This is widely considered a milestone in world history, as it marked the beginning of a sea-based phase of global multiculturalism. His initial voyage to India by way of Cape of Good Hope (1497–1499) was the first to link Europe and Asia by an ocean route, connecting the Atlantic and the Indian oceans.
1460s – 24 December 1524), was a Portuguese explorer and the first European to reach India by sea. Vasco da Gama, 1st Count of Vidigueira ( / ˌ v æ s k u d ə ˈ ɡ ɑː m ə, ˈ ɡ æ m ə/ European Portuguese: c.