Significance: The opening of the new air route ended the relative isolation of all parts of the world, and the civilizations of all parts began to meet and blend, becoming an integrated whole day by day, and the prototype of the world market centered on Western Europe began to appear. Proved the theory of the earth circle.

Negative effects: people in Asia, Africa and Latin America suffered great disasters and suffered huge property losses. Africa and America are increasingly becoming colonies and semi-colonies.

Christopher Columbus (Spanish: Cristobal Cologne; Italian: cristoforo colombo), 1450/ 14565438+ autumn 0-1May 20, 506), an explorer, colonist and navigator, was born in the medieval Republic of Genoa (now northwest Italy). The background at that time was the rise of western imperialism, and European kingdoms began to compete economically, expanding their wealth by establishing trade routes and colonies. Columbus's adventure plan of sailing westward to east indies was supported by the Spanish royal family.

1492 On Columbus's first voyage, he landed in a place he called "San Salvador" in the Bahamas, instead of planned Japan. During the next three voyages, Columbus reached the Greater Antilles, the Lesser Antilles, Venezuela and Central America on the Caribbean coast, and declared them the territory of the Spanish Empire.

Although Columbus was not the first European explorer to reach America (the first European explorer to reach America was Ye Xiaokai Eriksson), his voyage brought the first continuous contact between Europe and America, and opened a great era of European exploration and overseas territory colonization that lasted for centuries. These have an immeasurable impact on the historical development of the modern western world.

References:

Baidu Encyclopedia: Columbus