(a) Henry the Navigator of Portugal laid the foundation for long distance sea voyages. He established a navigation school to train sailors. In his school, he taught them how to use navigational instruments such as the mariner’s compass and the astrolabe.
(b) 1. When the Ottoman Turks blocked the land route between the East and the West, spices and other goods became costlier.
2. This intensified the urge to discover a new sea route to Asia.
(c) 1. Many natives also died because of epidemic diseases brought by the colonizers.
2. The most dangerous weapons the natives had to encounter were these deadly diseases against which they were defenseless.
3. It led to the near annihilation of the natives in most parts of the Americas.
(d) The Trans-Atlantic Trade was a triangular trade. The European countries purchased slaves from Africa who were transported to America. In return they got sugar and other raw materials from America. The European countries profited immensely from this trade.
