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Willem Schouten
Willem Cornelisz Schouten (1625) was a Dutch navigator for the Dutch East India Company. He was the first to sail the Cape Horn route to the Pacific Ocean. Biography Willem Cornelisz Schouten was born around 1567 in Hoorn, Holland, Seventeen Provinces. In April 1601 Willem Schouten was skipper of the Duyfken in the 'Moluccan fleet' of Wolfert Hermansz, and participated in the Battle of Bantam. On 1 July 1615 Willem Schouten and his younger brother Jan Schouten sailed from Texel in the Netherlands, in an expedition led by Jacob Le Maire and sponsored by Isaac Le Maire and his in equal shares with Schouten. The expedition consisted of two ships: ''Eendracht'' and ''Hoorn''.Quanchi, ''Historical Dictionary of the Discovery and Exploration of the Pacific Islands'', pp. 222–33 A main purpose of the voyage was to search for . A further objective was to explore a western route to the Pacific Ocean to evade the trade restrictions of the Dutch East India Company (VOC) i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hoorn
Hoorn () is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the northwest of the Netherlands, in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of North Holland. It is the largest town and the traditional capital of the region of West Friesland (region), West Friesland. Hoorn is located on the Markermeer, 20 kilometers (12 mi) east of Alkmaar and 35 kilometers (22 mi) north of Amsterdam. The municipality has just over 75,000 inhabitants and a land area of , making it the third most densely populated municipality in North Holland after Haarlem and Amsterdam. Apart from the city of Hoorn, the municipality includes the villages of Blokker, Netherlands, Blokker and Zwaag, as well as parts of the Hamlet (place), hamlets , De Hulk and . Hoorn is well known in the Netherlands for its rich history. The town acquired City rights in the Low Countries, city rights in 1357 and flourished during the Dutch Golden Age. In this ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Terra Australis
(Latin for ) was a hypothetical continent first posited in antiquity and which appeared on maps between the 15th and 18th centuries. Its existence was not based on any survey or direct observation, but rather on the idea that continental land in the Northern Hemisphere should be balanced by land in the Southern Hemisphere.John Noble Wilford: The Mapmakers, the Story of the Great Pioneers in Cartography from Antiquity to Space Age, p. 139, Vintage Books, Random House 1982, This theory of balancing land has been documented as early as the 5th century on maps by Macrobius, who used the term ' on his maps. Names Other names for the hypothetical continent have included and (), and (). Other names were (), and (). Matthias Ringmann called it the () in 1505, and Franciscus Monachus called it the ''Australis orę'' (Austral country). In medieval times it was known as the Antipodes. The French writer Guillaume Postel proposed the name ''Chasdia'', after Noah's grandson C ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Futuna (Wallis And Futuna)
Futuna (; ) is the largest island in Hoorn Islands or Îles Horne, located in the Pacific Ocean, part of the French overseas collectivity (''collectivité d'outre-mer'') of Wallis and Futuna. The island occupies an area of and as of 2018 it has a population of 10,912. Futuna is a local name, the etymology of which is unknown. History Futuna and Alofi were first mapped by Europeans in 1616 by Willem Schouten and Jacob Le Maire during their circumnavigation of the globe on the ship ''Eendracht''. After sailing to Niuafoou, they suddenly changed course from west to northwest and discovered the two islands. The islands were named Hoorn Eylanden, after the city of Hoorn, Schouten's birthplace. This became ''Horne'' in French and English. They also discovered a natural harbor along the southwest coast of Futuna, which they named Eendrachts baai (Unity Bay) after their ship. It is thought that their landing place was the site of the Anse de Sigave near what is today called Leava. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Alofi Island
Alofi is an uninhabited island in the Pacific Ocean belonging to the French overseas collectivity (''collectivité d'outre-mer'', or ''COM'') of Wallis and Futuna. Data shows that Alofi was inhabited until 1840. The highest point on the island is Kolofau. The 3,500 ha island is separated from the larger neighbouring island of Futuna by a 1.7 km channel. Alofi has been recognised as an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International for its red-footed booby colony and the vulnerable shy ground dove, as well as for various restricted-range bird species (including crimson-crowned fruit doves, blue-crowned lorikeets, Polynesian wattled honeyeaters, Polynesian trillers, Fiji shrikebills and Polynesian starling The Polynesian starling (''Aplonis tabuensis'') is a species of starling of the family Sturnidae. It is found in the Samoan Islands, Fiji, Niue, Tonga, the Santa Cruz Islands and Wallis and Futuna. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tro ...s). ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tonga Islands
Located in Oceania, Tonga is a small archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean, directly south of Samoa and about two-thirds of the way from Hawaii to New Zealand. It has 169 islands, 36 of them inhabited, which are in three main groups – Vavaʻu, Haʻapai, and Tongatapu – and cover an -long north–south line. The total size is just . Due to the spread out islands it has the 40th largest Exclusive Economic Zone of . The largest island, Tongatapu, on which the capital city of Nukuʻalofa, Nukualofa is located, covers . Geologically the Tongan islands are of two types: most have a limestone base formed from uplifted coral formations; others consist of limestone overlaying a volcanic base. Climate The climate is tropical with a distinct warm period (December–April), during which the temperatures rise above , and a cooler period (May–November), with temperatures rarely rising above . The temperature increases from , and the annual rainfall is from as one moves from Tongatap ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Niuatoputapu
Niuatoputapu (''The Sacred Niua'') is a volcanic island in the island nation of Tonga, Pacific Ocean. Its highest point is , and its area is . Its name means ''sacred island''. Older names for the island are Traitors Island or Keppel Island. Niuatoputapu is located in the north of the Tonga island group, away from Vavau near the border with Samoa. Its closest neighbours are the small island of Tafahi, which is only to the north-northeast, and the island of Niuafo'ou. Those three islands together form the administrative division of the Niuas. Niuatoputapu Airport accepts international flights. The population was 719 in 2021. Until several centuries ago, the inhabitants spoke the Niuatoputapu language, but it was replaced by the Tongan language and went extinct. Nevertheless, the variety of Tongan spoken on Niuatoputapu contains elements of Samoan, Uvean, and Futunan. Geography Niuatoputapu's highest central area, just beside Vaipoa, is a hill only high. It is the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Niuafoʻou
Niuafoou (meaning 'many new coconuts') is the northernmost island in the kingdom of Tonga. One of the Niua Islands, it is located in the southern Pacific Ocean between Fiji and Samoa, north of Tongatapu island group and northwest of Vavaʻu. It is a volcanic rim island with an area of and a population of 431 (as of 2021). The volcano is active and has erupted regularly since 1814, with its last major eruption in 1985. The Niuafoʻou language is spoken on the island. Geography Niuafoou is a volcano located on an underwater ridge west of the line along which all the other volcanoes of Tonga are ranged. The island contains a steep-sided caldera; its rim is over high. It rises to a height of at Mokotu. The coastline is rocky and steep, with only a few beaches, all of which are stony, with black sand. The only landing place on the island is at the end of a lava flow in Futu, in the western part of the island. All the villages are in the north and east. Public places — like ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tafahi
Tafahi is a small () island in the north of the Tonga archipelago, in fact closer to Savaii (Samoa) than to the main islands of Tonga. It is only north-northeast away from Niuatoputapu, and fishermen commute in small outboard motorboats almost daily between the two. The island has a population of 14 (in 2021). Other names for Tafahi are Cocos Eylant (coconut island) or Boscawen island. Geography Tafahi is a volcanic island and has the typical cone shape of a stratovolcano. The mountain is called Piu-o-Tafahi (fanpalm of Tafahi) and is high. (The island, , is smaller than Niuatoputapu, but higher). The soil is extremely suited for growing kava and vanilla, whose exports to the rest of Tonga and beyond is the main occupation of the population. The harbour (merely an opening in the fringing reef, only passable by small boats) is at the northwest of the island. A steep staircase leads up to the village, with about 69 residents at the census of 2001, located on a plateau on the no ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Takapoto
Takapoto, Tua-poto or Oura, is an atoll in the Tuamotu group in French Polynesia. It has a length of and a width of . The nearest land is Takaroa Atoll, located to the northeast. Takapoto's lagoon has a high salinity and a strong phytoplankton biomass. Geographically Takapoto is part of the King George Islands (Iles du Roi Georges) subgroup, which includes: Ahe, Manihi, Takapoto, Takaroa and Tikei. Takapoto Atoll has 380 inhabitants. Fakatopatere, the main village on Takapoto, is located at the southern end of the atoll. History The first recorded European to sight Takapoto Atoll was Jacob Le Maire in 1616. Takapoto Atoll was visited by the |
Rangiroa
Rangiroa ( Tuamotuan for 'vast sky') or Te Kokōta (Cook Islands Māori Cook Islands Māori is an Eastern Polynesian language that is the official language of the Cook Islands. Cook Islands Māori is closely related to, but distinct from, New Zealand Māori. Cook Islands Māori is called just Māori when there i ... for 'the Hyades (star cluster), Hyades star cluster') is the largest atoll in the Tuamotus and one of the largest in the world (smaller than Kwajalein in the Marshall Islands and Huvadhu Atoll, Huvadhu in the Maldives). It is in French Polynesia and is part of the Palliser Islands, Palliser group. The nearest atoll is Tikehau, to the west. It is about northeast of Tahiti. Rangiroa is home to about 2,500 people on almost . The chief town is Avatoru, in the atoll's northwest. Geography and environment The atoll consists of about 415 Motu (geography), motus, islets and sandbars comprising a total land area of about . There are approximately one hundred narr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Manihi
Manihi, or Paeua, is a coral atoll in the Tuamotu Archipelago, part of French Polynesia. It is one of the northernmost of the Tuamotus, located in the King George subgroup. The closest land to Manihi is Ahe Atoll, located 14 km to the west. The population is 648 inhabitants (2022 census). Geography Manihi is a relatively large elongated atoll. Its oval-shaped lagoon measures 27 km in length and 8 km in width, and is ringed by innumerable islets. The lagoon is well known among snorkelers for its beautiful and diverse marine fauna, including, among other species, the manta ray. There is only one pass to enter the lagoon, located close to the atoll's southern end. It is known as ''Passe de Tairapa''. The chief village is Paeua. Another important village, Turipaoa, is located in the south-western part of the atoll, and is home to about 400 inhabitants. Several of the islands are inhabited, by populations ranging from single individuals to as many as 400. Demograp ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Puka-Puka
Puka-Puka is a small inhabited coral atoll in the north-eastern Tuamotu Archipelago, sometimes included as a member of the Disappointment Islands. This atoll is quite isolated, the nearest land being Fakahina, 182 km to the southwest. Puka-Puka Atoll has an elliptical shape. Its length is 6 km and its maximum width 3.3 km. Its land area is about 5 km2. The lagoon is filled with silt and has become very small. The low coral islands are dry and sparsely populated. According to the 2022 census, the total population was 137. The chief town is Te One Mahina, with about 110 inhabitants. Unlike the rest of the Tuamotus, the language of the islands, Pukapukan, is Marquesic. History Puka-Puka was the first of the Tuamotus sighted by the Spanish expedition of Ferdinand Magellan on 21 January 1521, and charted as ''San Pablo'' because it was discovered on the day on which Paul of Tarsus is traditionally said to have become a Christian. Together with Flint Island ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
