Who was the European explorer that first discovered a new trade route to Asia by sailing around Africa?

The European explorer that first discovered a new trade route to Asia by sailing around Africa was Vasco Da Gama. Vasco Da Gama was Portuguese, born in 1469 and died in 1524, and his biggest accomplishment was the discovery of a new trade route to Asia by sailing around Africa. He made this discovery during his trip from Lisbon, started in 1497 and ended in the actual state of Kerala, in India in 1498.

Vasco da Gama

Vasco da Gama, a Portuguese explorer, continued in a long tradition of exploration begun by the Portuguese in the 15th century. The spearhead of the Portuguese expeditions to Africa in those early years was Prince Henry, dubbed "the Navigator." He didn't actually go sailing, but he was the driving force behind the Portuguese campaigns to go spread their influence--and their Catholic Christianity--to other parts of the globe.

By the end of the 14th century, a key commercial goal became finding a sea route to India. Vasco da Gama was commissioned to do just that. He set sail from Portugal in 1497 and landed on the coast of India in 1498. He made return voyages to India in subsequent years in the 16th century. He died of illness in India in 1524.