| A | B |
|---|
| Scandinavia | the European countries that the Vikings came from |
| sagas | legends of the Vikings passed down from one generation to the next |
| Eric the Red | father of Leif, explored Greenland |
| Leif Ericson | Son of Eric, explored and named Vinland |
| Christopher Columbus | first European to try out the idea to sail west to reach east |
| Ferdinand Magellan | first to sail completely around the world. A strait is named for him |
| Hernando Cortes | conquered the Aztecs of Mexico for their gold |
| Father Junipero Serra | set up missions in the southwest |
| Marco Polo | made over-land trips to China |
| Juan Ponce de Leon | searched for the Fountain of Youth in Florida |
| Bartholomeu Dias | sailed to the southern tip of Africa and realized it was the sea route to Asia |
| Francisco Pizarrro | conquered the Incas of Peru for their gold |
| Francisco Coronado | searched for the golden cities of the southwest. Saw Grand Canyon and KS |
| Vasco Nunez de Balboa | reached the Isthmus of Panama and saw and named the Pacific Ocean |
| Hernando de Soto | explored Miss. River valley while looking for Seven Cities of Gold |
| expidition | journey for a specific purpose |
| navigation | the science of determining a ship's direction and location |
| cape | a pointed piece of coastline that juts out into the sea |
| Vasco da Gama | reached India by sailing around southern tip of Africa |
| Cape of Good Hope | tip of South Africa |
| Strait of Magellan | at the tip of South America |
| Vinland | now present day Newfoundland, named for the vines |
| West Indies | the name Columbus gave the islands he landed on |
| isthmus | a narrow piece of land connecting two larger pieces of land |
| Pacific | means peaceful in spanish |
| mission | settlement where Indians and missionaries live |
| missionary | some one who teaches religion to non-believers |
| colony | place ruled by a usually distant country |
| conquistador | conquerer |
| Portugal | first European country to find sea route to Asia |
