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In 1498, when Vasco Da Gama was travelling to find a sea route to India to Portugal, his last stops in Africa were at Mombasa and Malindi. That is present day Kenya. From there, they went to Cochin in India. Europeans knew about India but they did not know about Kenya. This thread is misleading because these travellers are only reaching selected seaports-not the hinterland. I also doubt that how much knowledge in Portugal was there about Cochin?
This thread is misleading because these travellers are only reaching selected seaports-not the hinterland.
Portuguese also explored much of interior sub-saharan Africa in the late-1400's, especially the area what is now called Angola, Congo and Mozambique.
The Portuguese also were the first Europeans in what is now called Malawi (early-1600's), Zimbabwe (early-1600's) and Zambia (mid-1700's).
I don't know about Europeans.
Phoenicians, a 3000 year old culture from nowdays Lebanon, circunvalated the African continent and settled the Canary Islands for a short while.
They also founded Gades, the oldest city in Europe.
At that time, there were not very good at cartography.
Rome sent five expeditions through the Sahara with scarce results, but they seemed to arrive to Zambia and some gost lst in Congo - they left the impressions of their cohort.
Subsaharan Africa was known to exist, but unreachable due to sickness, etc....and no known gold mines at that time.
Ancient Greeks, Persians, Arabs and Romans should also be given credit for discovering lot of unknown lands. Alexander the Great invaded India in 326 BC. India name was itself given by Greeks as Land beyond Indus River. Skylax visited India about 200 years before Alexander the Great and his writings inspired Alexander. Portuguese, Spanish might have found direct sea route to many new lands but the knowledge of many unknown lands (Africa, Asia, Europe) was always there through land routes, traders, missionaries.
Americas and Australia were the missing links.
Ancient Greeks, Persians, Arabs and Romans should also be given credit for discovering lot of unknown lands. Alexander the Great invaded India in 326 BC. India name was itself given by Greeks as Land beyond Indus River. Skylax visited India about 200 years before Alexander the Great and his writings inspired Alexander. Portuguese, Spanish might have found direct sea route to many new lands but the knowledge of many unknown lands (Africa, Asia, Europe) was always there through land routes, traders, missionaries.
Americas and Australia were the missing links.
Right. Trade routes and maps were trade secrets.
That was the reason why Marco Polo revealed trade secrets and I think that he was punished by that.
Everybody knew about China during the last 3000 years, but it was a trade secret.
There has been a lot of speculation about America being also a trade secret.
There has been a lot of speculation about America being also a trade secret.
Conspiracy theory
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