section_path: Atlantic Ocean (1419–1507)/The Americas: The New World
section_name: The Americas: The New World
paragraph_text: The Americas: The New World
  
  Little of the divided area had actually been seen by Europeans, as it was only divided by a geographical definition rather than control on the ground. The desire to compete with the Ottoman Empire and Columbus's first voyage in 1492 spurred further maritime exploration and, from 1497, several other explorers headed west.