Final answer:
During the Age of Exploration, European countries had three main goals: to establish new trade routes and expand their economic power, to acquire valuable resources and establish colonies, and to discover new lands and expand their knowledge of the world.
Step-by-step explanation:
The three main goals of European countries during the Age of Exploration were:
- To establish new trade routes and expand their economic power: European countries sought to find alternative trade routes to Asia in order to gain direct access to valuable goods such as spices, silk, and porcelain. This would increase their economic power and bypass the costly taxes and fees imposed by Muslim middlemen along the Silk Road.
- To acquire valuable resources and establish colonies: Europeans wanted to acquire precious resources such as gold, silver, furs, and timber. They also aimed to establish colonies in order to gain control over these resources and expand their influence and territories.
- To discover new lands and expand their knowledge of the world: Explorers were motivated by a desire to chart unexplored territories and increase their knowledge of the world. This thirst for knowledge and curiosity about the unknown played a significant role in driving European exploration.