Portuguese explorer Ferdinand MAGELLAN is best known for leading the first expedition to circumnavigate the globe. He was also the first European to cross the Pacific Ocean. Vasco da Gama was another famous Portuguese explorer who was the first to sail directly from Europe to India. Bartolomeu Dias was the first European to round the southern tip of Africa, and he also explored the coast of South Africa. DIAZ was the first European to reach the Cape of Good Hope. Finally, Nuno Tristão Dagama was a Portuguese explorer who led an expedition to explore the West African coast.