Juan De Fuca
Juan de Fuca (10 June 1536, Cefalonia 23 July 1602, Cefalonia)Greek Consulate of Vancouver,Greek Pioneers: Juan de Fuca. was a Greek pilot who served PhilipII of Spain. He is best known for his claim to have explored the Strait of Aniánnow known as the Strait of Juan de Fucabetween Vancouver Island (now part of British Columbia, Canada) and the Olympic Peninsula (northwestern Washington state in the United States). Name "Juan de Fuca" is a hispanicization of the Greek name or Phokas (), latinized as . However, his exact name is somewhat uncertain. Some sources state that his actual name was Apostolos Valerianos (). It is possible that he was baptized as Apostolos and later adopted the name Ioannis or Juan because ' is not a common Spanish name. It is known that his father and grandfather bore the name Focas, so it seems likely that Valerianos was a nickname or epithet borrowed from the village where he grew up on Cefalonia. Family and early life De Fuca's grandfather ...
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