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Human ingenuity, engineering prowess, and architectural brilliance
- The Vasco da Gama Bridge stands as a testament to human ingenuity, engineering prowess, and architectural brilliance. It not only serves as a vital transportation link but also represents the progress and modernization of Lisbon and Portugal as a whole.
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Vasco da Gama Bridge, cable-stayed bridge with approach viaducts that crosses over the Tagus River estuary in Lisbon, Portugal. Spanning 17.2 km (10.7 miles), the structure was the longest bridge in Europe at the time of its inauguration.
- Vasco Da Gama
The famed bridge named in his honor in Lisbon, the Vasco da...
- Vasco Da Gama
The Vasco da Gama Bridge (Portuguese: Ponte Vasco da Gama) is a cable-stayed bridge flanked by viaducts that spans the Tagus River in Parque das Nações in Lisbon, the capital of Portugal. It is the second longest bridge in Europe, after the Crimean Bridge, [8] and the longest one in the European Union.
- Overview
- Life
- The first voyage
Although his exact birth date is unknown, Vasco da Gama was the third son of Estêvão da Gama, a minor provincial nobleman who was commander of the fortress of Sines on the coast of Alentejo province in southwestern Portugal. Some sources note that his mother, Isabel Sodré, was also of noble stock.
What was Vasco da Gama best known for?
Vasco da Gama was best known for being the first to sail from Europe to India by rounding Africa’s Cape of Good Hope. Over the course of two voyages, beginning in 1497 and 1502, da Gama landed and traded in locales along the coast of southern Africa before reaching India on May 20, 1498.
What did Vasco da Gama discover?
During Vasco da Gama’s first voyage, he carried padrões (stone pillars) as marks of discovery. He erected one on an island near Mossel Bay, South Africa, two in Mozambique, and one in Calicut, India, to prove that his fleet—two three-masted sailing ships, a 50-ton caravel, and a 200-ton storeship—had been there.
Vasco da Gama (born c. 1460, Sines, Portugal—died December 24, 1524, Cochin, India) Portuguese navigator whose voyages to India (1497–99, 1502–03, 1524) opened up the sea route from western Europe to the East by way of the Cape of Good Hope. The famed bridge named in his honour in Lisbon, the Vasco da Gama Bridge that crosses over the Tagus River estuary, spans 17.2 km (10.7 miles) and was the longest bridge in Europe at the time of its inauguration in 1998.
Da Gama was the third son of Estêvão da Gama, a minor provincial nobleman who was commander of the fortress of Sines on the coast of Alentejo province in southwestern Portugal. Little is known of his early life. In 1492 King John II of Portugal sent him to the port of Setúbal, south of Lisbon, and to the Algarve, Portugal’s southernmost province, to seize French ships in retaliation for French peacetime depredations against Portuguese shipping—a task that da Gama rapidly and effectively performed.
In 1495 King Manuel ascended to the throne. The balance of power between factions at the Portuguese court shifted in favour of friends and patrons of the da Gama family. Simultaneously, a neglected project was revived: to send a Portuguese fleet to India to open the sea route to Asia and to outflank the Muslims, who had hitherto enjoyed a monopoly of trade with India and other eastern states. For unknown reasons, da Gama, who had little relevant experience, was appointed to lead the expedition.
Da Gama sailed from Lisbon on July 8, 1497, with a fleet of four vessels—two medium-sized three-masted sailing ships, each of about 120 tons, named the “São Gabriel” and the “São Rafael”; a 50-ton caravel, named the “Berrio”; and a 200-ton storeship. With da Gama’s fleet went three interpreters—two Arabic speakers and one who spoke several Bantu dialects. The fleet also carried padrões (stone pillars) to set up as marks of discovery.
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Exploration and Discovery
Passing the Canary Islands on July 15, the fleet reached São Tiago (Santiago) in the Cape Verde Islands on the 26th, remaining there until August 3. Then, to avoid the currents of the Gulf of Guinea, da Gama undertook a long detour through the South Atlantic before attempting to round the Cape of Good Hope. The fleet reached Santa Helena Bay (in modern South Africa) on November 7. Unfavourable winds and the adverse current delayed the rounding of the Cape of Good Hope until November 22. Three days later da Gama anchored in Mossel Bay, erected a padrão on an island, and ordered the storeship to be broken up. Sailing again on December 8, the fleet reached the coast of Natal on Christmas Day. On January 11, 1498, it anchored for five days near the mouth of a small river between Natal and Mozambique, which they called the Rio do Cobre (Copper River). On January 25, in what is now Mozambique, they reached the Quelimane River, which they called the Rio dos Bons Sinais (the River of Good Omens), and erected another padrão. By this time many of the crews were sick with scurvy; the expedition rested a month while the ships were repaired.
On March 2 the fleet reached the Island of Mozambique, the inhabitants of which believed the Portuguese to be Muslims like themselves. Da Gama learned that they traded with Arab merchants and that four Arab vessels laden with gold, jewels, silver, and spices were then in port; he was also told that Prester John, the long-sought Christian ruler, lived in the interior but held many coastal cities. The Sultan of Mozambique supplied da Gama with two pilots, one of whom deserted when he discovered that the Portuguese were Christians.
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May 8, 2024 · In March 1998, Portugal inaugurated an iconic landmark, the Vasco da Gama Bridge, named in honour of the renowned navigator who first charted the sea route to India. This monumental project celebrates Portugal's rich history and represents a significant achievement in modern engineering.
Jan 12, 2021 · Being one of the largest bridges in the world, Vasco da Gama Bridge connects Lisbon to southern Portugal and Spain. As you’d imagine, it takes its name from the famous explorer of Portugal Vasco da Gama. Following the promenade of the Parque das Nações district, you can easily walk under the bridge.
The Vasco da Gama Bridge is the longest bridge in Lisbon and Europe. It was built for the 1998 Lisbon World Exposition and measures 17.2 km long.
At 12 kilometres, the Ponte Vasco da Gama is the longest bridge in Europe. This extraordinary engineering feat spans the widest part of the Tagus estuary from the north-eastern edge of Lisbon to the city of Montijo and serves as a major diversion for transit traffic out of the city.
