Question

Vasco Nunez de Balboa crossed from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean using a land route that he was the first European to find. Why was his discovery of the Isthmus of Panama so important?

The Isthmus of Panama was the first isthmus ever discovered.

This was Balboa's first of many trips across the Atlantic Ocean.

It is, by far, the shortest land route between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

The crossing point was was free of natives and thus safe to cross.

Answer 1

"It is, by far, the shortest land route between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans."

Reason: Balboa's crossing showed that the two oceans were connected by a narrow strip of land, making Panama the strategic shortest overland link for trade, exploration and later for the Panama Canal. The other choices are incorrect.