What did Tasman discover?
Seafarer, explorer and merchant Abel Janszoon Tasman was the first European to discover Tasmania and confirm Australia as an island continent. Born in the Netherlands around 1602, he was raised and educated in Lutjegast, Gronigen.
What did Abel Tasman discover for kids?
As Tasman continued traveling east he found the islands of New Zealand. He sailed north along their coast and then continued north, where he discovered the islands of Fiji and Tonga. He then explored the island of New Guinea. He finally returned home on June 14, 1643.
How did Abel Tasman discover Australia?
After months at sea, the Dutch explorer Abel Tasman’s diary entry for the 24 November 1642 marks the first official discovery of a land beyond the Australian mainland. He had discovered what he called Van Diemen’s Land.
Who was Abel Tasman and what did he do?
(The only evidence to support this claim is a library catalogue entry) Abel Janszoon Tasman ( 1603 – October 10, 1659), was a Dutch seafarer, explorer, and merchant. He is best known for his voyages of 1642 and 1644 in the service of the VOC ( Dutch East India Company).
Why was Abel Tasman important to the Dutch East India Company?
Abel Tasman Biography. Abel Janszoon Tasman was a Dutch explorer commissioned by the Dutch East India Company for several voyages during the 17th century. He is mainly noted for his exploration of the South Pacific in the hopes of discovering a new shipping route from Australia to South America to enhance trade possibilities for the company.
What did Abel Janszoon Tasman discover in New Zealand?
Abel Janszoon Tasman is credited with the discoveries of present-day New Zealand and Tasmania. He charted hundreds of miles of coastline. Although he was unable to discover a sea passage to Chile for the Dutch East India Company, Tasman was one of the first to map the northern coastline of modern-day Australia.
Why did Abel Tasman want to explore the southern hemisphere?
After a series of trading voyages to Japan, Formosa ( Taiwan ), Cambodia, and Sumatra, he was chosen by the governor-general of the Dutch East Indies, Anthony van Diemen, to command the most ambitious of all Dutch voyages for the exploration of the Southern Hemisphere.