Which explorer discovered the New World while seeking a route to China?

• A. Christopher Columbus
• B. Amerigo Vespucci
• C. John Cabot
• D. Vasco da Gama

Answer: (A)

Sailing west to reach China opened up contact with a landmass Europeans had not previously recognized as a separate world. Christopher Columbus, backed by the Spanish crown, believed a westward voyage would reach Asia by sea. In 1492 his ships landed in the Bahamas, proving there was a large distance and landmass between Europe and Asia rather than a direct path, which is why his voyage is understood as the discovery of the New World. This outcome happened even though his goal was to find a route to China and the Indies, not to claim a new continent.

Other explorers pursued different aims or reached different parts of the world. Amerigo Vespucci’s voyages helped show that the lands Columbus encountered were not Asia but a separate continent. John Cabot explored parts of North America while seeking a route to Asia for England, and Vasco da Gama successfully reached India by sailing around Africa, accomplishing a route to Asia without revealing new continents.