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Who Discovered South Africa?

Who Discovered South Africa?
Officially recognized as the Republic of South Africa, South Africa is a country that has a coastline measuring 1,739 miles or 2,798 kilometers along the Indian Ocean and Atlantic Ocean. It is close to other countries like Swaziland, Mozambique and Zimbabwe. The other nations close to this country are Lesotho, Botswana and Namibia. Some of its most popular cities are Johannesburg, Cape Town and Pretoria. Aside from these highly interesting details, it is nice to know something about the history of this country including who discovered South Africa. The Discovery of South Africa Who discovered South Africa? A Portuguese explorer named Bartolomeu Dias discovered the southernmost part of Africa in 1487, which is known today as the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa. The purpose of that particular exploration was to locate an efficient trade route to India. Before that, it was named the Cape of Storms, which was later renamed by the King of Portugal John II to the Cape of Good Hope or Cabo...

Who Discovered the Philippines?

Who Discovered the Philippines?
It is quite common to find many Filipinos and websites about the Philippines to mention that the Philippines was discovered in March 1521 by famed Portuguese navigator by the name of Ferdinand Magellan. Though this seems correct according to many sources both modern and earlier, the statement itself does bring a bit of controversy. There are those who question the accuracy of this statement and thus brining up the question of who discovered the Philippines. Read more

Who Discovered the South Pole?

Who Discovered the South Pole?
The facts about the South Pole show that James Cook was the first to circumnavigate Antarctica. He wasn’t able to land, but seeing the rocks in the ice, realized that there was land beyond it. Some claim American John Davis was the first to land on continental Antarctica on February 7, 1821. It should be noted that Davis’ landing is not accepted by all historians. The Early 1800s Following Cook, several seafarers ventured forth to explore the continent and its surroundings. Among the earliest ones were Capt. Thaddeus Bellingshausen (January 27, 1820), the British explorer Will Smith and Nathaniel Palmer, an American. Another interesting fact about the South Pole is that prior to 1821, no one stayed for extended periods. This changed in the winter of 1821 when 11 British men aboard the British ship Lord Melville stayed there for a winter season. They stayed at the South Shetlands Group, north of the Antarctic Peninsula. The Mid to Late 1800s By this time the existence of Antarctica...

Who Discovered the Colorado River?

Who Discovered the Colorado River?
Also known as the Red River, the Colorado River is found in the northwest region of Mexico and southwest region of the United States. The natural course of the river starts at Grand Lake in Colorado and ends into the Gulf of California. The river is the source of water of the irrigation at Imperial Valley. In droughts, the flow of water is approximately 4,000 cubic feet per square. On the other hand, during severe floods, the water flow in the river is estimated to be 990,000 cubic feet per square. To learn more about the place, it is best to start with the history of the Colorado River. Historical Background Who discovered the Colorado River? Records showed that the river was discovered by Francisco de UIloa in September 1539. He discovered the place when he sailed to the Gulf of California and rowed upstream. After a year, a maritime expedition led by Hernando de Alarcon found the river. Alarcon never met Coronado who was supposed to get supplies from him so he left a note on a tree near...

Who Discovered America?

Who Discovered America?
The discovery of America is one of the more important milestones in the history of the world. This is because reaching the Americas was the starting point of what would be called as the age of exploration, the era when the modern phenomenon of globalization can trace back its roots. Most may not ask who discovered America since it has been drilled to us since preschool but it is still to important to learn more about the man who discovered America, as he not only discovered America, he discovered a New World and with it, opened new possibilities that had tremendous impact on the course of human history. The man widely regarded as the one who discovered America as we all know, is Christopher Columbus. He wasn’t the first man to reach it though as there were numerous other people who beat him to it including the Native American Indians and the Eskimos. He wasn’t even the first European to set foot in the continent as seafaring Vikings have already reached North America five hundred...