Which of the following describes a major difference between the spanish and portuguese accomplishments during the age of exploration?
a. the portuguese were willing to finance foreign explorers, while the spanish refused to support any non-spanish expedition.
b. the portuguese relied on the mariner's astrolabe to navigate their ships, while the spanish relied on newly developed compasses.
c. the portuguese were concerned with navigating around the globe, while the spanish were more interested in conquering territory.
d. the portuguese were the first to sail directly from europe to india, while the spanish were the first to sail directly to the caribbean.

The correct answer is D. The Portuguese were the first to sail directly from Europe to India, while the Spanish were the first to sail directly to the Caribbean.

After the Ottoman Empire conquered Istanbul in 1453 and blocked the terrestrial access to India and the Silk Road, Western powers like Spain and Portugal started searching for alternative routes to get to the Eastern markets. In 1498, the Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama surrounded Africa by sea and got to India, establishing a direct way from Europe to the Asian subcontinent. On the other hand, the Spanish crown had financed the first trip to circumnavigate the Earth in order to get to Asia. This expedition, led by Christopher Colombus, never got to Asia, but instead, it got to the Caribbean in 1492, discovering the Americas for the European powers.

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