Circumnavigation

To circumnavigate a place, such as an island, a continent, or the Earth is to travel all the way around it by boat or ship.

The first maritime circumnavigations of the globe were:

• Ferdinand Magellan (Portuguese, but sailing for Spain), 1519-1522 - died during his circumnavigation, it was completed under command of Sebastian del Cano
• Francis Drake (English), 1577-1580
• Thomas Cavendish (English), 1586-1588
• Olivier van Noort (Dutch), 1598-1601

Some other circumnavigations:

• pharaoh Necho II, first circumnavigation of Africa
• Robert Gray, 1787-1790 first American circumnavigation
• Adam Johann von Krusenstern, 1803-1806 first Russian circumnavigation
• Joshua Slocum 1895 - 1898 first solo circumnavigation of the world
• USS Nautilus first underwater circumnavigation of the world
• Matthew Flinders first circumnavigation of Australia
• James Cook first circumnavigation of New Zealand