Exploration
Exploration is the act of
searching or
traveling for the purpose of discovery, e.g. of unknown regions, including
space (
space exploration), or
oil,
gas,
coal,
ores,
caves,
water (also known as
prospecting), or
information.
Exploration has existed as long as human beings, but its peak is seen as being during the
Age of Exploration when European navigators travelled around the world.
In
scientific research, exploration is one of three purposes of research (the other two being
description and
explanation). Exploration is the attempt to develop an initial, rough understanding of some
phenomenon.
*
Erik the Red (
950 -
1003) -
Viking explorer. After being cast out from
Iceland, he sailed to
Greenland and settled.
*
Leif Ericson (
980 -
1020) -
Norse explorer. The first
European known to have discovered
North America.
*
Marco Polo (
1254 -
1324) -
Italian explorer.
*
Zheng He (
1371 -
1433) -
Chinese explorer.
*
John Cabot (c.
1450 -
1499) -
Italian explorer. Discovered Newfoundland and claimed it for the
Kingdom of England.
*
Bartolomeu Dias (c.
1450 -
1500) -
Portuguese explorer. He sailed from Portugal and reached the
Cape of Good Hope.
*
Christopher Columbus (
1451 -
1506) -
Italian explorer. Sailed in 1492 and discovered the "New World" of the Americas.
*
Juan Ponce de León (c.
1460 -
1521) -
Spanish explorer. He explored
Florida while vainly trying to find the
Fountain of Youth.
*
Pedro Álvares Cabral (c.
1467 - c.
1520) -
Portuguese explorer, generally regarded as first
European discoverer of the sea route to
Brazil.
*
Vasco da Gama (c.
1469 -
1524) -
Portuguese explorer. He sailed from
Portugal to
India by rounding the
Cape of Good Hope.
*
Vasco Núñez de Balboa (c.
1475 -
1519) - European Explorer. The first European to cross the Isthmus of
Panama and view the Pacific ocean from American shores.
*
Francisco Pizarro (c.
1475 -
1541) -
Spanish explorer. Conquered the
Inca Empire.
*
Ferdinand Magellan (
1480 -
1521) -
Portuguese explorer. Sailed around
Cape Horn and named
Pacific Ocean. He died in the
Philippines which he claimed for
Spain but his ship made it back.After Magellan died,
Juan Sebastián Elcano took his place. Del Cano got all the glory back in Spain.
*
Giovanni da Verrazzano (c.
1485 -
1528) -
Italian explorer. Explored the northeast coast of America, from Newfoundland to about present day
South Carolina.
*
Hernán Cortés (
1485 -
1545) -
Spanish explorer. Conquered the
Aztec Empire for
Spain.
*
Jacques Cartier (
1491 "
1557) -
French explorer. Discovered
Canada.
*
Hernando de Soto (c.
1496 -
1542) -
Spanish explorer. Explored
Florida, mainly northwest
Florida, and discovered the
Mississippi River.
*
Francisco Vásquez de Coronado (c.
1510 -
1554) -
Spanish explorer. Searched for the Seven Cities of Gold and discovered the Grand Canyon in the process.
*Sir
Francis Drake (c.
1540 -
1596) -
English explorer. The first Englishman to
sail around the world and survive.
*
Vitus Bering (
1681 -
1741) -
Danish explorer. Explored the
Siberian Far East and
Alaska and claimed it for
Russia.
*
James Cook (
1728 -
1779) -
English naval captain. Explored much of the Pacific including
New Zealand,
Australia and
Hawaii.
*
Alexander von Humboldt (
1769 -
1859) -
German explorer and scientist whose work was foundational to the field of biogeography.
*Captain
Meriwether Lewis (
1774 -
1809) -
American explorer and field scientist who led the
Lewis and Clark Expedition into the
Louisiana Purchase and the
Pacific Northwest in
1804-
1806.
*
Robert Bartlett(
1875 -
1946) - Newfoundland captain. Led over 40 expeditions to the Arctic, more than anyone before or since. Was the first to sail north of 88° N latitude.
*
Sir Edmund Percival Hillary (born
July 20,
1919) - New Zealand explorer. The first to climb Mount Everest with Tenzing Norgay.
*
Reinhold Messner (born
17 September 1944) - Italian mountaineer, first man to climb all the 14 peaks higher than 8,000 meters.
*
Exploration of Asia*
Exploration of the Pacific*
African exploration*
Exploration of the Americas*
European exploration of Asia*
European exploration of Africa*
European exploration of Australia*
European exploration of North America*
European exploration of South America*
Exploration of the High Alps*
Exploration of the moon*
Exploration of Mars*
Age of Exploration*
List of explorers*
Cave exploration*
Desert exploration*
Ocean exploration*
Polar exploration*
Space exploration*
Urban exploration*
Confluence hunting/exploration
