In 1500, the Portuguese explorer Pedro Cabral set out on a voyage to India, under the command of King Manuel I of Portugal. He was instructed to explore the coast of Africa and establish a trade route to India. On April 22, 1500, Cabral encountered the land of Brazil. This was the first European sighting of the South American continent. Cabral and his crew were the first Europeans to sight and explore the region, and they claimed it for Portugal. Cabral named the land Ilha de Vera Cruz, or the Island of the True Cross. He then sailed around the coast, claiming it for Portugal and sending reports of his discoveries back to the King of Portugal. Cabral’s voyage marked the beginning of the Portuguese colonization of Brazil, which would last for over 300 years.