Search for the southern continent

Abel Tasman · 1642 CE – 1643 CE · Earth

Find the fabled Terra Australis.

Historical context

The Dutch East India Company still hoped for a rich southern continent and sent Tasman to find it. He found islands and coasts instead, and sailed past the Australian mainland without recognising it.

The voyage, step by step

1. From Batavia

   1642 CE

   The Dutch East India Company sends Tasman to find the southern continent.

2. Across the Indian Ocean

   1642 CE

   He sails south and east, sighting no land for weeks.

3. Tasmania

   1642 CE

   He charts a mountainous island he names Van Diemen's Land.

4. New Zealand

   1642 CE

   A clash with Māori at Murderers' Bay sends him away without landing.

Outcome

Reached Tasmania, New Zealand and Fiji.

Abel Tasman

Dutch navigator who became the first European to reach Tasmania, New Zealand and Fiji.

Read on Wikipedia

Sources

• Abel Tasman — Wikipedia

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