The era of European sea explorations began in the late 15th century and lasted for a little more than three full centuries. This article is about the continent. ... Sunset at sea Wiktionary has a definition of: Sea Wiktionary has a definition of: maritime A sea is a large expanse of saline water connected with an ocean, or a large, usually saline, lake that lacks a natural outlet such as the Caspian Sea and the Dead Sea. ... This article lists the explorations in history. ... (14th century - 15th century - 16th century - other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 15th century was that century which lasted from 1401 to 1500. ...

This is a list of notable sea explorers:

• Diogo Cão
• Diogo de Azambuja
• Bartolomeu Dias
• Pêro de Alenquer
• João Infante
• João Grego
• Álvaro Martins
• Pêro Dias
• Gil Eanes
• João Gonçalves Zarco
• Tristão Vaz Teixeira
• Bartolomeu Perestrelo
• Diogo Silves
• Gonçalo Velho
• Nuno Tristão
• Antão Gonçalves
• Dinis Dias
• António Fernandes
• Pêro de Sintra
• Lopes Gonçalves
• Alvise Cadamosto
• Diogo Dias
• António Noli
• Fernão da Po
• Alvaro Caminha
• João de Santarém
• Pedro Escobar
• Duarte Pacheco Pereira
• Vasco da Gama
• Paulo da Gama
• Pedro Álvares Cabral
• Pêro Vaz de Caminha
• Nicolau Coelho
• Luís Pires
• André Gonçalves
• Fernão de Noronha
• Gaspar de Lemos
• Gonçalo Coelho
• João da Nova
• Pêro de Barcelos
• João Fernandes Lavrador
• João Vaz Corte-Real
• Gaspar Corte-Real
• Miguel Corte-Real
• João Rodrigues Cabrilho
• Pedro Mascarenhas
• Estevão da Gama
• Diogo Rodrigues
• Martim Afonso de Sousa
• Ferdinand Magellan
• Tristão da Cunha
• Francisco de Almeida
• Afonso de Albuquerque
• Antonio de Abreu
• Jorge Álvares
• Fernão Mendes Pinto
• Pedro Fernandes de Queiroz
• Luis Váez de Torres
• Louis Antoine de Bougainville
• Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen
• John Byron
• John Cabot
• Sebastian Cabot
• Jacques Cartier
• Thomas Cavendish
• Samuel de Champlain
• Didrik Pining
• Christopher Columbus
• James Cook
• William Dampier
• John Davis
• Francis Drake
• Leif Ericson
• Martin Frobisher
• Humfry Gilbert
• Henry Hudson
• Jacob Le Maire
• Alvaro de Mendaña
• Binot Paulmyer
• Willem Schouten
• Abel Tasman
• George Vancouver
• Giovanni da Verrazano
• Amerigo Vespucci
• Samuel Wallis
• Zheng He

See also polar explorers and land explorers, explorers. The pillar bearing the arms of Portugal erected by Cão at Cape St. ... Diogo de Azambuja (15th century) Portuguese explorer of the African coast, lead an expedition into the Gold Coast in 1481. ... Bartolomeu Dias turning the Cape of Good Hope Bartolomeu Dias (Anglicized: Bartholomew Diaz) (c. ... Pêro de Alenquer (15th century) Portuguese explorer of the African coast. ... João Infante (15th century) Portuguese explorer of the African coast. ... João Grego (15th century) Portuguese explorer of the African coast. ... Álvaro Martins (15th century) Portuguese explorer of the African coast. ... Pêro Dias (15th century) Portuguese explorer of the African coast. ... Gil Eanes (Eannes) was a fifteenth-century Portuguese navigator and explorer. ... João Gonçalves Zarco (c. ... Tristão Vaz Teixeira (about 1395 to 1480) was a Portuguese navigator and explorer that, together with João Gonçalves Zarco and Bartolomeu Perestrelo, discovered the Madeira Islands (1419-1420). ... Bartolomeu Perestrelo (about 1395 to 1457) was a Portuguese navigator and explorer that, together with João Gonçalves Zarco and Tristão Vaz Teixeira, discovered the Madeira Islands (1419-1420). ... Diogo Silves, (15th century) Portuguese explorer of the Atlantic, possible discoverer of the Azores islands. ... Gonçalo Velho, (15th century) Portuguese explorer of the Atlantic, possible discoverer of the Azores islands. ... Nuno Tristão was a 15th century Portuguese explorer and slave trader who was the first European to land in what is today Guinea-Bissau. ... Antão Gonçalves was a 15th century Portuguese explorer and slave trader who was the first European to take Africans as slaves. ... Dinis Dias was a 15th century Portuguese explorer. ... António Fernandes (15th century) Portuguese explorer of the African coast, he reached the Cape of the Mastos in 1445 (Cabo dos Mastos in portuguese). ... Pêro de Sintra (15th century) Portuguese explorer of the African coast, he was the first to reach Sierra Leone in 1460. ... Lopes Gonçalves (15th century) Portuguese explorer of the Atlantic, the first to cross the Equator in 1473. ... Alvise Cadamosto (Ca da Mosto) (Venice, 1432 - Venice, July 18, 1488) Venetian see captain and explorer, hired by the Portuguese prince Henry the Navigator. ... Diogo Dias was a 15th century Portuguese explorer. ... António Noli was a 15th century Portuguese explorer. ... Fernão da Po (15th century), Portuguese explorer of the African coast, discoverer of the Fernando Poo island, named after his namesake. ... Alvaro Caminha (late 15th century), Portuguese explorer that started the colonization of São Tomé and Príncipe. ... João de Santarém (15th century) Portuguese explorer that discovered São Tomé and Príncipe together with Pedro Escobar. ... Pedro Escobar (15th century) Portuguese explorer that discovered São Tomé and Príncipe together with João de Santarém. ... Duarte Pacheco Pereira, (15th century) mysterious Portuguese captain and explorer of the Atlantic, his travels in the central Atlantic west of Cape Verde probably are more important than traditional history states. ... Vasco da Gama Vasco da Gama (c. ... Paulo da Gama (? - Angra do Heroísmo, July 1499) was a Portuguese explorer, older brother of Vasco da Gama. ... Pedro Álvares Cabral Pedro Álvares Cabral (c. ... Pêro Vaz de Caminha (15th century/16th century), Portuguese explorer that accompanied Pedro Álvares Cabral in the discovery of Brazil, being one of the captains of the fleet. ... Nicolau Coelho (15th century/16th century), Portuguese explorer that accompanied Pedro Álvares Cabral in the discovery of Brazil in 1500, being one of the captains of the fleet. ... Luís Pires (15th century/16th century), Portuguese explorer that accompanied Pedro Álvares Cabral in the discovery of Brazil, being one of the captains of the fleet. ... André Gonçalves (15th century/16th century), Portuguese explorer that accompanied Pedro Álvares Cabral in the discovery of Brazil, being one of the captains of the fleet. ... Fernão de Noronha (15th century/16th century), Portuguese explorer, also know as Fernando de Noronha or even Fernão de Loronha. ... Gaspar de Lemos (15th century), Portuguese explorer that was captain of the supply ship of Pedro Álvares Cabrals fleet that discovered Brazil. ... Gonçalo Coelho (15th century/16th century), Portuguese explorer of the South Atlantic and of the South American coast (expedition to Brazil and further south in 1502). ... João da Nova (16th century), also know as João da Nova Castelia, was a Portuguese explorer of the Atlantic, discoverer of Ascension (1501) and Saint Helena (1502) islands. ... Pêro de Barcelos (15th century/16th century), Portuguese explorer of North America, together with João Fernandes Lavrador. ... João Fernandes Lavrador (?-1501) was a Portuguese sea explorer. ... João Vaz Corte-Real was a Portuguese explorer in the 15th century. ... Gaspar Corte-Real (around 1450 - 1501) was a Portuguese explorer. ... Miguel Corte-Real was a Portuguese explorer. ... The Cabrillo National Monument in San Diego, CA Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo, in Portuguese João Rodrigues Cabrilho, (ca 1499 – January 3, 1543) was an Portuguese explorer noted for his exploration of the west coast of North America while sailing for Spain (some argue he was indeed Spanish). ... Pedro Mascarenhas (1470-1555) was a Portugese explorer and colonial administrator. ... Estevão da Gama (16th century) Portuguese explorer. ... Diogo Rodrigues (16th century) Portuguese explorer of the Indian ocean, after whom the island of Rodrigues is named. ... Martim Afonso de Sousa (1500-1571) was a Portuguese explorer. ... Ferdinand Magellan (Spring 1480 – April 27, 1521; Portuguese: Fernão de Magalhães; Spanish: Fernando/Hernando de Magallanes) was a Portuguese sea explorer who sailed for Spain. ... Tristão da Cunha or Tristan da Cunha (~1460 - ~1540) was nominated first viceroy of Portuguese India in 1504, but did not take up this post owing to temporary blindness; in 1506 he became commander of a fleet which operated on the east coast of Africa and in the Indies... Francisco de Almeida (Lisbon, c. ... Afonso de Albuquerque Afonso de Albuquerque, Afonso dAlbuquerque or Alfonso de Albuquerque (1453 _ December 16, 1515) was a noted Portuguese naval general whose activities helped establish the Portuguese colonial empire in India. ... Antonio de Abreu was a Portuguese navigator of the 16th century, who in 1512 discovered the Banda Islands, Indonesia, during an exploratory voyage to the Moluccas. ... Jorge Álvares (16th century) Portuguese explorer, he was the first to reach China in 1514. ... Fernão Mendes Pinto (1509-1583) was a Portuguese adventurer, explorer and writer. ... Pedro Fernández de Quirós (1565 - 1614), was a Portuguese seaman and explorer. ... Luiz Váez de Torres, Portuguese seaman, remembered chiefly because the Torres Strait separating Australia from Papua New Guinea is named for him. ... Louis-Antoine de Bougainville (1729-1811) Louis Antoine de Bougainville (November 11, 1729–August 31, 1811) was a French navigator and military commander. ... Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen (Беллинсгаузен, Фаддей Фаддеевич, Faddey Faddeyevich Bellinsgauzen in Russian) (September 20, 1778 - January 13, 1852) served as a naval officer of the Russian Empire and commanded the second expedition to circumnavigate Antarctica. ... John Byron (November 8, 1723 to April 10, 1786) was a British vice-admiral. ... John Cabot gazes across Bristol Harbour Giovanni Caboto (c. ... Sebastian Cabot (ca 1476 - 1557 or soon after), (originally Sebastiano Caboto) was an explorer, born probably in Venice, who may have sailed with his father John Cabot, the Genoese, in the service of England, in May, 1498. ... Jacques Cartier Jacques Cartier (Saint-Malo, France, December 31, 1491 – September 1, 1557) was a French explorer who is popularly thought of as one of the major discoverers of Canada, or more specifically, the interior region that would be part of the first area that could become that nation. ... Thomas Cavendish (1555-1592) was born in Trimley St. ... Samuel de Champlain by Théophile Hamel (1870) Samuel de Champlain (1567 – 1635) was a French geographer, draftsman, explorer and founder of Quebec City. ... Didrik Pining also Dietrich or Diderik (born ca. ... Christopher Columbus For information about the director, see the article on Chris Columbus. ... British explorer James Cook, portrait by Nathaniel Dance, c. ... William Dampier, English naval pioneer William Dampier (August,1651 - March,1715) was a controversial English explorer, sea captain, and scientific observer. ... John Davis is the name of several persons: John Davis (1550?-1605), an English navigator and explorer. ... Sir Francis Drake, c. ... A statue of Leif Ericson in front of the Hallgrímskirkja in Reykjavik Leif Ericson (old Icelandic: Leifur Eiríksson) was an Iceland born explorer that was the first European to discover North America and more specifically, the region that would become Newfoundland. ... Sir Martin Frobisher (c. ... . - Thomas A. Janvier, biographer of Henry Hudson. ... Jacob Le Maire (about 1585 to 1616), the Dutch mariner, born in Antwerp, circumnavigated the earth in 1615 to 1616. ... Álvaro de Mendaña de Neira or Neyra (1541 - November 1595) was a Spanish navigator. ... Binot Paulmyer, sieur de Gonneville, French navigator of the early 16th century, who was widely believed in 17th and 18th century France to have been the true discoverer of Australia. ... Willem Cornelis Schouten (1567?-1625) was a Dutch navigator. ... Abel Janszoon Tasman (1603 - 1659) was a Dutch seafarer and explorer, born in Lutjegast, a village in the province of Groningen, best known for his voyages of 1642 and 1644, in the service of the VOC (Dutch East India Company). ... Captain George Vancouver George Vancouver (June 22, 1757 – May 12, 1798) was an officer of the Royal Navy, and an explorer best known for his exploration of North America and the Pacific coast along Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia. ... Giovanni da Verrazano (his last name is also spelled Verrazzano) was born, on his familys castle, Castello Verrazzano, near Val di Greve, 30 miles south of Florence. ... For the Italian ship named after Vespucci, see Amerigo Vespucci (ship). ... Samuel Wallis (c. ... Characters for Zheng He. ... See also explorations, sea explorers, astronaut, conquistador, travelogue, the History of Science and Technology and Biography. ...