European colonisation of Southeast Asia tightening Turkish control and eventual shut down of the Eastern Mediterranean gateways into Asia first prompted Portuguese, and later Spanish and Dutch sea voyagers to ship around Africa in search of new trading routes and business opportunities. Niccolò de' Conti arrived in Southeast Asia as the earliest documented European in the early 15th century. By 1498 Vasco da Gama, who had sailed round the Cape of Good Hope, established the first direct sea route from Europe to India. Central among the various plannings was to establish direct and permanent trade of the highly priced spices, that were native to Southeast
Little League World Series (Asia-Pacific and Middle East Region) with African teams joining the Europe and Africa Region (formerly Europe Region, which also includes Israel and Turkey). In 2001, the Far East Region split into the Asia and Pacific regions. The Asia Region comprised Little Leagues from mainland Asia. The list below lists each country's participant in the Asia Region Tournament between 2001 and 2006. Each year's winner is indicated in green. Two teams from the Asia Region won the Little League World Series — Tokyo in and . In 2001, the Far East Region split into the Asia and Pacific regions. The list below lists each country's participant