Download Africa Explorers

Explorers of Africa
ALBUQUERQUE, AFONSO DE (Portugal 14??-1515)
sailed to the Spice Islands (the Moluccas, a group of Islands in Indonesia); sailed around
Africa to the Indian Ocean; appointed Viceroy of India by King Emmanuel in 1509;
BATTUTA, ABU ABDULLAH IBN [also spelled Buttuta] (Morroco1303-1365)
travelled through Africa, the Middle East, and parts of the Far East; appointed a
Magistrate of Delhi; travelled to China, Sri Lanka, Sumatra, and much of Africa;
recorded his adventures in a popular book, "Travels (Rihala) of Ibn Battuta";
BEHAIM, MARTIN (Germany 1459-1537)
mapmaker, navigator, and merchant; made the earliest globe, called the "Nürnberg
Terrestrial Globe"; accompanied the Portuguese explorer Diogo Cam (Cão) on voyage to
the coast of West Africa; during this trip, the mouth of the Congo River was discovered.
Sir BURTON, RICHARD Francis (England 1821-1890)
linguist; author; soldier; first European to see many Muslim cities and Lake Tanganyika;
wrote voluminously about his trips;
CABRAL, PEDRO ALVARES (Portugal 1467-1520)
explorer; navigator; discovered Brazil on April 22, 1500; traded for spices in India;
CADAMOSTO, ALVISE DA (Venice 1432?-1511?)
navigator; merchant; reached the mouth of the Gambia River (in west Africa); sailed up
the Gambia river to the Geba River; claimed to have discovered the Cape Verde Islands,
but uncertain; published a detailed account of his explorations in 1507;
COOK, JAMES (England 1728- 1779)
explorer; astronomer; expeditions to the Pacific Ocean (Easter Island, Hawaii)),
Antarctic, Arctic, and around the world; he sailed to Tahiti in order to observe Venus as it
passed between the Earth and the Sun (in order to try to determine the distance between
the Earth and the Sun) during this expedition, he also mapped northern Australia; first
ship's captain to stop the disease scurvy;
DA GAMA, VASCO (Portugal1460-1524)
explorer; discovered an ocean route from Portugal to the East; viceroy of India;
DIAS, BARTOLOMEU (Portugal 1457-1500)
navigator; explorer of Africa's coast; sailed near South America on the way to Africa, and
spotted land at Espírito Santo in Brazil;
DIAS, DIOGO (Portugal)
navigator; brother of Bartolomeu Dias - first European to sail to Madagascar;
Sir DRAKE, FRANCIS (Britain1545-1596)
explorer; slave-trader; privateer (a pirate working for a government); mayor of Plymouth;
led the second expedition to sail around the world in a voyage lasting from 1577 to 1580;
EANNES, GIL (Portugal 15th century)
explorer; 1st person to sail beyond the dreaded Cape Bojador (on the coast of Africa) and
return;
EBERHARDT, ISABELLA (Switzerland 1877 - 1904)
explorer; lived and travelled extensively in North Africa;
HANNU (ancient Egyptian – c2750 B.C.E.)
explorer; made the first recorded exploring expedition; sailed down the Red Sea to
explore the southeastern areas of the Arabian peninsula (called Punt); sailed to what is
now part of eastern Ethiopia and Somalia; returned to Egypt with treasures, including
myrrh (a spice) and precious metals; wrote of his exploration in stone;
(Hannu is sometimes called Hennu, which is also the name of a sacred boat of Egyptian
gods).
HENRY THE NAVIGATOR Prince Henry (Henrique) the Navigator (Portugal
1394-1460)
Portuguese royal prince; soldier; patron of explorers; sent many sailing expeditions down
Africa's west coast, but did not go on them himself;
KINGSLEY, MARY Henrietta (Britain1862-1900)
explorer - made two pioneering trips to West and Central Africa;
first European to enter remote parts of Gabon;
LANDER, RICHARD LEMON (England1804-1834)
Explorer; made three trips to West Africa; he and his brother John were the first
Europeans to canoe down the lower Niger River to its delta (where it meets the sea);
LIVINGSTONE, DAVID (Britain1813-1873)
missionary; explorer; explored the interior of Africa - Zambezi River; searched for the
source of the Nile River; first European to see Victoria Falls;
MAGELLAN, FERDINAND (Portugal1480-1521)
explorer; first to sail around the Earth (1519-1522);
also named the Pacific Ocean (the name means that it is a calm, peaceful ocean);
PARK, MUNGO (Scotland 1771-1806)
explorer and surgeon who charted the course of the Niger River, in western Africa;
wrote of his trip in "Travels in the Interior Districts of Africa" (1797);