The city of Vasco da Gama in Goa (western coast of India) was named after the Portuguese navigator Vasco da Gama. The city was founded in 1543 and it remained a Portuguese city until 1961. This was the era of the great geographical discoveries. Vasco da Gama commanded an expedition (1497-1499), which for the first time in history passed by sea from Europe to India. Later, this navigator became the governor of the state of Goa, Portuguese India. Finding a sea route to India has been the challenge of a century for Portugal.

Goa is a state in southwestern India, the smallest among the states of India, a former Portuguese colony on the Indian subcontinent with a population of just over 3 million people. The largest city in the state is the historic city of Vasco da Gama. The length of the state of Goa from north to south is only 105 km, and from west to east a maximum of 65 km.

Photo of the city of Vasco da Gama, India, state of Goa, March 2019