The main geographical discoveries in the history of mankind were made in the XV - XVII centuries. During this period, a number of the most important trips made by Europeans took place, which led to the opening of new trade routes, lands, and also to the seizure of territories.
Great geographical discoveries, as historians call these events, became possible largely due to the achievements of science and technology. It is precisely this historical segment that accounts for the creation of reliable sailing ships, the improvement of navigation and coastal maps and a compass, the substantiation of the idea of the sphericity of the Earth, etc. In many respects, the beginning of such an active study was facilitated by the lack of precious metals with a very developed commodity economy, as well as the dominance of the Ottoman Empire in Africa, Asia Minor and the Mediterranean Sea, which hindered trade with the East.
The discovery and conquest of America is associated with the name of H. Columbus, who discovered the Antilles and Bahamas, and in 1492 - America itself. Amerigo Vespucci sailed to the coast of Brazil as a result of expeditions of 1499-1501.
1497-1499 - the time when Vasco da Gama was able to find a continuous sea route to India from Western Europe along the coast of South Africa. By 1488, Bartolomeo Dias, the Portuguese navigator, as well as several other travelers, made geographical discoveries on the southern and western coasts of Africa. The Portuguese also visited the Malacca Peninsula, the Moluccas and Japan.
Between 1498 and 1502, H. Columbus, A. Ojeda, A. Vespucci and other Portuguese and Spanish sailors explored the northern coast of South America, including its eastern (the territory of modern Brazil) coast and part of the Caribbean coast of Central America.
In the period from 1513 to 1525, the Spaniards (V. Nunez de Balboa) managed to cross the Isthmus of Panama and reach the Pacific Ocean. In the years 1519-1522, Fernand Magellan made his first voyage around the Earth: went into the Pacific Ocean, circling South America, and thus proved that the Earth has a spherical shape. Secondly, in 1577-1580, Francis Drake did this.
The Aztec possessions were conquered by Hernan Cortes in 1519–1521, the Incas by Francisco Pizarro in 1532–1535, Maya in 1517–1697, etc.
The British geographical discoveries were associated with the search for the north-western route to Asia, as a result of which they discovered the island of Newfoundland and the coast of North America (1497–1498, J. Cabot), the Hudson Bay, the island of Greenland, and others (from 1576 to 1616 swam G. Hudson, W. Baffin and others). French travelers explored the coast of Canada (J. Cartier, 1534–1543), the Great Lakes and the Appalachian Mountains (1609–1648, S. Champlain and others).
Great travelers of the world began their voyages not only from European ports. Among explorers there were many Russians. These are V. Poyarkov, I. Moskvitin, E. Khabarov, S. Dezhnev and others who explored Siberia and the Far East. Among the discoverers of the Arctic are V. Barents, G. Hudson, J. Davis, W. Baffin and others. The Dutch A. Tasman and V. Janszon became famous for their travels to Australia, Tasmania and New Zealand. In the 18th century (1768), James Cook re-explored this region.
Geographical discoveries of the XV - XVII centuries, which resulted in the study of a significant part of the earth's surface, helped establish the modern contours of the continents, with the exception of part of the shores of America and Australia. A new era was opened in the geographical study of the Earth, which led to serious geopolitical and socio-economic consequences and was important for the further development of a number of natural sciences.
The discovery of new lands, countries, and trade routes contributed to the further development of trade, industry, and relations between states. This led to the beginning of the formation of the world market and the era of colonialism. The development of the New World Indian civilizations was artificially interrupted.