Find out the name of the discoverer: who discovered America first. Who discovered the continent of Antarctica: the world of ice Which scientists discovered the continents

When studying the question of who discovered Eurasia, it is impossible to name one person. This continent is so large that at different periods of history in different places it was explored by different people. Let's find out who took part in the most important expeditions, thanks to which humanity has a complete picture of the world around them.

History of Eurasian exploration

Eurasia is the largest continent on the globe, characterized by a wide variety of relief and climatic conditions. It consists of two parts of the world, which were traditionally separated historically - Asia and Europe.

Eurasia is the cradle of many ancient civilizations that developed on the continent over many millennia. The scientific and cultural heritage of Ancient China, India, Babylon, and Assyria laid the foundation for the scientific potential of modern times.

Rice. 1. Ancient civilizations of Eurasia.

The impetus for the development of the mainland was the following factors:

The need to develop trade relations. So at the end of the 3rd century. BC e. The first trade route was formed, connecting China, Europe, India and the Middle East.
Military raids, seizure of territories and strengthening the power of warring tribes.

Eurasia was gradually discovered by its inhabitants, who had no idea about the size of the continent. For example, the Phoenicians were the first to discover the Mediterranean coast. The ancient Greeks continued to explore new territories. They sailed in many seas of Europe, discovered the Apennine and Balkan peninsulas, and reached the lands of modern Spain and France.

Period of Great Geographical Discovery

However, the greatest surge in discoveries occurred in the period from the Middle Ages until the twentieth century, when, thanks to brave travelers, humanity was able to get a complete picture of the largest continent on the planet.

TOP 4 articleswho are reading along with this

Explorers of Eurasia lived at different times in different countries. They discovered first one part of the continent, then another. The truly great discovery was the fact that all these parts belong to one continent, which later received the name Eurasia.

- a famous Portuguese navigator who had a unique memory. Having sailed to the southern shores of Asia, he described his journey in great detail in The Book of Marco Polo.

Rice. 2. Marco Polo.

Vasco de Gama - a famous traveler who turned out to be the first European to visit India.
Semyon Ivanovich Dezhnev - Cossack ataman, explorer of Eastern and Northern Siberia. He repeatedly made trips to the northern regions of Siberia with the aim of discovering new lands.
Petr Petrovich Semenov-Tyan-Shansky - an outstanding researcher, thanks to whom Europe learned about the majestic Tien Shan mountain system. He laid the foundation for subsequent expeditions to Central and Central Asia.
Nikolai Mikhailovich Przhevalsky - famous Russian traveler, explorer of Central Asia. He became the first person to describe the wild nature of this region.
- Russian navigator who made a major geographical discovery. He discovered the strait connecting Eurasia and North America. He became the first European navigator to visit the Bobrov and Kamchatka seas and discovered many islands.

Rice. 3. Vitus Bering.

Grigory Nikolaevich Potanin - a traveler who opened new routes for Europeans to Tibet and Mongolia.

This is not a complete list of brave explorers and travelers. Often risking their own lives, they made amazing discoveries that made our world more complete and colorful.

Man's acquaintance with the continents of the planet lasted throughout an entire historical period. The acquisition of important geographical information and a number of important finds began to be called the Age of Discovery. This knowledge of the Earth continued for two centuries.

Instructions

One of the most striking and exciting is the discovery of a new world - America. The navigator Christopher Columbus set out in search of a sea route from the European part of Eurasia to the Indian shores. In 1492, the ship landed on the shore of a picturesque island. Columbus believed that the crew had arrived on the Indian coast. Because of the confidence of the navigator, the natives of America - the Indians - got their name. Columbus and his crew were terribly disappointed in their discovery. Trade with the locals was not promising. And only at the beginning of the 16th century, the navigator Amerigo Vespucci discovered a new world for the inhabitants of Europe. He guessed that Columbus, on his expedition, mistakenly mistook America for the coast of India.

Getting to know the African continent was less intriguing. Residents of Eurasia have known about the existence of Africa from time immemorial. Vasco da Gama is considered the first European pioneer in Africa. In 1497, the navigator's ship left Lisbon towards India. The navigator was the first European to sail across the sea to India, circumnavigating the African continent. Along the way, Vasco da Gama explored the coast of Africa and made a lot of discoveries.

In November 1605, the navigator Willem Janszoon set off on his ship towards the island of New Guinea. Approaching the coast, the traveler did not notice anything strange. At first he thought he had reached the right island. But, having stepped onto the damp, swampy shore, the navigator suspected that these lands were not at all what he was looking for. The indigenous population of the island greeted the uninvited guests, to put it mildly, unfriendly. Then the sailors realized that they had landed on the shores of a completely foreign land. The island that received travelers hostilely turned out to be New Zealand. Willem Janszoon is recognized as the first European to visit Australian shores.

Having made an incredible number of significant discoveries during the era of the Great Geographical Discoveries, humanity did not even think that there were unknown continents left on the planet. However, in January 1820, an expedition of Russian explorers under the command of Thaddeus Bellingshausen sailed towards the south pole of the earth. Unexpectedly for themselves, the members of the expedition discovered a hitherto unknown continent. The continent, covered with a thick crust of ice, seemed dead to the sailors. The last discovered continent of our planet was named Antarctica.

The Magnificent Epoch undoubtedly became one of the most significant in the human exploration of the Earth's expanses. Talented sailors and researchers have made an invaluable contribution to the development of science and the worldview of all mankind.

The southernmost continent on planet Earth, Antarctica, together with the coastal islands, occupies an area of about 14.5 thousand square kilometers, and, despite its almost absolute uninhabitation, many geography lovers “Who discovered the continent of Antarctica?”

Speculation about the existence of Terra Australis Incognita

After the final approval in astronomical science of the spherical shape of the Earth, some physicists and natural scientists believed that the presence of the as yet undiscovered Southern continent - “Terra Australis Incognita” - guarantees the balancing of the Earth.

Amerigo Vespucci, during his first voyage to the shores of South America (1501–1502), observed the island of South Georgia, which was mistakenly mistaken for Terra Australis Incognita. However, the onset of cold weather did not allow the Portuguese navigators to move further south, and the discovery of Antarctica was delayed by more than three hundred years.

M.V. Lomonosov, studying the reports of expeditions to warm latitudes, noted that travelers had repeatedly observed floating icebergs south of the Cape of Good Hope, the formation of which is impossible without glaciers located on land. Therefore, he assumed the existence of a “southern land”, the vastness of which is much larger than the northern lands.

Studying the question “Who discovered Antarctica?”, modern researchers have discovered shipwrecks, remains of clothing and utensils on the coast of the mainland and on nearby islands, which can be dated back to the 16th - 18th centuries. And if parts of a Spanish sailing ship of the 18th century could be nailed down by the current, then tin and earthenware are not able to float, and their presence testifies to the presence of people there.

A rather curious incident occurred with the Dutch navigator Willem Janszoon, who, after returning from an expedition to southern latitudes in 1606, announced that he had landed on the shore of Terra Australis Incognita. However, it later turned out that he discovered Australia.

It is officially believed that the first person to observe Antarctica back in 1559 was Captain Dirk Geeritts. The sailors of his ship, caught in a storm while entering the Strait of Magellan, were carried further to the south and observed “high” land at latitude 64°. For a reason similar to the cessation of A. Vespucci's voyage - severe cold, the Dutch navigator was forced to give the order to turn back. However, even today, many residents of the Netherlands answer the question “Which traveler discovered Antarctica?” proudly call the name of their compatriot.

Equipped in 1768 and 1773 by the British to search for Terra Australis Incognita, two expeditions under the command of James Cook reached 71° south latitude, but, covered in ice, they were unable to advance further. As modern historical and geographical research has shown, the sloop Resolution was located only 75 miles from the coast of the Southern Continent.

Who discovered Antarctica and in what year

The official date of the discovery of Antarctica is considered to be January 16, 1820, when two Russian sloops “Vostok” and “Mirny” under the command of Thaddeus Bellingshausen and Mikhail Lazarev landed on the Dronning Maud Land ice shelf. However, the difficult environment and steep ice made it impossible for the team to land on the coast and explore the newly discovered lands. The expedition, which lasted 751 days, was called the “first Arctic circumnavigation.” Russian navigators discovered 29 coastal islands. Many modern researchers believe that, along with the discovery of the Southern continent, proof of the separateness of South America and Antarctica is no less important.

Just three days after the discovery of F. Bellingshausen and M. Lazarev, the British sailing ship Williams, captained by Edward Bransfield, approached the shore of the Southern continent. However, severe ice conditions did not allow the British expedition to cross the Mar de la Flota Strait, which separates the coast of Antarctica and the South Shetland Islands. A report submitted by E. Bransfield to the Admiralty states that his team observed “high mountains covered with ice and snow.” This fact allowed the English historian R. Huntward to attribute the discovery of the Southern Continent to the British.

Who was the first to land on the coast of Terra Australis Incognita

Considering the question “Who discovered the continent of Antarctica?”, one cannot help but recall the travelers who set foot on the land of the Southern continent.

The first person to land at Cape Charles was a whaler from the United States, John Davis. His sloop "Cecilia" entered Hughes Bay on February 7, 1821, on the shore of which the crew rested for several days.

The last person to claim the title of discoverer of Antarctica is the Norwegian naturalist, leader of the Antarctic expedition on the Southern Cross barque, Carsten Borchgrevink. On February 17, 1899, he landed on the shore of the continental part of the Southern Continent in the area of Cape Adare.

In what sequence the continents were discovered by Europeans, you will learn from this article.

In what centuries were the continents discovered?

The discovery of continents was consistent and natural. It is known that there are 6 continents on our planet. The largest of them is Eurasia. The second continent in terms of territorial size is Africa. Its shores are washed by two oceans - the Atlantic and Indian. The two subsequent continents, South and North America, are connected by the small Isthmus of Panama. The fifth continent is Antarctica, which is covered with a thick shell of ice. This is the only continent of all 6 continents where there are no permanent residents. A large number of polar stations have been created on it; scientists regularly visit them and conduct observations. Australia is the last and smallest continent on the planet.

How did the continents get their names?

The continents were named by the Europeans who discovered them. There is no exact date for the discovery of Eurasia and Africa. What is known is that even the ancient Greeks knew and distinguished Eurasia into Asia and Europe. Europe is the part of the territory that was located to the west of Greece, and Asia was on the eastern side. Africa became known to the world after the Romans conquered the southern part of the Mediterranean coast.

At the end of the 15th century - beginning of the 16th century, namely in 1492 he made a long sea expedition and discovered America.

In the 17th century Dutch navigators discovered a fifth continent, which they called Terra Australis Incognita. It stands for Unknown Southern Land. The fifth continent was Australia.

Wake up anyone in the middle of the night with the question: “Who discovered America first?”, and without hesitation, they will immediately give you the correct answer, calling the name of Christopher Columbus. This is for everyone known fact, which no one seems to dispute. But was Columbus the first European to set foot on new land? Not at all. There is only one question: “So who?” But they didn’t call Columbus for nothing discoverer.

In contact with

How Columbus became a discoverer

In what century did such significant changes for the world take place? The official date for the discovery of a new continent called the Americas is 1499, 15th century. At that time, the inhabitants of Europe began to have speculation that the earth was round. They began to believe about the possibility of navigation on the Atlantic Ocean and the opening of a western route directly to the shores of Asia.

The story of how Columbus discovered America is very funny. It so happened that he randomly stumbled upon the New World, heading to distant India.

Christopher was an avid sailor, who from a young age managed to visit all those known at that time. Carefully studying a huge number of geographical maps, Columbus planned to sail to India across the Atlantic, without passing through Africa.

He, like many scientists of that time, naively believed that, having gone straight from Western Europe to the east, he would reach the shores of such Asian countries as China and India. No one could even imagine what was suddenly on his way new lands will appear.

It was the day when Columbus reached the shores of the new continent and is considered the beginning of American history.

Continents discovered by Columbus

Christopher is considered the one who discovered North America. But in parallel with it, after news of the New World spread throughout all countries, the struggle for the development of the northern territories the British entered.

In total the navigator accomplished four expeditions. The continents that Columbus discovered: the island of Haiti or, as the traveler himself called it, Spain Minor, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, Antigua and many other territories of North America. From 1498 to 1504, during his last expeditions, the navigator had already mastered lands of South America, where it reached the shores of not only Venezuela, but also Brazil. A little later the expedition reached Central America, where the coastlines of Nicaragua and Honduras were developed, all the way to Panama.

Who else explored America?

Formally, many sailors opened America to the world in different ways. History goes back many names related to the development of the lands of the New World. Columbus's case continued:

Alexander Mackenzie;
William Baffin;
Henry Hudson;
John Davis.

Thanks to these navigators, the entire continent was explored and developed, including Pacific coast.

Also considered another discoverer of America is an equally famous person - Amerigo Vespucci. The Portuguese navigator went on expeditions and explored the coast of Brazil.

It was he who first suggested that Christopher Columbus sailed far not to China and India, but to previously unknown. His speculations were confirmed by Ferdinand Magellan, after completing his first trip around the world.

It is believed that the continent was named precisely in honor of Vespucci, contrary to all the logic of what is happening. And today the New World is known to everyone under the name America, and not by any other name. So who really discovered America?

Pre-Columbian expeditions to America

In the legends and beliefs of the Scandinavian peoples you can often come across mention of distant lands called Vinland located near Greenland. Historians believe that it was the Vikings who discovered America and became the first Europeans to set foot on the lands of the New World, and in their legends Vinland is nothing more than Newfoundland.

Everyone knows how Columbus discovered America, but in fact Christopher was far away not the first navigator who visited this continent. Leif Erikson, who named one of the parts of the new continent Vinland, cannot be called a discoverer.

Who should be considered first? Historians dare to believe that he was a merchant from distant Scandinavia - Bjarni Herjulfsson, which is mentioned in the Greenlanders' Saga. According to this literary work, in 985 g. he set out towards Greenland to meet his father, but lost his way due to a strong storm.

Before the discovery of America, the merchant had to sail at random, since he had never seen the lands of Greenland before and did not know the specific course. Soon he reached the level shores of an unknown island, covered with forests. This description did not suit Greenland at all, which greatly surprised him. Bjarni decided not to go ashore, and turn back.

Soon he sailed to Greenland, where he told this story to Leif Erikson, the son of the discoverer of Greenland. Exactly he became the first of the Vikings who tried their luck to join to the lands of America before Columbus, which he nicknamed Vinland.

Forced search for new lands

Important! Greenland is not the most pleasant country to live in. It is poor in resources and has a harsh climate. The possibility of resettlement at that time seemed like a pipe dream for the Vikings.

Stories about fertile lands covered with dense forests only spurred them on to move. Erickson gathered himself a small team and set off on a journey in search of new territories. Leif became the one who discovered North America.

The first unexplored places they stumbled upon were rocky and mountainous. In their description today, historians see nothing more than Baffin Island. Subsequent coasts turned out to be low-lying, with green forests and long sandy beaches. This reminded historians very much of the description coast of the Labrador Peninsula in Canada.

On the new lands they mined wood, which was so difficult to find in Greenland. Subsequently, the Vikings founded the first two settlements in the New World, and all these territories were called Vinland.

The scientist nicknamed "the second Columbus"

The famous German geographer, naturalist and traveler - all this is one great man, whose name is Alexander Humboldt.

This greatest scientist discovered America before others on the scientific side, having spent many years on research, and he was not alone. Humbaldt did not think long about what kind of partner he needed and immediately made his choice in favor of Bonpland.

Humboldt and the French botanist in 1799. went on a scientific expedition to South America and Mexico, which lasted five whole years. This journey brought scientists worldwide fame, and Humboldt himself began to be called the “second Columbus.”

It is believed that in 1796 The scientist set himself the following tasks:

explore little-studied areas of the globe;
systematize all received information;
taking into account the research results of other scientists, comprehensively describe the structure of the Universe.

All tasks, of course, were successfully completed. After the discovery of America as a continent, no one dared until Humbaldt conduct similar studies Conclusion

It can be concluded that many outstanding navigators America was discovered almost simultaneously, but in world history the name of Christopher Columbus will always be first on the list of those who explored the territories of the New World.