Have you heard of these great explorers?

Matthew Flinders (1774 – 1814) - Lincolnshire explorer Matthew Flinders made it big down under. He’s credited with naming the land as ‘Terra Australis’, which eventually became ‘Australia’. He was the first European to circumnavigate the island, and over 100 of Australia’s geographical features have his name.

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Freya Stark (1893 – 1993) - Freya Stark lived to be 100 years old, and led a steady exploratory career from 1929 to 1938. She was the first European woman to journey to Iran’s Lorestan Province and explore Yemen’s Hadhramaut valley.

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George Vancouver (1757 – 1798) - George Vancouver literally put the west coast of North America on the map. He’s the only name here to have two cities (one in Canada, one in the US) and an island named after him. He made pioneering missions to Hawaii, Canada, and China.

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Richard Burton (1821 – 1890) - Burton was a Devon-born explorer, but also had a number of other pursuits including translator, writer, soldier, cartographer, ethnologist, spy, linguist, poet, fencer, and diplomat. His accomplishments include exploring north-west Saudi Arabia, and he was one of the first Europeans to explore the Great Lakes of Africa.

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Mary Kingsley (1862 – 1900) - Mary Kingsley led a respectable career as an explorer. She journeyed through Sierra Leone and Angola and was awarded an honorary medal by the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine in 1903.

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Mary Kingsley (1862 – 1900) - Kingsley’s highlights as an expeditioner include her work in the Central African country of Gabon. There, she experienced tribal life and recorded fish in the country’s Ogooué River.

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Henry Hudson (1565 – 1611) - Henry Hudson worked tirelessly as an explorer. He was contracted to find a northerly route to the Pacific Ocean. He also worked to better the understanding of America’s east coast.

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Henry Hudson (1565 – 1611) - Hudson was the first European to discover both the Hudson Strait and Hudson Bay, which he also charted. He also discovered Delaware Bay (pictured).

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Ranulph Fiennes 1944 - - Modern explorer Ranulph Fiennes has been maimed by frostbite, but is one of the finest explorers still standing. He has led expeditions in Norway, circumnavigated the world, and has climbed Mount Everest.

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Ranulph Fiennes 1944 - - One of Fiennes’ greatest achievements is the rediscovery of the lost city of Ubar in 1992. The lost Iranian city bordered Yemen, and can be seen in this aerial photograph. As of 2017, Fiennes is recognised as the world’s greatest living explorer by Guinness World Records.

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Alexander Mackenzie (1764 – 1820) - Scottish explorer Alexander Mackenzie has a park, river, and a rose named after him. His accomplishments include establishing Fort Chipewyan and Fort Fork on Peace River, in Alberta, Canada.

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Alexander Mackenzie (1764 – 1820) - Mackenzie was the first European to make an east to west crossing of North America north of Mexico.

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Robert Falcon Scott (1868 – 1912) - This explorer ventured around the world, most notably to the two Polar caps.

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Robert Falcon Scott 1868 – 1912 - Scott’s triumphs include being the first British explorer to reach the South Pole, and discovering the Polar Plateau as part of the ‘Discovery’ Polar mission (pictured).

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William Dampier (1651 – 1715) - Under the reign of pirate Bartholomew Sharp, William Dampier explored the globe. He was the first to circumnavigate the Earth and explored Indonesia and parts of what is now Australia.

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William Dampier (1651 – 1715) - Dampier is recognised as being first natural historian of Australia. He was the first English explorer to set foot on Australia’s mainland, and mapped out the country’s east coast. Dampier went on to circumnavigate the world three times.

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Walter Raleigh (1552 – 1618) - Raleigh is one of the biggest names on this list. He’s credited as introducing the potato the Britain, as well as making a groundbreaking journey to America in the 16th century. He explored areas from North Carolina to Florida.

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Walter Raleigh (1552 – 1618) - One of Raleigh’s defining journeys was to find the golden city of El Dorado. His mission failed, but he was the first known European to visit ‘Guiana’, now known as South America’s Guyana.

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David Livingstone (1862 – 1900) - David Livingstone made his name in Africa. He spearheaded journeys to South Africa and even survived a bone-shattering lion attack. He was the first European to venture to Lake Malawi and Botswana’s Lake Ngami.

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David Livingstone (1862 – 1900) - Livingstone was the first European to visit the Mosi-oa-Tunya falls. He renamed it Victoria Falls after the reigning queen.

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Francis Drake (1540 – 1596) - Francis Drake made the first European voyage to the New World. He also made voyages to the West Indies and made incredible predictions including that we could sail around South America’s southern coast.

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Francis Drake (1540 – 1596) - Drake renamed Henderson Island as Elizabeth Island, and was rewarded with the ‘Drake Jewel’ by Queen Elizabeth I. Today it is in the British Museum.

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Captain James Cook (1726 – 1779) - Captain James Cook’s career is almost impossible to summarise. He was the first European to chart New Zealand’s coast, the first British person to set foot in Australia, and he explored many islands.

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Captain James Cook (1726 – 1779) -

James Cook’s defining exploration may be the Sandwich Islands. Now known as the Pacific Islands of Hawaii, he was the first European to land on Kauai Island. He went on to become the first navigator to map North America’s northwest coast.