USA HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -Because the Portuguese did not want to be dependent on the Muslim Turks for their spices, they were determined to find a maritime route to Asia to profit from the highly lucrative spice trade.

Detailed explanation-2: -Access to commodities such as fabrics, spices, and gold motivated a European quest for a faster means to reach South Asia. It was this search that led the Portuguese down the coast of West Africa to Sierra Leone in 1460.

Detailed explanation-3: -Under the leadership of Prince Henry the Navigator, Portugal took the principal role during most of the fifteenth century in searching for a route to Asia by sailing south around Africa. In the process, the Portuguese accumulated a wealth of knowledge about navigation and the geography of the Atlantic Ocean.

Detailed explanation-4: -The Portuguese goal of finding a sea route to Asia was finally achieved in a ground-breaking voyage commanded by Vasco da Gama, who reached Calicut in western India in 1498, becoming the first European to reach India. The second voyage to India was dispatched in 1500 under Pedro Álvares Cabral.