Which country was the first to dominate the Exploration Age?

Henry the navigator was a far sighted ruler of Portugal.
Portugal on the edge of the Atlantic started explorations along the coast of Africa under his direction. A school was established to train sailors and experiment with different types of sailing vessels.

When the Muslim conquest of Constantinople cut of trade to Asia along the old silk road, Portugal was prepared to find new sea routes to Asia. Vasca de Gama's successful voyage around the cape of Good Hope to India opened up the riches of Asia to Portugal.

Portugal dominated the trade routes to India, China and Japan during the early years of the age of exploration. The Pope granted Portugal exclusive rights to trade in Asia, leaving the Americas and the Pacific islands to Spain.

This dominance was challenged and destroyed by the Dutch, British and France. The British and the Dutch being protestant did not recognize the exclusive rights to exploration granted by the Pope.

During the early years of the Age of Exploration the tiny nation of Portugal dominated. It took the rest of the world a while to catch up.