The first voyage round the world

In September 1519 the Portuguese sailor Ferdinand Magellan sailed from Spain with five ships. He was working not for the King of Portugal but for the King of Spain, who hoped to find a route to the Pacific Ocean from the South Atlantic.

First he sailed across the Atlantic to the north-east coast of Brazil. Then he turned south and for many months tried to find a passage to the Pacific. During the winter he waited in Patagonia, then in September 1520 he finally discovered a passage around the southern coast of the continent to the Pacific. This passage is now called the Straits of Magellan.

Magellan's voyage through the stratis lasted thirty-eight days. After this he sailed north for 1,000 miles along the coast of South America, then he turned west and sailed for three months across the ocean. On March 6th, 1521 after a very hard voyage he arrived in Guam. He never returned to Europe but died on April 27th, 1521 during a small native war in the Philippines.

Only one of his ships finally returned to Spain — the "Victoria", wich arrived home on September 8th, 1522. Of the 280 men who sailed from Spain in 1519 only 35 returned. The Basque seaman, Sebastian del Cano, sailed the "Victoria" home after Magellan died.

Level: Beginner

Book: English First Book

Year: 1970