[Grammar] extending the reaches of the known world

[ambitious-girl]

Hello,

I have two questions for you.
First : Does "reaches" mean that "the parts of a place that are furthest from center"?
Second: Is bold part reduced to the "... were produced, which extended the reaches of the known world"? However, I am not sure if it refers to a whole sentence or the maps.

In the fifteen century, Henry the Navigator, a Portuguese prince, presided over a court in Sagres that became a center for cartographers,
instrument-makers, and explorers, whose expeditions he sponsored. Seafarers returning to Sagres from the west coast of Africa reported their discoveries and new maps were produced, extending the reaches of the known world. These maps became very valuable, owning to their utility in trade, war and religious expansions and were jealously guarded as state secrets.

Source: Inside reading 3 / Unit 10

 

[J&K Tutoring]

1. That's correct, as long as "center" is understood as our place of reference, the place we are- in this case Europe.

2. Maps are mostly made from the discoveries of seafarers, so really they are the same thing, and we could say the bold part refers to the whole sentence: Seafarers returning to Sagres from the west coast of Africa reported their discoveries and new maps were produced, extending the reaches of the known world.