# Vasco da Gama

_Portuguese explorer (c. 1460s – 1524)_

Canonical: https://diginpl.com/people/vasco-da-gama
Last updated: 2026-10-31

> Vasco da Gama ( VAS-koo də GA(H)M-ə, European Portuguese: [ˈvaʃku ðɐ ˈɣɐmɐ]; c. 1460s – 24 December 1524) was a Portuguese mariner, explorer and nobleman. His discovery of the first maritime route between Europe and India—around the Cape of Good Hope, then across the Indian Ocean from Malindi in Kenya to Kozhikode—opened up European exploration of, and commerce with, India, and is considered a landmark event in world history.

## Quick facts

- **Born:** 1469 ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7328#P569))
- **Place of birth:** Sines ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7328#P19))
- **Died:** 24 December 1524 ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7328#P570))
- **Place of death:** Kochi ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7328#P20))
- **Citizenship:** Kingdom of Portugal ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7328#P27))
- **Occupation:** explorer; world traveler; seafarer; naval officer; discoverer ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7328#P106))
- **Spouse:** Catarina de Ataíde ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7328#P26))
- **Positions held:** Viceroy of the Portuguese Provinces of India (5 September 1524 – 24 December 1524) ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7328#P39))

## About

Da Gama's first voyage (1497–1499) was the first to link Europe and Asia using an ocean route that rounded the southern tip of Africa, although he was not the first Portuguese mariner to round the Cape. This route allowed the Portuguese to avoid sailing across the disputed Mediterranean Sea and to trade with Eastern Arab Mediterranean ports that embarked goods from land routes across the dangerous Arabian Peninsula. A milestone in Portuguese maritime exploration, his voyage marked the beginning of a sea-based phase of international eastern trade and an age of global imperialism. His outward and return voyages constituted the longest known ocean voyages ever completed at the time. The Portuguese later established a long-lasting colonial empire along the route from Africa to Asia at the expense of the existing Arab eastern trade network.

Sailors had been trying to reach the Indies for decades, with thousands of lives and dozens of vessels lost in shipwrecks and attacks. Da Gama finally accomplished the feat when he landed at Kozhikode on 20 May 1498. Unchallenged access to the Indian spice routes boosted the economy of the Portuguese Empire, which was previously based along North and coastal West Africa. The main spices first obtained from Southeast Asia were pepper and cinnamon, but other commodities new to Europe were soon included in trade. Portugal maintained a commercial monopoly of these commodities for several decades. It was not until a…

## Questions

**When was Vasco da Gama born?**  
Vasco da Gama was born on 1469 in Sines.

**What positions has Vasco da Gama held?**  
Positions held by Vasco da Gama include: Viceroy of the Portuguese Provinces of India (1524–1524).

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## Sources

- [Wikipedia (English): Vasco da Gama](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vasco_da_Gama) — [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
- [Wikidata item Q7328](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7328) — [CC0 1.0](https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)
- [Image: Ignoto portoghese, ritratto di un cavaliere dell'ordine di cristo, 1525-50 ca. 02.jpg by Sailko (CC BY 3.0)](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ignoto_portoghese,_ritratto_di_un_cavaliere_dell%27ordine_di_cristo,_1525-50_ca._02.jpg)

## Licence and attribution

Text from the Wikipedia article Vasco da Gama, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. This page's text is shared under the same licence. Facts from Wikidata (CC0). Image: Ignoto portoghese, ritratto di un cavaliere dell'ordine di cristo, 1525-50 ca. 02.jpg — Sailko, CC BY 3.0.

## Cite this page

"Vasco da Gama". DigiNepal. Last updated 31 October 2026. https://diginpl.com/people/vasco-da-gama. Retrieved 15 November 2026.