221 Great Explorers of the World

Jacob Roggeveen was born on 1st February 1659 in Middleburg, Netherlands, and he died on 31st January 1729 (aged 69 years) in Middleburg, Netherlands. A Dutch explorer Jacob was sent to find Australia to open a western trade route but instead he landed on Easter Island and he called it so because he landed there

Ingolfur Arnarson was born on around in 844 (59), Rivedal, Sunnfjord, Sogn og Fjordane, Norge and died on 903 (51-67) in Reykjavik, Island. Considered one of the first Nordic settlers in Iceland, Ingolfur gave the name Reykjavik to the area in 874. He had to leave Norway because of getting into a feud and decided

Charles John Andersson was born on 4th March 1827 in Varmland, Sweden, and he died on 9th July 1867 (aged 40 years) in Angola. Charles was a adventurer, trader, explorer and collector of natural history specimens and hunter noted for the exploration of southern Africa in the present day Namibia which was largely unexplored at

Matteo Ricci was born on 6th October 1552 in the Macerata, Italy, and he died on 11th May 1610 (aged 58 years) in Beijing, China. A Jesuit Priest, Matteo was the first European to enter the Forbidden City and was wanted for his services in astronomy and calendrial science. His accurate predictions of Solar eclipses

Laszlo Almasy was born on 22nd August 1895 in Austria-Hungary, and he died on 22nd March 1951 (aged 55 years) in Salzburg, Austria. A Hungarian aristocrat, motorist and aviator, Laszlo planned the first exploration of the Libyan Desert by airplane with Count Zichy. His next plan was to find the Zerzura, the Oasis of birds.

Knud Johan Victor Rasmussen was born on 7th June 1879 in Greenland, and he died on 21st December 1933 (aged 54 years) in Copenhagen, Denmark. An anthropologist, Knud was the first European to cross the Northwest Passage on a dog-sled and mapped the North Coast of Greenland. He took on a journey of 1,000 km

John Rae was born on 30th September 1813 in Orkney, Scotland, and he died on 22nd July 1893 (aged 80 years) in London, England. John Rae was a Scottish surgeon and Arctic explorer who is best known for the exploration of parts of Canada. He found the final portion of the Northwest Passage and the

Afonso de Albuquerque was born in 1453 in the Alhandra, near Lisbon, Portugal, and he died on 16th December 1515 (aged 62 years) at sea, off Goa, India. Afonso was a Portuguese General and the first duke of Goa, India. He was the first European in Renaissance to raid the Persian Gulf. He led the

William Adams was born on 24th September 1564 in Gillingham, United Kingdom, and he died on 16th May 1620 (aged 56 years) in Hirado, Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan. William Adams was an English navigator who was the first person of his nationality to reach Japan. He was one of the few survivors of the five ship

Charles Albanel was born in 1616 in Ardes, France, and he died on 11 January 1696 (aged 80 years) in Sault Ste. Marie, Canada. A French missionary who explored Canada, Charles spent many winters with Montagnais Indians and learnt about their customs.  He led a party that went by Saguenay River and may have been

Nain Singh Rawat was born on 21st October 1830 in Kumaon, India, and he died on 1st February 1882 (aged 52 years) in Moradabad, India. Nain Singh was an Indian explorer who explored the Himalayan region for the British. His first exploration was with the Germans where he travelled to Lake Mansarovar and Rakas Tal

Douglas Mawson was born on 5th May 1882 in Shipley, US, and he died on 14th October 1958 (aged 76 years) in Brighton, Australia. A geologist and academic, Douglas led an expedition to the Antarctic sector south of Australia which was mostly unexplored with the aim to carry out scientific studies. They mapped the coastline

Louis-Philippe Loncke was born on 3rd March 1977 in Mouscron, Belgium and he still lives today. A motivational speaker and adventurer, Louis-Philippe crossed the Simpson desert on foot in 2008, crossed the Tasmanian Wilderness, traversed Iceland and toured the Belgian waters in a kayak. His first solo adventure was the crossing of the Tasmanian Wilderness

David Livingstone was born on 19th March 1813 in Blantyre, United Kingdom, and he died on 1st May 1873 (aged 59 years) in Zambia. A Scottish missionary, David was passionate about exploring Africa and finding the source of River Nile. He worked relentlessly on his exploration. He went to Africa to explore, map and navigate

Alexey Arkhipovich Leonov was born on 30th May 1934   in the Listvyanka, West Siberian Krai, USSR, and he is now retired. A Russian cosmonaut, Alexey was the first human to exit a spacecraft for a 12-minute space walk. He was tied to the spacecraft by a 5.35-metre tether. Alexey commanded the Soviet half of the