In his voyages to India, beginning in 1497, Vasco da Gama revolutionized the economy of Europe. As the first navigator to find a route to India around Africa's Cape of Good Hope, da Gama gave Portugal the opportunity to take control of the lucrative spice routes that had been dominated for centuries by Italian and Muslim traders. In one bold stroke, da Gama laid the foundation for the Portuguese trading empire and ensured that the world economy would never be the same again. This biography of Vasco da Gama not only presents the life of this famous Portuguese navigator but also describes his impact on world events during the 16th century.

 

 

This book is part of a book series called Great Explorer .

There are 104 pages in this book.

It is aimed at Young Adult readers. The term Young Adult (YA) is used for books which have the following characteristics: (1) aimed at ages 12-18 years, US grades 7-12, UK school years 8-15, (2) around 50-75k words long, (3) main character is aged 12-18 years, (4) topics include self-reflection, internal conflict vs external, analyzing life and its meaning, (5) point of view is often in the first person, and (6) swearing, violence, romance and sexuality are allowed.

This book was published in 2009 by Chelsea House Publishers .

Richard Worth has written several biographies and histories for middle graders, including Stanley and Livingstone and the Exploration of Africa in World History , The Spanish Inquisition in World History , and Voices from Colonial America: Louisiana, 1682-1803 .