Discoverer of South America. History of discovery and exploration of North and South America

We got there before the era of the Great geographical discoveries... In the 6th century, it appeared about the journey of St. Brendan, an Irish saint, by Atlantic Ocean... According to this legend, he was able to reach the shores of America. Historians note that the trip could have taken place, but there is no reliable facts about it.

The hypothesis of the early discovery of America by the Vikings has been confirmed by many scientists, but these navigators only visited the northern continent.

Also, that even before Columbus, the Chinese visited South America. This assumption was expressed by the English historian Gavin Menzie. In his opinion, in 1421 the expedition under Tseng He reached the shores of the Antilles. This hypothesis is highly debated, but most experts deny Menzie's theory. In particular, many researchers consider the maps of the New World, allegedly created by the Chinese in the 15th century, to be the latest forgery.

Columbus expeditions and further discovery of America by Europeans

Opening of both South and North America, began not from the mainland, but from the islands. Columbus' expedition first landed in the Antilles, and then on the islands of Trinidad and Puerto Rico. The discovery of the South American continent took place during the third expedition of the great navigator - he visited the Paria Peninsula in South America. Thus, the discovery of South America began with present-day Venezuela.

In 1498, new sailors rushed to the shores of America. Representatives of Spain and Portugal began to discover new lands in South America. A team led by Alonso de Ojeda landed on the territory of the current French Guiana... Amerigo Vespucci separated from Ojeda's team, who with his sailors reached the mouth of the Amazon. Four years later, this great man reached Novaya Zemlya. From that moment it became clear that this route does not lead to India, as was initially assumed, and that America is a separate large piece of land.

America got its name from one of its discoverers, Amerigo Vespucci.

In 1500, Pedro lvarez Cobral began his exploration of eastern South America, landing in what is now Brazil. In turn, the western coast of South America was explored only in 1520 by an expedition led by Fernand Magellan.

GP. History of the discovery and exploration of South America

Target: educate students general idea about the geographical location, size and shape of the continent; to consolidate the practical ability of students to characterize the FGP of the mainland using atlas maps; to deepen the knowledge of students about the history of the discovery and exploration of the continent; develop memory, logical thinking, the ability to draw conclusions and generalizations.

Lesson type: learning new material.

Equipment: physical map South America, atlases, contour maps, portraits of explorers of the mainland, pictures of the nature of the mainland, textbooks.

Basic and basic concepts: mainland, part of the world, geographic location; hemispheres, meridians, parallels, Gondwana, parts of the World Ocean; coastline components, mainland area, equator, prime meridian, extreme points, researchers.

Geographic nomenclature: continents: South America, Africa, North America, Antarctica; capes: Galinas, Froward, Cabo Branco, Parinyas, Horn; Caribbean Sea, La Plata Bay; Strait: Magellan, Drake; Islands: Tierra del Fuego, Falkland Islands.

During the classes

I. Organizational moment

The psychological disposition of students for further productive work. Pay attention to the images of the faces of children with different moods, find out who is feeling. Students take turns raising their hands to analyze each drawing.

II. Updating basic knowledge and student skills

Reception "Blitzopros"

Name the continents that you studied. Show them on the map.

What is the plan for studying the mainland?

Why is it important to know the geographical position of the continent to determine the features of its nature?

III. Motivation training and cognitive activities pupils

Reception "Surprise everyone"

Teacher. The mainland was named " New world". On this continent, the heroes of Jules Verne's book The Children of Captain Grant wandered. This is where the most deep river the world. This continent has the highest volcano and waterfall on Earth, the driest desert, the smallest bird, and the bloodthirsty fish. Associated with this continent are the words "carnival", "football", "tango".

Students define the mainland, complement the teacher's story (anticipatory homework).

IV. Learning new material

1. Reception "Creative laboratory"

Task (group work)

I-II groups. Determine the coordinates of the extreme points of the continent with the help of atlas maps.

II-IV groups. With the help of atlas maps and a student's reference book, determine the features of the physical and geographical position of the mainland.

V-VI groups. Identify distinctive and common features the geographical location of South America, Africa and Australia.

Summing up the results of the work of each group. Conclusions.

2. Reception "Geographic laboratory"

Apply to outline map names of extreme points, oceans washing the mainland, and continents with which South America borders.

3. Teacher's story (supplemented by student messages - ahead of time homework)

Teacher. How was South America discovered? Land routes to India were blocked by the Arabs. Therefore, the Europeans were forced to seek sea ​​routes to the state where you could buy pepper, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, which were highly valued in medieval Europe, sometimes worth their weight in gold. Christopher Columbus believed in the sphericity of the Earth, so he decided to go to India in the opposite direction - across the Atlantic Ocean. On October 12, 1492, the sailors saw the land, it was an island from the group Bahamas Columbus named him Salvador ("holy savior"). Having discovered Cuba, Columbus decided that it was the eastern edge of Asia. The official date of the discovery of America is considered exactly October 12, 1492.

Why did the lands discovered by Columbus receive the name Vespucci? Amerigo Vespucci, exploring in 1501-1502. east coast, proved that this land is a continent, and described its nature, gave the name New World... Therefore, the Lorraine cartographer Waldseemüller in 1507 named this continent after him, and then this name spread to both western continents. The first scientists - explorers of South America in 1735-1743. The French and Spanish members of the Equatorial Expedition have become. At the turn of the XVIII-XIX centuries. the mainland was explored by the German scientist Alexander Humboldt, he published the results of his research in a 30-volume book "A Journey to the Equinoxes of the New World." The exploration of the South American continent prompted the scientist Charles Darwin to develop an evolutionary theory of development organic world Earth. Great importance had a botanical and agronomic expedition of Nikolai Vavilov (1932-1933), during which the formation cultivated plants in South America.

V. Consolidation of the studied material

Reception "Press conference"

What are the features of the geographical location of South America.

Name the extreme points of the continent, seas, oceans, it is washed. Show them on the map.

Why is the mainland named after the person who discovered it?

Vi. Lesson summary

1. Reception "I draw a conclusion"

Mainland North America is located in Western and predominantly Southern hemispheres, has a significant length from north to south.

The first Europeans were the Portuguese and the Spaniards, who turned the mainland into colonial possessions.

A. Humboldt and N. Vavilov made a significant contribution to the study.

2. Returning to the test at the beginning of the lesson in order to obtain information about the well-being of schoolchildren after work in the lesson.

Vii. Homework

Paragraph ___

Fill in the card

The discovery of South America is directly related to the name of Christopher Columbus - the famous navigator who was looking for India. His search lasted about a month, the three ships "Pinta", "Santa Maria" and "Niña" left Spain in 1492 to cross the Atlantic Ocean. Then Columbus saw the land that is now the Bahamas. Then the famous navigator was sure that he was in Asia, and named the islands of Western India - West Indies. After that discovery, the navigator made three more sea voyages.

And only in 1498 Columbus visited the territory of South America - he landed on the coast, located opposite the island of Trinidad. Columbus was confident that he had discovered India.

The real discovery of South America happened with the help of another navigator - Amerigo Vespucci. This happened at the beginning of the 16th century, when an Italian took part in a journey to the shores of the "West Indies".

Then Vespucci realized that his predecessor had discovered not India, but an unknown continent, which was then called the New World. The name came from Vespucci himself - the territory was called the land of Amerigo, which later turned into America.

The proposal to call the mainland just like that came from the German scientist Waldseemüller. Subsequently, one of the countries in South America was named after Columbus. The significance of the discovery of the continent of South America is still talked about. Indeed, in those days, the inhabitants of Europe knew nothing about the other part of the world, and Columbus's bold journey forever changed the idea of ​​mankind about our planet. This is the largest geographical discovery.

But after the discovery, a long process of colonization began. After it became known about the discovery of new lands by Columbus, conquerors went there from Europe, who wanted to find incredible treasures, riches and appropriate lands for themselves. These conquerors were called conquistadors.

But in order to implement their ideas, they needed to exterminate and enslave the indigenous population of South America. This process was accompanied by constant plundering and devastation of newly discovered territories.

Simultaneously with the conquest, many geographic studies of new lands took place: maps of the coast were created, long transitions over land.

One of important points in the history of the development of South America is considered the expedition of the scientist Alexander Humboldt. The German researcher set himself the goal of studying the nature of the continent and studying its indigenous population.

His works are invaluable - he described the nature around him, studied about 12 thousand plants and even created a map of South America, which can be called geological.

He conducted such in-depth research for 20 years that the book he later wrote was called almost the second discovery of America.

This work has a special scientific significance, since the studies of the German scientist are extensive and relate to many geographical factors.

Russian scientists also studied South America. For example, the botanist Vavilov investigated the origin of many cultivated plants in 1932-1933. The homeland for these plants is South America.

Quite extensive. Who discovered this continent and when? Even an elementary school student knows that it was Christopher Columbus. But serious scientists have no, no, and doubts arise on this score. Perhaps the fearless sailors of the early Middle Ages, the Normans, reached the island of Greenland and the shores of North America long before Columbus. Or Chinese ships crossed the Pacific Ocean and it is the sailors of the Celestial Empire who are the untitled discoverers of the mainland. In addition, Christopher Columbus until the end of his life was sure that his foot had set foot not on a new continent, but on the western coast of India. In this article, we will try to understand the many researchers in South America. Each of them contributed to the development of the new continent. Russian scientists were also on the list of pioneers.

The history of the paving of the Western path

The list of South American explorers is at the top and it is necessary to appreciate his merit. At that time, Europe experienced difficulties in trade with India. The road there for silk and spices was long and dangerous. Proceeding from the postulate of the round shape of the Earth, Columbus put forward a hypothesis that one can sail to India from Europe, moving not to the east, but following to the west. It was there, across the Atlantic Ocean, that the navigator convinced his sponsor, Spanish king, lies the treasured land of sandalwood and spices. And he begged for money to equip the expedition. In 1492, Columbus crossed the Atlantic and discovered the Large This success allowed him to equip two more expeditions. In 1498, Columbus discovered the Sea at its shores seemed too salty to sailors. Only a very large mainland river can carry such freshness, the admiral decided. His ships entered the mouth of the Orinoco and explored the coast of South America up to the Paria Peninsula.

Expeditions of Amerigo Vespucci

The Portuguese kingdom, having learned about the success of the Spanish explorers of South America (then they thought that this was the western coast of India), equipped its three transatlantic expeditions. They were commanded by a navigator. He did not limit himself to sailing along the coast, but made fearless expeditions inland. As a result, he discovered and described the Brazilian Highlands, the lower Amazon and the bay where the city of Rio de Janeiro now stands. Gradually Vespucci began to be plagued by doubts. The newly discovered territories did not look like India at all. He wrote to his homeland in 1503 that this is a "New Part of the World". And this name stuck. North and South America is still called "Indies" and "New World".

The contribution of Amerigo Vespucci is invaluable. It was he who gave the Europeans the knowledge of the existence of a new continent. Therefore, both continents are named after him. Already in 1507, the Lorraine cartographer Martin Waldseemüller christened southern part continent "America" ​​(Latinized spelling "Amerigo"). In 1538 this name spread to the northern part of the continent.

The fairy land of El Dorado

Inspired by the success of the Portuguese explorers of South America, whose ships returned loaded with gold, in 1522-58, Spanish navigators also reached the New World. Under the pretext of converting local tribes to Christianity, they began to seize the land. This conquest (in Spanish "conquista") was accompanied by mass executions of people at the stake, robbery and other violence. Europeans believed that the new mainland - Golden Earth, Eldorado. But along with the conquistadors and religious fanatics, real researchers also arrived in South America, compiling maps describing previously unknown species of plants and animals, studying the customs and culture of local tribes. Through the Isthmus of Panama, the Spaniards penetrated to the west coast. The expeditions of P. Andagoi (1522), F. Pizarro (1527), D. Almagro (1537), P. Valdivia (1540s), J. Ladrillero (1558), P. Sarmiento de Gamboa (1580) advanced along The Pacific Ocean south to Chile.

Discoverers and explorers of South America

Not only the Spaniards and the Portuguese took part in the conquest of new lands. German bankers Echinger, Welser and others received permission in 1528 from Emperor Charles V to colonize the northeastern coast of South America, washed by the Caribbean Sea. France and Holland also "tore off" a piece of new land for themselves. British sailors J. Davis, R. Hawkins and J. Strong discovered And the Dutch V. Schouten and J. Lemer circled Cape Horn in 1616. The thirst for profit attracted the Spanish conquistadors inland. In search of the legendary gold mines, they crossed the Northwest Andes and descended to the Spanish and Portuguese explorers and travelers of South America also penetrated the La Plata river basin, described Parana, Gran Chaco, Paraguay. The first to cross the continent from the Pacific to the Atlantic Ocean was the expedition of F. Orellana in 1541.

Scientific explorers of South America and their discoveries

The main goal of all the expeditions listed above was the seizure of new lands. Scientific research (mapping, description of what was seen on the way) was carried out only because it helped the advancement of the team of conquistadors. But with the advent of the Enlightenment, the goals of the discoverers changed. The first serious scientific researchers of South America are considered the German Alexander Humboldt and the Frenchman Aimé Bonpland. They spent five years (from 1799 to 1804) on the mainland, collecting a collection of plants, animals and minerals. After that A. Humboldt devoted about thirty years to writing a grandiose 30-volume work "A Journey to the Equinox (that is, equatorial) lands of the New World."

Other scientific research

We owe an accurate map of the continent to the English expedition of R. Fitzroy and F. King. In the nineteenth century, when the northern part of the American continent had already been developed, the southern part was due to the rugged jungle and high mountains- remained unknown. And "terra incognita" attracted scientists different countries... In the 19th century, such researchers of the continent of South America as the Germans V. Eschweg K. Steinen, the French J. Saint-Hilaire and A. Kudro, Austrians and Bavarians I. Natterer, I. Paul, I. Speaks and K. Martius, the British J. Wells, W. Chandless, G. Bates and A. Wallace. Charles Darwin made an invaluable contribution to the study of the new land. It was the nature of South America that prompted the scientist to think about evolutionary development life on Earth.

Russian expeditions to the mainland

The first trip took place in 1822-28. The Russian academic complex expedition was led by G.I. Langsdorf. Its members explored the interior regions of Brazil. On this scientific research on the mainland did not end. Such Russian researchers of South America as A. S. Ionin, N. M. Albov, G. G. Manizer, A. I. Voeikov described the geography, climate, culture of tribes, flora and fauna of Tierra del Fuego. Biologist N.I. Vavilov visited the mainland in 1932-33. and established the sources of origin of various agricultural plants.

The discovery and exploration of South America is closely related to the name of the Spanish navigator Christopher Columbus. It was thanks to him that the world learned about new, previously unknown lands. However, this discovery turned out to be accidental, since the main task of Columbus's expedition was to find a shortcut to India.

History of the discovery of South America

Until the 15th century, the territory of South America was inhabited by indigenous people - Indians, who had their own unique culture, traditions and customs. Their civilization developed in a closed territory, without any outside influence.

The long-term isolation of the American Indians was broken on October 12, 1492, when the expedition of Christopher Columbus accidentally stumbled upon one of the Bahamas. After a month of wandering across the Atlantic Ocean, his ships Santa Maria, Niña and Pinta landed on land that the navigator had mistaken for the west coast of India. After a surface survey of the islands and coastline of the northern coast of South America, the navigator returned to his homeland.

Rice. 1. Christopher Columbus

After announcing his discovery to the King of Spain, Columbus received significant financial support, and with 17 ships returned to the West Indies - Western Indies - as he continued to count. The purpose of this expedition was simple - to search for gold in new lands. This is how Haiti was conquered and mastered. Later Christopher Columbus made two more expeditions to the shores of South America, but he never realized his mistake.

The real discovery of South America as a new continent took place in the 16th century thanks to the Italian navigator Amerigo Vespucci. After landing on the shores of the West Indies, an experienced sailor quickly realized that Columbus was wrong.

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Rice. 2. Amerigo Vespucci

The discovered and described lands Vespucci christened the New World, and later the continent was christened in his honor - this is how the name "America" ​​appeared. However, Christopher Columbus also did not go unnoticed - one of the South American countries, Colombia, was named after him.

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Columbus's discovery of America forever changed the way people think about the globe... This event has become one of the most important in the history of all mankind.

Learning that Spanish navigator new lands were discovered, a stream of lovers of easy money rushed there. Travelers dreamed of countless treasures that could be found in the New World. Such people - invaders from Portugal or Spain - were called conquistadors.

Rice. 3. Conquistadors

In a blind pursuit of wealth, they mercilessly destroyed local residents, robbed their settlements, devastated the occupied territories. However, along with this barbarism, new lands were studied: maps of the mainland and the coast, descriptions of nature and relief were created.

One of the most famous explorers of his time, the German scientist Alexander Humboldt, made a great contribution to the study of the continent. For 20 years, he studied South America in the most thorough way: its plant and animal world, indigenous population, geological features. The book he wrote later became almost the only complete and reliable source of information about the New World.

What have we learned?

Studying one of the interesting topics in 7th grade geography, we learned who discovered South America, how the process of its conquest and exploration took place, and how the discovery of this continent influenced the idea medieval people about the structure of our planet.

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