Which Portuguese explorer led the first circumnavigation of the world?

• A. Vasco da Gama
• B. Bartholomeu Dias
• C. Christopher Columbus
• D. Ferdinand Magellan

Answer: (D)

The central idea is identifying who first organized and led a voyage that circumnavigated the globe. Ferdinand Magellan, a Portuguese navigator sailing for Spain, set up and commanded the expedition that sailed in 1519. The fleet crossed the Atlantic, navigated the southern tip of South America, crossed the Pacific, and eventually returned to Europe. Magellan himself did not survive the journey, dying in the Philippines, but the expedition continued under his plan and leadership and completed in 1522. This achievement marks him as the leader of the first successful circumnavigation of the world. Other explorers contributed crucial routes and discoveries—sailing around Africa to reach India, rounding the southern tip of Africa, or crossing the Atlantic to the Americas—but none led a voyage that circumnavigated the globe as Magellan did.