Which strait did Magellan's expedition navigate to enter the Pacific Ocean?

Which strait did Magellan's expedition navigate to enter the Pacific Ocean?

• A. Straits of Magellan
• B. Strait of Gibraltar
• C. Bab el Mandeb
• D. Hudson Strait

Answer: (A)

The key idea is understanding how early explorers reached the Pacific Ocean. Magellan’s expedition aimed to find a westward route to the Spice Islands and found a passage at the southern tip of South America—the Straits of Magellan. This narrow passage connects the Atlantic to the Pacific, allowing ships to move from one ocean to the other, which is exactly how the expedition entered the Pacific during the voyage that would ultimately circle the globe. The other options don’t fit the route to the Pacific: the Strait of Gibraltar lies between Europe and Africa and leads to the Mediterranean, not the Pacific; Bab el Mandeb is at the entrance to the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean; Hudson Strait is in northern Canada, far from this transoceanic route.

The key idea is understanding how early explorers reached the Pacific Ocean. Magellan’s expedition aimed to find a westward route to the Spice Islands and found a passage at the southern tip of South America—the Straits of Magellan. This narrow passage connects the Atlantic to the Pacific, allowing ships to move from one ocean to the other, which is exactly how the expedition entered the Pacific during the voyage that would ultimately circle the globe.

The other options don’t fit the route to the Pacific: the Strait of Gibraltar lies between Europe and Africa and leads to the Mediterranean, not the Pacific; Bab el Mandeb is at the entrance to the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean; Hudson Strait is in northern Canada, far from this transoceanic route.