Vasco da Gama A Portuguese explorer and one of the most famous and celebrated explorers from the Age of Discovery the first European to reach India by sea. Key Terms Cape of Good Hope A rocky headland on the Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula, South Africa, named because of the great optimism engendered by the opening of a sea route to India and the East. Guarding its trade from both European and Asian competitors, it dominated not only the trade between Asia and Europe, but also much of the trade between different regions of Asia, such as India, Indonesia, China, and Japan.