FAMOUS TRAVELLERS

1. Xuanzang or Hsuan-tsang (602-664)

The greatest Asian traveller of all time, Xuanzang was a Chinese Buddhist monk. In
order to find the origin of Buddhism, Xuanzang crossed the Himalayas through Khyber
Pass and came to India. This journey took around 17 years. In his narrative 'Great Tang
Records on the Western Regions', Xuanzang spoke about the then social structure of
India, the rulers, the architecture. His record of the journey was so accurate that it helped
the 19th and 20th century scientists find the ancient sites along his chartered path.

2. Marco Polo (1254-1324)

In the early 1270s, Italian explorer Marco Polo set off on a journey to explore Asia with
his father and uncle. The most popular traveller of all time, Marco Polo travelled through
Persia, Afghanistan, Mongolia and China. The path they took is now known as the Silk
Route. Marco Polo settled in Beijing, from where he led expeditions to other parts of
China, the then Burma and India. He sailed back to Italy after exploring Singapore,
Sumatra and India. His 26-year-long journey is recorded in 'Livres des merveilles du
monde' or 'Book of the Marvels of the World'.

3. Vasco Da Gama (1460-1524)

He was the first person to link Europe and Asia through sea routes. In 1498, Vasco Da
Gama reached Calicut (now Kozhikode) in Kerala. This was the most significant event in
the imperial history. The Portuguese explorer had crossed the Atlantic and Indian Ocean
to reach 'the East'. This led to more sea voyages from all over Europe. He was also the
first man to sail across the Cape of Good Hope.

4. Christopher Columbus (1451-1506)

Columbus wanted to do what Vasco Da Gama did-- discover India. The Italian explorer
planned to sail to far west to find a better sea route to the eastern country, hoping to circle
around the world. But instead, he landed in the Bahamas. From then, Columbus paid
repeated visits to the western land and found himself in Central and South America. He
crossed the Atlantic Ocean several times and established prominent trade links between
Europe and America.

5. Amerigo Vespucci (1454-1512)

The continent of America was named after the Spanish explorer Amerigo Vespucci.
Why, you ask? Well, because he explored most parts of the eastern coastline of South
America and realised that the continent is neither linked to Asia nor is it as small as it was
thought at that time. He launched several expeditions from Spain and Portugal and
discovered the mouth of Amazon.
6. Ferdinand Magellan (1480-1521)

Magellan was the first man to set off on a journey to go around the world and find sea
routes that would help others circumnavigate the planet as well. The Spanish explorer
was also the first person to find his way through North and South America and reach the
Pacific Ocean. The waterway through which he did this, is named as the Straight of
Magellan.

7. James Cook (1728-1779)

Captain James Cook is the man who mapped out Newfoundland (East Canada) and led
three voyages to the Pacific region. On those voyages, he discovered Australia,
circumnavigated New Zealand and Hawaii and travelled for thousands of kilometres
doing so. No other explorer has travelled as extensively as Captain Cook. He travelled to
all the seven continents, crossed both the poles and sailed all the oceans on his HMS
Endeavour, a ship that now has now lent its name to a space shuttle.

8. Jeanne Baret (1740-1807)

Jeanne Baret is the first woman to go around the world. The French botanist disguised
herself as a man and enlisted as a valet of naturalist Philibert Commercon on the ship of
Captain Louis Antoine de Bougainville. Little was known about this courageous sailor
until the first English biography of Jeanne Baret by John Dunmore was published in
2002. Further information about her was found in Glynis Ridley's book The Discovery of
Jeanne Baret (2010).

9. Charles Darwin (1809-1882)

The world remembers this man for his theory of evolution and his book On the Origin of
Species. However, Charles Darwin was a part of the surveying crew on HMS Beagle.
Young Darwin travelled around the Atlantic and the Indian Ocean to explore New
Zealand, parts of Australia and other coastlines. His account of this voyage is recorded in
his book Journal and Remarks, which later became known as The Voyage of the Beagle.