Who was the first to see the Pacific ocean?

navigator Ferdinand Magellan
After sailing through the dangerous straits below South America that now bear his name, Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan enters the Pacific Ocean with three ships, becoming the first European explorer to reach the Pacific from the Atlantic.

When did the Polynesians explore the ocean?

An ancient Polynesian canoe. The islands scattered along the north shore of New Guinea first drew these canoe people eastwards into the ocean. By 1500 B.C., these voyagers began moving east beyond New Guinea, first along the Solomon Island chain, and then to the Banks and Vanuatu Archipelagos.

Who were the early explorers of the ocean?

Notable explorations were undertaken by the Greeks, the Romans, the Polynesians, the Phoenicians, Phytheas, Herodotus, the Vikings, the Portuguese and Muslims. Scientific investigations began with early scientists such as James Cook, Charles Darwin, and Edmund Halley.

Why is the ocean important to all Pacific Islanders?

For the 10 million Pacific islanders, the Pacific Ocean is their major economic, social, and cultural lifeline. Its coastal and marine environments sustain a multitude of important activities that fuel local, national, and international economies and provide livelihoods and food security for millions of islanders.

Who crossed the Pacific Ocean?

Magellan
Magellan was sponsored by Spain to travel west across the Atlantic in search of the East Indies. In doing so, his expedition became the first from Europe to cross the Pacific Ocean and circumnavigate the world.

Who discovered the Pacific theory?

In 1521, a Spanish expedition led by the Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan was the first recorded crossing of the Pacific Ocean, Magellan then naming it the “peaceful sea.” Starting in 1565 with the voyage of Andres de Urdaneta, the Spanish controlled transpacific trade for 250 years; Manila galleons would cross …

Did the Polynesians discover the Pacific ocean?

Early Polynesian explorers reached nearly all Pacific islands by 1200 CE, followed by Asian navigation in Southeast Asia and the West Pacific. Direct European contact with the Pacific began in 1512, with the Portuguese encountering its western edges, soon followed by the Spanish arriving from the American coast.

How did Polynesians get fresh water?

Water was carried in gourds and sections of bamboo and stored along with drinking coconuts wherever space or ballast needs dictated. Slips, cuttings, tubers and young plants were first swathed in fresh water-moistened moss, then swaddled in dry ti-leaf, kapa (bark cloth), or skin from the banana tree.

Who discovered the ocean?

Explorer Ferdinand Magellan named the Pacific Ocean in the 16th Century. Covering approximately 59 million square miles and containing more than half of the free water on Earth, the Pacific is by far the largest of the world’s ocean basins.

Who sailed the ocean first?

First world circumnavigator The Portuguese sailor Ferdinand Magellan is credited as being the first man to sail around the world. He was appointed commander of a fleet of five ships by king Carlos V of Spain at the beginning of the 16th. century.

What language do islanders speak?

List of official, national and spoken languages of the Pacifics.

What are the main features of Pacific Ocean?

It is the largest and deepest ocean. The temperatures of surface water in the Pacific Ocean can vary from −1.4 °C (29.5 °F) near the pole to 30 °C (86 °F) near the equator. Its salinity also varies based on the latitude. The water of Pacific Ocean is dark blue in colour.

When did people first come to the Pacific Islands?

The prehistory of the Pacific Islands, the period before written records begin, extends back at least 33,000 years, according to archaeological remains in the Bismarck Archipelago, and migration to the region may have begun more than 40,000 years ago. Settlers had reached every habitable island by the 2nd millennium ce.

Who are the indigenous people of the Pacific Islands?

Melanesians constitute over three quarters of the total indigenous population of the Pacific Islands; Polynesians account for more than one-sixth; and Micronesians make up about one-twentieth. Several hundred distinct languages are spoken in the Pacific Islands.

Who are the Pacific Islanders and what do they do?

For the rugby union team, see Pacific Islanders rugby union team. For more indigenous groups of the world, see List of indigenous peoples. Pacific Islanders originate from countries within the Oceanic regions of Polynesia, Melanesia, and Micronesia.

Who are the Pacific Island labourer in Australia?

“Pacific Island Labourer” includes all natives not of European extraction of any island except the islands of New Zealand situated in the Pacific Ocean beyond the Commonwealth [of Australia] as constituted at the commencement of this Act.