Vasco da Gama, 1stCount of Vidigueira(Portuguese pronunciation:[ˈvaʃku ðɐ ˈɣɐmɐ]; c. 1460s – 24 December 1524), was aPortuguese explorerand the first European to reachIndiaby sea. His initial voyage to India (1497–1499) was the first to linkEuropeandAsiaby an ocean route, connecting theAtlanticand theIndianoceans and therefore, theWestand theOrient.

Da Gama'sdiscovery of the sea route to Indiawas significant and opened the way for an age of globalimperialismand for the Portuguese to establish a long-lastingcolonial empirein Asia. Traveling the ocean route allowed the Portuguese to avoid sailing across the highly disputedMediterraneanand traversing the dangerousArabian Peninsula. The sum of the distances covered in the outward and return voyages made this expedition the longest ocean voyage ever made until then, far longer than a full voyage around the world by way of theEquator.[1]

After decades of sailors trying to reach the Indies, with thousands of lives and dozens of vessels lost in shipwrecks and attacks, da Gama landed inCalicuton 20 May 1498. Unopposed access to the Indianspice routesboosted the economy of thePortuguese Empire, which was previously based along northern and coastal West Africa. The main spices at first obtained from Southeast Asia werepepperandcinnamon, but soon included other products, all new to Europe. Portugal maintained a commercial monopoly of these commodities for several decades. It was not until a century later that other European powers, namely theNetherlandsandEngland, followed byFranceandDenmark, were able to challenge Portugal's monopoly and naval supremacy in theCape Route.

Da Gama led two of the PortugueseIndia Armadas, the first and the fourth. The latter was the largest and departed for India four years after his return from the first one. For his contributions, in 1524 da Gama was appointedGovernor of India, with the title ofViceroy, and was ennobled asCount of Vidigueirain 1519. Vasco da Gama remains a leading figure in the history of exploration. Numerous homages have been made worldwide to celebrate his explorations and accomplishments. The Portuguese national epic poem,Os Lusíadas,was written in his honour byCamões(d.1580) . His first trip to India is widely considered a milestone in world history, as it marked the beginning of a sea-based phase of global multiculturalism.[2]

In March 2016 thousands of artifacts and nautical remains were recovered from the wreck of the shipEsmeralda,one of da Gama's armada, found off the coast ofOman.[3]