History of Western civilization Genovese born mariner, Christopher Columbus set out under the auspices of the Crown of Castile (Spain) to seek an oversea route to the East Indies via the Atlantic Ocean. Rather than Asia, Columbus landed in the Bahamas, in the Caribbean. Spanish colonization followed and Europe established Western Civilization in the Americas. The Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama led the first sailing expedition directly from Europe to India in 1497-1499, by the Atlantic and Indian oceans, opening up the possibility of trade with the East other than via perilous overland routes like the Silk Road. Ferdinand Magellan, a Portuguese explorer working
Portugal at the 2012 Summer Olympics (up to a maximum of three athletes per event with the 'A' Standard, and one athlete per event with the 'B' Standard): Portuguese swimmers have achieved qualifying standards in the swimming events (up to a maximum of two swimmers per event with the Olympic Qualifying Time (OQT), and potentially one with the Olympic Selection Time (OST)): Portugal qualified two triathletes for the men's event. Portugal at the 2012 Summer Olympics Portugal competed at the 2012 Summer Olympics, held in London, from 27 July to 12 August 2012. The nation celebrated its centennial anniversary participating in the Olympics, having participated at