Reason One Significance: The most significant exploration/ trade route was the sea route that Vasco da Gama found that went around from Africa to the East. This was important because Vasco da Gama proved that the Atlantic Ocean and the Indian Ocean were connected. This connection led to a new interest in trade routes towards India. Also, it improved the Portugal’s economy since its trading connections increased. Reason#1 Significant because: It lead to maritime trade between the Asia and Europe and they helped create a Portuguese empire. This allowed Portugal to start trading with Asia. Since it was such a rich trade it helped to make Portugal a major power even though the country was very small in size itself. It was also important because