History Fact Finder | Exploration and Settlement - Who Discovered The Southwest Passage To The Orient?

Who discovered the southwest passage to the Orient?

Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan (c. 1480–1521) discovered the southwest passage (a sea route from Europe to Asia). After Magellan could not convince Portuguese King Manuel I (1469–1521) to sponsor an expedition to search for a southwest passage, he received the backing of Spanish King Charles I (1500–1558). In 1519 Magellan's fleet of five ships set sail from Spain with 265 crewmen, a two-year supply of food, and trinkets for bartering (trading). Upon crossing the Atlantic Ocean, Magellan searched for a water passage though the Americas. After numerous failed attempts to voyage inland, a ship was wrecked and the crew mutinied (rebelled). Finally Magellan's fleet found a twisting passage 334 miles (537 kilometers) long between the South American mainland and Tierra del Fuego (presently part of Argentina and Chile) that led to the Pacific Ocean....

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