500 Years First World Circumnavigation - M/S Mint - Miniature Sheet

A special block with three stamps is dedicated to the first circumnavigation of the world 500 years ago. The Portuguese "Ferdinand Magellan" (face value: CHF 2.80) set sail from Spain in 1519 with five ships and a crew of 237 men with the aim of finding a western sea route to the Moluccas Islands in Southeast Asia. Spices grew there that were much sought-after and traded at high prices in Europe. Magellan headed for South America first, where he found the entrance to the Pacific between Tierra del Fuego and the southern tip of South America in October 1520.