20 Facts About Abel Tasman

1.

Abel Janszoon Tasman was a Dutch seafarer, explorer, and merchant, best known for his voyages of 1642 and 1644 in the service of the Dutch East India Company .

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2.

Abel Tasman was the first known European explorer to reach New Zealand and the islands of Fiji and Van Diemen's Land .

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3.

Abel Tasman was born around 1603 in Lutjegast, a small village in the province of Groningen, in the north of the Netherlands.

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4.

Abel Tasman had a narrow escape from death, when in an incautious landing several of his companions were killed by people of Seram.

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5.

Abel Tasman was second-in-command of a 1639 exploration expedition in the north Pacific under Matthijs Quast.

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6.

Abel Tasman got the assistance of the governor Adriaan van der Stel.

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7.

Abel Tasman named his discovery Van Diemen's Land, after Antonio van Diemen, Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies.

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8.

Abel Tasman then tried to work his two ships into Adventure Bay on the east coast of South Bruny Island, where he was blown out to sea by a storm.

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9.

Abel Tasman named Frederick Hendrik Bay, which included the present North Bay, Marion Bay and the inlet Blackman Bay .

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10.

Abel Tasman was on a mission to find the Southern Continent, not more islands, so he abruptly turned away to the east and continued his continent-hunting.

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11.

The expedition endured an extremely rough voyage and in one of his diary entries Abel Tasman credited his compass, claiming it was the only thing that had kept him alive.

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12.

Abel Tasman named it Staten Landt "in honour of the States General" .

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13.

Abel Tasman wrote, "it is possible that this land joins to the Staten Landt but it is uncertain", referring to Isla de los Estados, a landmass of the same name at the southern tip of South America, encountered by the Dutch navigator Jacob Le Maire in 1616.

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14.

Abel Tasman sent ship's boats to gather water, but one of his boats was attacked by a war party sent by Ngati Tumatakokiri in a double-hulled waka and four of his men were killed with mere .

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15.

Abel Tasman charted the eastern tip of Vanua Levu and Cikobia-i-Lau before making his way back into the open sea.

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16.

Abel Tasman followed the south coast of New Guinea eastwards in an attempt to find a passage to the eastern side of New Holland.

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17.

Abel Tasman mapped the north coast of Australia, making observations on New Holland and its people.

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18.

Abel Tasman was in good circumstances, being one of the larger landowners in the town.

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19.

Abel Tasman's property was divided between his wife and his daughter by his first marriage.

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20.

The authorship of the map has been debated: while the map is commonly attributed to Abel Tasman, it is thought to have been the result of a collaboration, probably involving Franchoijs Visscher and Isaack Gilsemans, who took part in both of Abel Tasman's voyages.

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