The caravel (caravela in Spanish and Portuguese), was a type of medium-sized ship which, with its low draught and lateen or triangular sails, made it ideal for exploration from the 15th century onwards. Fast, manoeuvrable, and only needing a small crew to sail, the caravel was a mainstay of the Age of Exploration as European nations crossed oceans previously unknown to them.
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Definition
Timeline
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c. 1440Development of the caravel sailing vessel in Portugal.
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1488The Portuguese navigator Bartolomeu Dias uses caravel ships to make the first recorded sailing around the Cape of Good Hope.
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1492The caravels Niña and Pinta are part of the fleet of Christopher Columbus which reaches the Americas.
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1497 - 1498The caravel Matthew of John Cabot explores the eastern coast of Canada.
