European colonialism expanded greatly between the 15th and early 20th centuries as European powers established overseas empires and spheres of influence in Africa, Asia, and the Americas. Key events included Portuguese explorer Bartolomeu Dias reaching the Cape of Good Hope in 1488, opening the sea route to India and East Asia; Christopher Columbus' voyages to the Caribbean beginning in 1492; and the "Scramble for Africa" in the late 19th century which saw European powers carve up the continent. European colonialism had huge economic, political, and cultural impacts on colonized regions around the world.