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Which European explorers visited the Namibian coast in the 1400s?
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The European explorers who visited the Namibian coast in the 1400s were the Portuguese navigators Diogo Cão and Bartolomeu Dias.12
- Diogo Cão: During his second voyage (1485–1486), he reached Cape Cross, located in present-day Namibia.34
- Bartolomeu Dias: In 1487–1488, while on his expedition to round the southern tip of Africa, he touched upon the Namibian coast, including stops at Walvis Bay and Elizabeth Bay.14
These voyages were part of broader Portuguese efforts to explore the African coast and establish a sea route to India. Despite these early visits, European contact and penetration into the interior remained minimal until the 19th century.5412