The document provides biographies of several early explorers: - John Cabot discovered areas of North America in 1497 while sailing for England and looking for routes to Asia. Other explorers mentioned include Sebastian Cabot, Christopher Columbus, Erik the Red, and Leif Ericson. - Later explorers who mapped coastal areas and explored inland regions included Vasco da Gama, Amerigo Vespucci, Ferdinand Magellan, and Jacques Cartier. Many were sponsored by European powers looking to expand trade routes and territories. - Explorers in North America included figures like Henry Hudson, Louis Joliet, Father Marquette, Robert de La Salle, and Daniel Boone, who opened areas of the