Which explorer's voyages linked distant lands through a sea route and reached Africa?

Which explorer's voyages linked distant lands through a sea route and reached Africa?

• A. Marco Polo
• B. James Cook
• C. Christopher Columbus
• D. Zheng He

Answer: (D)

Long-distance maritime travel that connected regions across the Indian Ocean is shown by Zheng He’s voyages. As a Ming dynasty admiral, he led a series of treasure voyages in the early 1400s that reached far beyond China, stretching across Southeast Asia toward the Arabian Sea and down the East African coast. On these journeys his fleets visited ports such as Mogadishu, Mombasa, and Kilwa, establishing diplomatic ties and expanding trade networks across the Indian Ocean. This stands out because the other explorers are linked to different kinds of journeys: Marco Polo is famous for overland travel to China, James Cook for 18th‑century Pacific exploration, and Christopher Columbus for his voyage to the Americas. So Zheng He is the explorer whose sea voyages connected distant lands and reached Africa.

Long-distance maritime travel that connected regions across the Indian Ocean is shown by Zheng He’s voyages. As a Ming dynasty admiral, he led a series of treasure voyages in the early 1400s that reached far beyond China, stretching across Southeast Asia toward the Arabian Sea and down the East African coast. On these journeys his fleets visited ports such as Mogadishu, Mombasa, and Kilwa, establishing diplomatic ties and expanding trade networks across the Indian Ocean. This stands out because the other explorers are linked to different kinds of journeys: Marco Polo is famous for overland travel to China, James Cook for 18th‑century Pacific exploration, and Christopher Columbus for his voyage to the Americas. So Zheng He is the explorer whose sea voyages connected distant lands and reached Africa.