Summary and the "So What"
The age of exploration was an exciting time for European explorers. It was a race between the nations to cross the oceans, discover new lands, and set up overseas colonies. The exploration was caused by many reasons and there were many factors that helped the nations in achieving their goals. Portugal and Spain were key nations during this time due to the explorers and their discoveries. Britain, France, and the Dutch eventually came into the world exploration which led to economic changes. European exploration created many outcomes such as slave trade, which had a great impact on Africa and its people, along with the development of overseas empires and trading routes among the newly discovered lands. The world exploration and expansion between 1500 to 1800 had a huge impact on European history, because it opened Europe up to an unknown world filled with mysteries and possibilities. It also led to the discovery of new lands, gave people a better perspective of what the world was like and how large it was, and it created a connection between the continents through trade and colonies.