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Magellan expedition

Adapted from Wikipedia · Explorer experience

An old illustration showing the journey and legacy of Ferdinand Magellan’s voyage around the world.

The Great Ocean Trip

The Magellan expedition was a big trip across the oceans in the year 1519. It was led by a sailor named Ferdinand Magellan from Portugal. The goal was to find a sea trade route to the Moluccas, also called the Spice Islands, in today’s Indonesia. This trip showed people how big the world really is.

King Charles I of Spain paid for the trip. He wanted a new way to get special spices from faraway lands. Five ships with about 270 men left Spain in September 1519. They sailed across the Atlantic Ocean, then along the coast of South America. They found a narrow path of water called the Strait of Magellan and entered the huge Pacific Ocean, which Magellan named “Mar Pacifico.”

The trip was very long and hard. The ships crossed the Pacific Ocean for 98 days. They stopped at Guam and then reached the Philippines in 1521. Magellan was not able to finish the whole trip because he passed away during the journey. After his passing, a sailor named Juan Sebastián Elcano led the last ship, the Victoria, back to Spain in 1522.

Only about 40 men and one ship made it all the way around the world. This trip was the very first time people sailed all the way around Earth. It showed that ships could travel west to reach faraway places. The expedition taught everyone about new lands, animals like llamas, and how wide the oceans really are. Today, people remember this amazing journey with special events and monuments.

Images

Historical portrait of Charles V, painted in 1516 by Bernard van Orley to honor the children of Philip the Handsome.
Portrait of Juan Sebastián Elcano, a famous explorer from the 19th century.
An old map showing the location of the Strait of Magellan, a narrow waterway connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
Historical painting showing the discovery of the Strait of Magellan by explorers in 1520.
An old map from 1520 showing the western hemisphere, made by the explorer Johannes Schöner.
Historical illustration from a book about the Spanish Royal Navy, showcasing ships and maritime scenes from the age of exploration.
Historical title page from a 1523 book describing a famous sea expedition.
A detailed bas relief artwork on a monument celebrating the 500th anniversary of the Magellan–Elcano expedition's arrival near Suluan Island in the Philippines.
Portrait of Ferdinand Magellan, the famous explorer who led the first circumnavigation of the Earth.
A replica of Ferdinand Magellan's ship Nao Victoria, on display in Punta Arenas, Chile.

Related articles

Spice trade
Maluku Islands
Indonesia
Atlantic Ocean
South America
Guam

This article is a child-friendly adaptation of the Wikipedia article on Magellan expedition, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

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