List of explorers
See also explorations, sea explorers, astronaut, conquistador, travelogue, the History of Science and Technology and Biography.
ACharles Albanel (1616-1696), CanadaDiego de AlmagroPedro de AlvaradoRoald Amundsen, (1872-1928), Norwegian, first at the South Pole, first to navigate the Northwest Passage in a single shipRoy Chapman Andrews, (1884-1960), US explorer
BPierre Savorgan de Brazza Italian explorer naturalized French. French Congo's founder.Vasco Núñez de Balboa, (c. 1475-1519), Spanish, first to sight the Pacific Ocean, founded Darién, oldest surviving European settlement in the South American continent.William Baffin, (1584-1622)Samuel Baker, AfricaHeinrich Barth (1821-1865), Northern and Central AfricaRobert Bartlett (1875-1946), greatest Arctic explorerWillem Barents, (1550?-1597), Dutch, died on Novaya Zemlya Northeast PassageGeorge Bass - Australian explorerAbu Abdullah Muhammad Ibn Battuta, (1304?-1377?), Moroccan Berber Muslim, visited Mecca several times, travelled to Central Asia, East Africa, China, Tombouctou and other placesNicolas Baudin - 18th century French explorer, mapped the West Australian coastline.Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen, Russian explorerMoric Benovsky, SlovakVitus BeringVittorio Bottego (1860,1897), Italian explorer of the Giuba region in north-east AfricaSaint Brendan - Irish abbot who sailed the Atlantic OceanJames BruceWilliam S. Bruce, (1867-1921) Scottish explorer of AntarcticaRichard Francis Burton, (1821-1890), looking for the source of the Nile, discovered Lake TanganyikaRichard E. Byrd, (1888-1957), flew over South Pole
CJohn Cabot (Giovanni Caboto) - Italian navigator in English service, crossed the Atlantic Ocean to North AmericaPedro Álvares Cabral, (c. 1467-c. 1520), Portuguese navigator, discovered Brazil and MadagascarAlvise Cadamosto (1432-1488), Venetian explorerDiogo Cão, (15th century), Portuguese navigator, explored the area around the West African coastJacques Cartier, (1491-1557), discovered the St. Lawrence River and sailed up it to Montreal; failed in an attempt to set up a colonyThomas Cavendish, (died 1592), English sailor and explorer.Samuel de Champlain, (c. 1567-1635), established the French colony in Canada; discovered the Great LakesWilliam Clark, (1770-1838), with Meriwether Lewis led the first American expedition to reach the west coast.Christopher Columbus, (1451-1506), reached America looking for a searoute to the Indies; discovered various lands and islands and established a colony on HispaniolaJames Cook, (1728-1779), explored the Pacific, discovering or mapping many lands and islandsFrancisco Vasquez de Coronado, (c. 1510-1554), explored New Mexico and American southwestHernán Cortés, (1485-1547), conquered the Aztec empire in Mexico; sent out expeditions to Baja CaliforniaJuan de la Cosa
DJacques-Yves Cousteau, (died 1997), French marine biologist and explorerAlexandra David-Néel, (1868-1969), French explorer, visited Lhasa, Tibet in 1924Harry de Windt Explorer, adventurer and author.Semyon Dezhnev, Russian explorer, first European who sailed through Bering StraitBartolomeu Dias, (1450-1500), Portuguese explorer who first rounded the Cape of Good Hope.Dinis Dias, Portuguese explorer, first European to reach Cape VerdeDavid Douglas, Scottish explorer, botanistSir Francis Drake, (c. 1540-1596), pirate, leader of the second circumnavigationJules Dumont d'Urville, (1790-1842), explorer of the Pacific and Antarctica
EGil Eanes, Portuguese navigator and explorerEric the Red, (c.950-1003), explored and colonized GreenlandLeifur Eiríksson, (born 970), attempted to colonize Vinland, discovered AmericaJuan Sebastián Elcano - completed the first circumnavigation, started by MagellanGeorge Everest, (1790-1866)
FEdmund Fanning, (1769-1841), "Pathfinder of the Pacific", discoverer of numerous South Pacific islandsMatthew Flinders, (1774-1814), first to circumnavigate Australia and Tasmania, extensively charted the coastline and named such features as the Great Barrier Reef and the Great Australian Bight.Alexander Forbes, Scottish explorer of North American Pacific coastJohn Franklin, (1786-1847), disappeared exploring Arctic Canada in search of the North West PassageJohn C. Fremont, (1813-1890), "Pathfinder of the West" explored the Oregon Trail and the Sierra Nevada, first Republican nominee for President of the United StatesLouis de Freycinet, (1779-1842), explored coastal regions of Western Australia
GAlfons Gabriel, (1892-1976) Austrian explorer of the Iranian deserts.Yuri Gagarin first man in Space and CosmonautJuan Galindo (1802-1839) explorer of Central American ruinsVasco da Gama, (1469?-1524), Portuguese navigator, first to reach India from Europe by the sea routeThomas Gann, explorerFrancis Garnier, (1839-1873), Mekong RiverPierre Gaultier de Varennes et de la Vérendrye, (1685-1749), explorerRomolo Gessi ( (1831, 1881)), Italian explorer of the Nile and of SudanErnest Giles, (1835-1897), explorer of central AustraliaAntão Gonçalves, explored the West African coast and was the first European to take slaves in AfricaJames Augustus Grant, (1827-1892), Scottish officer and explorer, explored the eastern equatorial Africa
HHanno the Navigator - Carthageinian who travelled along the coast of Africa Hannu, ancient Egyptian explorer (around 2750 BC) and the first explorer of whom there is any knowledgeSven Hedin, (1865-1952), Swedish explorer of Central AsiaLouis Hennepin - discoverer of Niagara Falls and the Saint Anthony Falls (the only waterfall on the Mississippi)Bjarni Herjulfsson - Viking, probable discoverer of North AmericaThor Heyerdahl, (1914-2002), Norwegian explorerSir Edmund Hillary, with Tenzing Norgay was the first person to the summit of Mount EverestHimilco the Navigator, Carthaginian navigatorClement Hodgkinson - (1818-1893) Australian explorer William Hovell - Australian explorerHenry Hudson, (died 1570), discovered the Hudson River and sailed up it to Albany, discovered Hudson BayAlexander von Humboldt, (1769-1859), German naturalist, explored Central and South America, visited SiberiaHamilton Hume - Australian explorer
IHelge Ingstad, (1899-2001), Norwegian, Danish explorer, Governor of GreenlandIbn Battuta, (1304-1377), Moroccan explorer of Africa and Asia, author of the RihlaIbn Rustah, 10th century Persian explorer of Russia, Scandinavia and Arabia.
JLouis Joliet, (1645-1700), central North American wildernessRichard JobsonHarry Johnston, (1858-1927), Africa, reported the okapi
KGeorge Kennan, (1845-1924), SiberiaEdmund Kennedy, (1818-1848), Australian explorerFerdinand Konščak, (1703-1759), Croatia, California, Mexico
LRichard Lemon Lander (1804-1834)Jean François La Pérouse, (1741-1788), French explorer of the PacificRené Robert Cavelier, Sieur de la Salle, (1643-1687), French explorer of the Mississippi basin Albert von Le Coq, (1860-1930), German explorer of Central AsiaMiguel López de Legaspi, Spanish explorer of the Philippines and MexicoLudwig Leichhardt, (1813-1848), Prussian explorer of AustraliaDragutin Lerman, (1863-1918), Croatia, (Congo, Africa)Meriwether Lewis, (1774-1809), leader of the first American expedition to cross the continentDavid Livingstone, (1813-1873), Scottish explorer of south and east Africa, determined the course of the Zambesi, discovered Lake Nyasa
MAlexander Mackenzie, (1764 - March 11, 1820), Scottish Western and Northern Canada to Arctic and Pacific OceansFerdinand Magellan, (c. 1470-1521), Portuguese navigator, leader of first expedition around the world and the first European to have sailed the Pacific OceanTeoberto Maler (1840-1917) Maya ruinsDouglas Mawson - Australian explorer of AntarcticaArchibald Menzies (1754-1852) Thomas Mitchell - (1792-1855), Scottish explorer of Australia
NFridtjof Nansen, (1861-1930), arctic explorer, scientist and international statesmanNehsi, ancient Egyptian explorer in service of Egyptian queen HatshepsutJean Nicolet, (1628-1642), early French explorer of the Old NorthwestJoseph Nicollet, (1786-1843), explorer of the Upper Mississippi River and Missouri RiverAdolf Erik Nordenskiöld, (1832-1901), arctic explorerTenzing Norgay, with Sir Edmund Hillary was the first person to the summit of Mount EverestHugh McNeil, Lewis and Clark Party member
OFrancisco de Orellana - first to navigate down the Amazon RiverJohn Oxley - Australian explorer
PMungo Park (1771-1806), Scottish explorer of Western Equatorial AfricaWilliam Parry, (1790-1855), Arctic explorerRobert Edwin Peary, (1856-1920), first man to reach the North PolePaul Pelliot, French explorer of Central AsiaAuguste Piccard, (1884-1962), physicist and explorerJacques Piccard, (born 1922), undersea explorerZebulon Pike, (1779-1813), explored Louisiana Purchase, Pikes PeakAlonso Alvarez de Pineda, (1494?-1519?)Martin Alonzo Pinzón (1441?-1493)Vicente Yáñez Pinzón (1460? - after 1523)Francisco Pizarro, (1471-1541), conqueror of the Inca EmpirePeter Pond, (c. 1739 - 1807), Northwest CanadaMarco Polo, (1254-1323), Venetian Republic, travelled to China in the 13th centuryGaspar de Portolá (fl. 1734-1784), explored CaliforniaJohn Wesley Powell, (1834-1902), explorer, environmentalistNicholas Michailovitch Prjevalsky, (1839-1888), Russian explorer in central and eastern AsiaNathaniel Pryor, (c. 1785-1850), US explorerPytheas, Greek explorer who visited Britain and other north and northwest European countries
QPedro Fernandez de Quirós, (1565-1614), Portuguese seaman and explorer, explored the Pacific
RJohn Rae, (1813-1893), travelled widely through the Canadian ArcticWalter Raleigh, (1554?-1618), English explorerJames Clark Ross, (1800-1862), Scottish explorerCândido Rondon, (1865-1958), Explored the Amazon with Teddy Roosevelt
SRené Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, (1643-1687) French merchant and explorer, explored Great Lakes, navigated Mississippi and looked for its deltaRobert Falcon Scott, (1868-1912), reached the South Pole less than one month after Amundsen, but died on the return voyageTibor Sekelj Croatia, South AmericaMirko Seljan (1821-1912?(3)), Croatia,( Ethiopia, South America)Stjepan Seljan (1873-1936), Croatia, (Ethiopia, South America)Scylax of Caryanda - a Greek explorer sent by the king of Persia to sail down the Indus River and around Arabia to EgyptErnest Shackleton, (1874-1922), attempted to reach the South Pole and went further south than anyone before himWilliam Smith (born around 1775), discovered South Shetland IslandsHernando de Soto, (died 1542), explorerJohn Hanning Speke, (1827-1864), discovered Lake VictoriaHenry Morton Stanley, (1841-1904), successfully searched for Livingstone in Africa; later explored Lake Victoria, Lake Tanganyika and the Congo RiverWilliam Stairs, (1863-1892), Victorian explorer, discovered one source of the Nile River, first non-African to ever climb in the Ruwenzori.Marc Aurel Stein, Hungarian explorer of Central AsiaJohn Lloyd Stephens (1805-1852) explored Middle East, Central AmericaJohn McDouall Stuart (1815-1866), Scottish explorer of inland AustraliaCharles Sturt - Australian explorerSir Paul Edmund Strzelecki, (1793-1873), Polish explorer and geologistIgnacije Szentmartony (1718-1793), Croatia (Jesuit, astronomer), Amazon, Brazil
TAbel Tasman, (1603-1659), discovered Tasmania and New ZealandYermak Timofeyevich, Russian cossack, explored West Siberia and claimed it for RussiaLuis Vaez de Torres, Portuguese navigator and explorerNuno Tristão, explored the West African coastGuðríður Þorbjarnardóttir, female explorer of the Middle Ages
VGeorge Vancouver, (1757-1798), British Royal Navy captain; explored the Pacific coast of North America, naming many locations in the Pacific Northwest.Pierre Gaultier de Varennes, sieur de La Vérendrye (1685-1749), French Canadian military officer, fur trader and explorer, explored Western CanadaGiovanni da Verrazano, (died 1528), sea explorerAmerigo Vespucci, (1454-1512), discovered other parts of America and gave his name to the new continentRuy López de Villalobos. Spanish; explored the Pacific and the Philippines, which he named after Philip II of SpainWillem de Vlamingh (1640-?). Dutch; in 1696 and 1697 he charted the coast of north-west Australia.
WJean-Frédéric Waldeck, (1766-1875), French antiquarian, artist, explorerWalker, Thomas (Explorer), medical doctor and early explorer of North America west of the Appalachian Mountains Langdon Warner, American explorer of Central AsiaHarry de Windt Explorer, adventurer and author.
YSir Francis Younghusband, (1863-1942), India and Tibet
ZZhang Qian - spent 12 years starting in 138 BC exploring much of Central Asia for Emperor Han Wu DiZheng He, (1371-1435), Chinese admiral who travelled widely over the Indian Ocean and other seas, reaching Africa and Arabia and many other countries
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