Da Gama was born in 1460 to a family of nobles in Sines, Portugal. His father, Estevao, was also an explorer<span>. Da Gama learned to navigate in the navy, which he joined as soon as he was old enough. In 1497, da Gama was appointed to command a ship with the goal of </span>discovering<span> a sailing </span>route to India<span>.</span>
