop describes an Indian trading city where markets were already crowded with spices and fine goods, and where European gifts seemed unimpressive compared to the luxury items that were already there?