Horton High School's Canadian
History 12 Web Page and Student
Resource
Chapter Four: The Portuguese Explorations
to the New World
the Portuguese were great explorers,
sailors and merchants.
in 1500, Gaspar Corte Real sailed
towards Greenland, then moved south west. Spotted snowy lands with some
woods. Made camp and took seven aboriginal peoples as "guests", and returned
to Portugal.
the King was pleased, for the potential
for timber for ship building, but also for the great potential for slaves.
in 1501, Real returned to the Labrador
coastline, and captured another 60 natives. He sailed down along the Newfoundland
coastline and named a region Cape Bonavista. Was lost at seas soon after.
1521 - Fergundes - sailed to the
New World, and named the lands he spotted Cabo Bretao, or "Cape Breton".
Set up small fishing settlements there, and found already existent English
settlements in this area.
1521-1525 - failed Portuguese colony
in Newfoundland. Still, there are some in Newfoundland today who are of
Portuguese descent.
by 1525, the Portuguese became disinterested
in this part of the New World, seeing it as already spoke for, while they
also had their eyes set further south, along the Florida coastline and
into Central and South America.
