Exploring the Northwest Passage
For the love of the Orient and it's wealth of spices, textiles, and resources, many European countries were trying to find alternate routes to Asia. Routes in which they could avoid high tariffs (taxes or fees to cross boundaries).
Many brave and renowned explorers traveled the seas to find this route, and many chose to explore the northern reaches of the globe rather than venture south. During Christopher Columbus's time, it was believed the earth was flat and if you went too far, you'd come face to face with the edge of the world!
By the 18th century, it was discovered that the Earth was a sphere rather than a flat surface. With this knowledge - explorers soon figured out that it would take less time and less distance to travel around the world if they remain closer to the poles, rather than travelling south toward the equator. Many explorers braved the northern reaches of Canada, all in search of new land and - of course - Asia. Explorers such as:
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Click on the image above to play an interactive game of the exploration of the Northwest Passage! You become the explorer!
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