Dutchman Abel Janszoon Tasman was the first European to discover New Zealand, sight the coastline of Australia, and that for nearly 200 years the entire continent was known to the rest of the world as New Holland? In 1642

 

Did you know that a Dutchman was the first European to discover New Zealand, sight the coastline of Australia, and that for nearly 200 years the entire continent was known to the rest of the world as New Holland? In 1642, navigator Abel Janszoon Tasman set sail from Batavia — now Jakarta — on behalf of the Dutch East India Company. He became the first European to sight Tasmania, which was later named after him, the first to reach New Zealand, and the first to encounter the Tonga and Fiji islands. Dutch cartographers mapped the western and southern coasts of Australia in such detail that their charts remained the most accurate in use for over a century. They named it Nova Hollandia. The name Australia only replaced it after British settlers colonized the east coast in the late 1700s. A Dutchman discovered a continent, mapped it, named it — and then the Dutch quietly moved on to other trade routes. One of the most overlooked achievements in Dutch history.

100% Dutch