Why did European explorers want to find the Northwest Passage? Asia could then be reached quicker and more safely . The first country to find it would control it and gain great riches. ... Find the Northwest Passage and search for gold.
Why was the Northwest Passage so important?
Northwest Passage, historical sea passage of the North American continent. It represents centuries of effort to find a route westward from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean through the Arctic Archipelago of what became Canada .
Why did European explorers want to find the Northwest Passage?
The Northwest Passage is a sea corridor connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans through Canada’s Arctic Archipelago islands and along the northern-most coast of North America. Europeans searched for 300 years to find a viable sea trade-route to Asia .
Why did European merchants want to find a Northwest Passage to Asia?
The Northwest Passage was long sought by European explorers to shorten the distance and time that merchant ships needed to travel from Europe to Asia . Most explorers attempted to locate a sea channel in the Arctic waters to the north of Canada.
Why was finding a Northwest Passage so important for European traders?
The Northwest Passage is important because those European explorers explored all the lands of North America . They sailed down the St. Lawrence River, through the Great Lakes, down the Mississippi. They established trading posts with Native Americans and they scouted and mapped the terrain.
Did they find a Northwest Passage?
The belief that a route lay to the far north persisted for several centuries and led to numerous expeditions into the Arctic. Many ended in disaster, including that by Sir John Franklin in 1845. While searching for him the McClure Arctic Expedition discovered the Northwest Passage in 1850 .
Does a Northwest Passage exist?
The Northwest Passage spans roughly 900 miles from the North Atlantic north of Canada’s Baffin Island in the east to the Beaufort Sea north of the U.S. state of Alaska in the west. It’s located entirely within the Arctic Circle , less than 1,200 miles from the North [JR1] .
Did Lewis and Clark find the Northwest Passage?
Lewis and Clark may not have discovered a direct Northwest Passage , but they did forge a path to the Pacific that would inspire thousands of others to settle in the northwestern United States in the century to follow.
Who finally discovered the Northwest Passage?
The many searches for the missing explorer John Franklin led to the discovery of all the Arctic waterways. The knowledge gained from these voyages helped Amundsen to finally cross the Northwest Passage in 1903-06.
What is a synonym for Northwest Passage?
(noun) Northwest Passage, path, route, itinerary . ...
Why did the French want to find the Northwest Passage?
The English and the French were hopeful that they could find a “Northwest Passage,” a water route that would lead them through North America to the Pacific Ocean. Then they could sail to the Spice Islands and grow wealthy .
What was the Northwest Passage quizlet?
What was the Northwest Passage? It was a way to get from Europe to Asia, traveling through or around North America to the northwest . It was never really found, and therefore doesn’t exist.
What four countries sought to claim the Pacific Northwest?
Spain, Russia, Britain, and the United States all claimed rights to the Pacific Northwest. In 1818 British and American negotiators agreed that nationals of both countries could trade in the region; this agreement was renewed in 1827.
What did the British call the Pacific Northwest in the 1800s?
On the third trip Cook reached what the British called New Albion , or the Pacific Northwest. Having established a base at Friendly Cove in Nootka Sound on the west coast of Vancouver Island, he proceeded north to chart the rugged Alaskan coastline.
Who owns the Northwest Passage?
The Canadian government has declared that “All of the waters within the Canadian Arctic Archipelago are Canadian historic internal waters over which Canada exercises full sovereignty.” In addition this statement is also supported by Article 8 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea 1982 (UNCLOS or United ...
Do ships sail the Northwest Passage?
Five general cargo ships and five passenger ships made a full transit through the Northwest Passage, a series of routes snaking through the Canadian Arctic Archipelago between the Baffin Bay in the east and the Beaufort Sea in the west.
