| Name of Explorers | Nationality | Lifespan | Famous Voyage of Exploration |
| Sir Francis Drake | English | 1540 - 1597 | Circumnavigates the World |
| Sir Walter Raleigh | English | 1552 - 1618 | The Discovery of Guiana and establishing the Virginia colony of Roanoke Island in 1584 |
| Marco Polo | Italian | 1254 - 1324 | Exploration of China and Asia |
| Ferdinand Magellan | Portuguese | 1480 - 1521 | First voyage around the World by this famous explorer |
| Christopher Columbus | Italian / Spanish | 1451 - 1506 | Discovery of the New World by this famous explorer |
| Francisco Pizarro | Spanish | 1478 - 1541 | Famous Explorer who conquered the Incas of Peru |
| Amerigo Vespucci | Italian / Spanish | 1454 - 1512 | America was named after this famous explorer |
| Vasco Nunez de Balboa | Spanish | 1475 - 1519 | First famous European explorer to see the Pacific Ocean from its eastern shore |
| Vasco da Gama | Portuguese | 1469 - 1524 | Discovery of an ocean route from Portugal to the East by this famous explorer |
| Sir Humphrey Gilbert | English | 1539 - 1583 | This famous explorer established St Johns, Newfoundland |
| Juan Ponce de Leon | Spanish | 1460 - 1521 | First European explorer to set foot in Florida |
| Sir Richard Grenville | English | 1542 - 1591 | Voyages to Virginia and Roanoke Island and the Azores by this famous explorer |
| Sir John Hawkins | English | 1532 - 1595 | Voyages to West Africa and South America by this famous explorer |
| Francisco Vasquez de Coronado | Spanish | 1510 - 1554 | First European to explore the Southwest of North America in Arizona and New Mexico |
| Sir Martin Frobisher | English | 1535 - 1594 | Voyages to Labrador and Greenland |
| Hernando De Soto | Spanish | 1500 - 1542 | First European to explore Florida and South East America |
| Sir Richard Hawkins | English | 1562 - 1622 | Voyages to South America by this famous explorer |
| Hernando Cortes | Spanish | 1485 - 1547 | Spanish conqueror of Mexico and the Aztec Empire |
| Bartolomeu Dias | Portuguese | 1457 - 1500 | The first European explorer to lead a 1487 voyage around the Cape of Good Hope on the Southern most tip of South Africa |
| Pedro Alvares Cabral | Portuguese | 1467 - 1520 | The first European explorer to see Brazil in 1500 |
| Giovanni da Verrazzano | Italian / French | 1485 - 1528 | Famous explorer from Italy who explored the NE coast of North America from Cape Fear, North Carolina to Maine |
| Gaspar Corte Real | Portuguese | 1450 - 1501 | Exploration of Greenland and the coast of Newfoundland by this famous explorer |
| John Cabot | Italian / English | 1450 - 1499 | Exploring the coastline of Canada the subsequent colonization of Canada. Cabot was the second famous explorer to find North America (after Christopher Columbus) |
| Sebastian Cabot | Italian / English | 1474 - 1557 | Son of the famous explorer John Cabot. Searching for the Northwest passage across North America, attempting to circumnavigate the world and making expeditions to Russia |
| Jacques Cartier | French | 1491 - 1557 | Led three expeditions of exploration to Canada by this famous explorer |
| Henry Hudson | English | 1565 - 1611 | The discovery of the Hudson River by this famous explorer |
| Jacques Marquette | French | 1637 - 1675 | Discovering the Mississippi River with famous Canadian explorer Louis Joliet |
| Samuel de Champlain | French | 1567 - 1635 | Famous explorer and founder of Quebec City. Known as 'The Father of Canada' |
| Pedro Alvares Cabral | Portuguese | 1467 - 1520 | Famous Portuguese explorer was the first to see Brazil in 1500 |
| Cabeza de Vaca | Spanish | 1490 - 1557 | The first European to explore Texas and Southwest America |
| Estevanico | North African | 1500 - 1539 | Exploring Texas and Southwest America and heralded as having been “the first black man in North America.” |
| Panfilo de Narvaez | Spanish | 1470 - 1528 | The exploration of Cuba leading an ill fated expedition to Florida and North America by this famous explorer |
| Fray Marcos de Niza | Italian / Spanish | 1495 - 1558 | Discovering the Pueblo tribe called the Zuni indians. Duped into believing the myth of the "Seven Golden Cities of Cibola" |
| Alonso Alvarez de Pineda | Spanish | 1494 - 1519 | Believed to be the first European in Texas and proved that Florida was not an island |
| Juan de Onate | Spanish | 1550 - 1630 | Famous for establishing the colony of New Mexico for Spain |
| Lucas Vazquez de Ayllon | Spanish | 1475 - 1526 | Famous explorer and colonizer of South Carolina and discoverer of Chesapeake Bay |
| Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo | Spanish | 1499 - 1543 | First European explorer to navigate the coast of present day California in the United States |
| Louis Joliet | Canadian | 1645 - 1700 | Famous for exploring the Great Lakes area and discovering the Mississippi River |
Famous Explorers
