Which of the following best shows how the Gulf Stream influenced the major routes of the Spanish explorers during the Age of Exploration? (1 point) Explorers used the Gulf Stream to circumvent the southern cape of Africa. The Gulf Stream helped transport enslaved people from Africa to plantations in the Americas. They used the Gulf Stream to speed up the journey between Mexico and Spain. The Gulf Stream caused ships to slow down in a zone of calm winds.

The Gulf Stream was a powerful ocean current that flowed from the Gulf of Mexico up along the eastern coast of the United States and across the Atlantic Ocean to Europe. Spanish explorers during the Age of Exploration harnessed this current to speed up their return journeys from the New World back to Spain, significantly reducing travel time and making it easier to transport gold, silver, and other riches. Additionally, understanding how the Gulf Stream works not only aided explorers in their voyages but also played a crucial role in navigation techniques that would evolve over time. Explorers relied on the knowledge of this current to optimize their routes, allowing for quicker and more efficient travels across the open ocean.