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European exploration: Quick Facts

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Map showing the transatlantic and global routes of major early voyages of discovery and exploration by Spain, Portugal, England, and France during the 15th and 16th centuries. The map traces the journeys of explorers such as Columbus, Cabot, Magellan, da Gama, and others, with labeled paths crossing the Atlantic and encircling Africa and South America, as well as lines of demarcation dividing Spanish and Portuguese exploration zones.
Map of the Mediterranean region highlighting locations of Phoenician colonization, with major ancient settlements and colonies labeled along the coasts of present-day Spain, North Africa, Sicily, Sardinia, and the Levant. The map also shows surrounding regions and bodies of water, including the Mediterranean Sea, Black Sea, and Atlantic Ocean.
Map of the Carthaginian Empire in the western Mediterranean region, showing Carthaginian territory in 265 BC in green, territorial losses by 238 BC in pink, and territorial gains by 219 BC in orange. The map highlights locations across North Africa, southern Spain, and several Mediterranean islands, with major cities such as Carthage, Gades, and Carthago Nova marked.
Map showing Viking travels, trading, and raiding routes from the 9th to 11th centuries across Europe, the North Atlantic, and into North America. Viking homelands in Scandinavia are shaded, with routes extending to Iceland, Greenland, the British Isles, France, Eastern Europe, and L'Anse aux Meadows in present-day Canada. Key settlements and areas of initial Viking presence are marked. An inset map in the lower left shows the 1000-year anniversary reenactment route of Leif Eriksson's voyage from
European exploration
John II of Portugal
Map of Canada showing the exploration routes taken by various European explorers from the 16th to 19th centuries, marked with different colored and patterned lines. The routes trace paths along major rivers, lakes, the Arctic coast, and the Pacific and Atlantic coasts, illustrating efforts to find the Northwest Passage and expand fur trading. Key explorers and their paths are identified in a legend.
Map of Australia and Tasmania showing early non-Indigenous exploration routes from 1800 to 1850, with different colored lines marking the journeys of Flinders (red, 1801-03), Sturt (purple, 1829-30), Eyre (green, 1841), and Leichhardt (orange, 1844-45) along the coasts and into the interior. Major cities and geographic features such as the Great Dividing Range and Great Australian Bight are labeled.
Map of the Arctic region showing the routes of major Arctic explorations from the mid-19th to the 20th century. Each expedition, including those by Franklin, McClure, Nordenskiold, Nansen, Amundsen, Peary, Byrd and Bennett, Amundsen-Nobile-Ellsworth, and Plaisted, is marked with a distinct colored line tracing their paths across the Arctic Ocean, surrounding seas, and landmasses such as Alaska, Canada, Greenland, and Russia. A legend in the upper left corner matches each route to its explorer an
Map showing the routes of Jacques Cartier's first and second voyages to North America in the 1530s. Green arrows trace his 1534 journey, and red arrows trace his 1535-36 journey, both entering the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and traveling along the Saint Lawrence River past locations such as Anticosti Island, the Gaspe Peninsula, Stadacona (Quebec City), and Hochelaga (Montreal). Modern international and provincial boundaries are marked, and the map includes parts of present-day Canada and the northe
first circumnavigation of the globe
See how European influence in West Africa led to the mass exportation of enslaved Africans to the Americas
Explore Lisbon: A city shaped by maritime history
Examine how Native Americans, Spanish explorers, and Mormons have influenced the U.S. Mountain Region
See how European settlers in U.S. Northeast created metropolises such as Boston and New York City
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