Why were the countries of the Iberian Peninsula the first to start the Great Geographical Discoveries?

This is due to the fact that they then had a navy that was able to cross large sea areas. At that time, a new technology also appeared – the astrolabe, which made it possible to determine the location of ships by the stars. In addition, large ships were built, which were named caravels. These were large ships with a large carrying capacity. They also had large sails. Thus, they could conquer wide sea spaces without fear of a storm.