Vasco+da+Gama

= Vasco da Gama =

__**Life:**__

 * =====Vasco da Gama was born in Portugal in 1469.=====
 * =====His family was noble and he was educated in several languages, geometry, physics, mathematics, and astronomy.=====
 * =====In July of 1497 da Gama lead 170 men on an expedition to sail around the southern tip of Africa to India.=====
 * =====da Gama returned to Portugal in 1499 as a hero and the first person to complete a journey 80 years in the making=====
 * =====In 1502 da Gama lead the Portuguese Armada on a second sea voyage around the Cape of Good Hope to India to enforce Portugal's interests along the route=====
 * =====In 1519 da Gama was made Count of Vidigueira, governor of Portuguese India, by King Manuel I of Portugal.=====
 * =====da Gama died December 23 1524=====

__**Regions Explored:**__

 * =====[[image:300px-Gama_route_1.svg.png align="right" caption="Vasco da Gama's route to India "]]The south-eastern and western coasts of Africa=====
 * =====India: Goa and Calicut=====

__**Effect on Local People:**__

 * =====da Gama and his men were forced to flee Mozambique by hostile natives when they failed to impress the Sultan with their gifts=====
 * =====In Mombasa they were forced to flee again because of hostile natives=====
 * =====In Malindi the crew was greeted with hospitality=====
 * =====On arrival in India he was once again welcomed with hospitality by the Indians=====
 * =====On the second voyage da Gama and the Armada aimed to destroy rival Arabian traders who crossed their path=====
 * =====As governor Da Gama had a violent reputation=====

__**Effect:**__

 * =====Vasco da Gamas effect was mixed. For the Muslim traders who had trade routes and outposts along the western coast of Africa he was very negative. He attacked their ships, destroyed their outposts, and killed many innocent Arabs. For the native Africans he had limited contact and little effect. In India his rule was considered harsh and he had a negative effect on the Indian government that they overthrew.=====