James Cook's circumnavigation of the world. Biography of James Cook: was he a victim of cannibals

1746–1754 served on merchant ships, having gone from cabin boy to assistant navigator, then on warships. In 1759–1764 was a pilot in Canadian waters. In 1764–1767, commanding a ship, he surveyed the coasts of Newfoundland and the Yucatan Peninsula.

In 1768–1771 went on his first circumnavigation of the world on the ship "Endeavour", organized by the British Admiralty to capture new lands in pacific ocean. Rounding Cape Horn, Cook arrived at the island of Tahiti in the South Pacific Ocean, discovered and mapped the islands lying to the northwest of it, calling them the Society Islands. In 1769–1770 rounded New Zealand, establishing its island position, explored the strait between its North and South Islands, discovered the east coast of Australia, which he called New South Wales, and the Great Barrier Reef. Then he followed west to the island of Java and around Africa returned to England.

Cook's second circumnavigation of the world (1772–1775), this time in eastbound, was organized to search for the southern mainland and a detailed survey of New Zealand and other islands in the Southern Hemisphere. On the ship "Resolution" in 1773, Cook crossed the Antarctic Circle for the first time in history and reached 71 ° 10' S. sh. Although Cook believed that there might be a mainland or a large island near the South Pole, attempts to find it were unsuccessful. During this voyage, Cook discovered 2 atolls in the Tuamotu Archipelago, Hervey Atoll and Palmerston Island in the Cook Islands group, the southern group of the New Hebrides, New Caledonia, Norfolk, South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands. The expedition collected valuable information about the flora and fauna of the islands of Oceania, Australia and the South Atlantic, about sea currents.

In 1776, Cook led the third round-the-world expedition on the ships Resolution and Discovery to search for a northwestern passage from the Atlantic to the Pacific and annex new lands in the North Pacific to Great Britain. In 1777, he discovered 3 more atolls in the Cook Islands chain, Haapai Islands in the Tonga group, Tubuai and Christmas Islands in the Line archipelago, and in 1778 - 5 Hawaiian Islands, incl. Oahu and Kauai, and the southeastern Hawaiian Islands - Maui and Hawaii. In the same year, Cook explored and mapped the northwest coast of America from 54° to 70° 20′ N. sh. In 1779 he was killed in a skirmish with the Hawaiians.

More than 20 geographical objects are named after Cook, including a mountain on the South Island in New Zealand, a strait between the North and South Islands of New Zealand, 2 groups of islands in the Pacific Ocean, a bay off the coast of Alaska.

Marine encyclopedic reference book, ed. N.N. Isanina. L.: 1987

(1728-1779) English navigator and explorer

Captain James Cook, a famous English navigator and traveler, traveled all over the Pacific Ocean, visited Australia, New Zealand and many southern islands, which later became English colonies. If you try to briefly outline the routes of his travels, it turns out that he practically did not leave the ship.

James Cook was born in Yorkshire in the family of a day laborer, began to serve as a cabin boy on merchant ships from the age of 18, in 1755 he switched to military service and by the age of thirty he was already considered an outstanding navigator.

After that, he made three famous expeditions: in 1768-1771 - to Tahiti, New Zealand and Australia, in 1772-1775 - to the South Pacific Ocean and in 1776-1779 - to the South and North Pacific Ocean, trying to to find the Northern Strait and for the first time marking the Siberian tip of Asia on the map.

In 1768, James Cook set out on the first trip around the world.

He was supposed to deliver a scientific expedition to the island of Tahiti to observe how Venus passes across the solar disk. For this, he was provided with the Endeavor ship with a crew of 80; in addition, there were three scientists on board.

Cook successfully brought scientists to Tahiti and, after they made the necessary observations there, headed northwest.

After a long journey, he discovered an archipelago consisting of two large islands. It was New Zealand. James Cook explored it and went on to Australia. In 1770, he discovered the Great Barrier Reef, landed in Botany Bay, explored the east coast of Australia and declared it the property of Britain under the name of New South Wales. During this expedition significant scientific materials were collected. This was done by James Cook's companions - botanist Joseph Banks and zoologist Sydney Parkinson.

Then, through the Torres Strait, the navigator went to the island of Java and, having rounded the Cape of Good Hope, returned to England, having made a round-the-world trip in a westerly direction.

During his second voyage (1772-1775), James Cook went in search of the "Southern Land" and for a more detailed survey of New Zealand and other islands of the Southern Hemisphere.

Cook crossed the Antarctic Circle, but because of the ice he had to return. After numerous attempts to break through the ice, the navigator came to the conclusion that the vast Southern land does not exist. However, he mapped a number of unknown islands in the South Pacific: the southern group of the New Hebrides, about. New Caledonia, Norfolk Island, South Sandwich Islands.

The third and final journey of James Cook began in 1776.

He sailed from England on two ships, the Resolution and the Discovery. The purpose of the expedition was to try to find a way around North America - the so-called Northwest Passage. And again, Cook went out into the Pacific Ocean.

In early 1778 he discovered the Hawaiian Islands.

From here, the navigator went north, to the east coast of America. He managed to get to the Bering Bay, located near Alaska, and there he was forced to retreat under the pressure of the ice.

Shortly after James Cook returned to the Hawaiian Islands, he was killed during a confrontation with locals over a stolen boat.

The British people honor their hero as a skilled navigator and great explorer. Many places he discovered were named after him, and his detailed reports and observations became the basis for many expeditions.

In 1934, the house in which the boy James Cook lived in Great Augton, Yorkshire, was presented as a gift to the Australian government.

It was carefully dismantled and transported to Melbourne, where it became a museum.

Brief Biography of James Cook for Kids Essentials

In 1728, the future navigator was born. His family lived in the village very modestly. After graduating from a local school, he worked on a farm under the guidance of his father, and quickly got a job as a worker on a coal carrier. Thus began his new life.

He made a brilliant career and all thanks to the fact that he was diligently educating himself. He entered the merchant ship as a cabin boy, and after a while he was already an assistant to the captain.

In 1755 he signed up as a sailor in the royal navy. A month later he was already a boatswain and took part in the Seven Years' War. And in his relatively young years, he has already reached unprecedented heights.

In 1768, James set out on his first astronomical observation voyage. Landed he and his team off the coast of Tahiti. Cook was distinguished by his friendliness and encouraged his team to do so.

Any conflicts or aggression were severely punished. They had to break the stereotypes of the locals, since before that everything was done through robbery or brutal violence.

In 1772, James sets out on a second journey.

This time he was studying the Pacific Ocean region near New Zealand. This time, too, there were adventures: the ship's crew fell ill with scurvy, they witnessed a terrible spectacle - cannibalism. As a result of this expedition, many islands and archipelagos were discovered.

Since 1776, James Cook is already on his third journey. In 1778, the islands of Haiti, the island of Christmas, were discovered. It is interesting that the Haitians perceived Cook and his ships as gods, and therefore contact was established immediately.

But soon everything deteriorated due to cases of theft by local residents. The conflict grew in spite of Cook's great friendliness. In 1779, there was a skirmish with local residents, as a result of which Cook was killed.

For children by dates

Biography of James Cook about the main thing

James Cook - who has not heard the name of this great English navigator who, at the cost of his life, made three trips around the world.

James Cook was born the ninth child in a family of farm servants back in 1728.

Life in poverty spurred the very young James to look for a job. At the age of 13, a haberdasher takes him to his apprentice for leather dressing.

WITH young years Cook dreamed of sailing on large ships, discovering and exploring distant lands. From the age of 18, he stubbornly paved his way through thorns to the stars.

Initially, he enters as a cabin boy on a ship for the transport of coal. During this period, he actively engaged in self-education, since he had no money for college or tutors. He willingly reads, studies geography, drawing, history, mathematics. He buys a lot of books and spends his entire salary on this hobby.

In 1755, the war with France begins. Cook gets a sailor on a warship. Here he proves himself to be a good cartographer.

The knowledge and skills he received helped him navigate the terrain and draw up good navigational and strategic maps of the rivers of Canada and Labrador.

These cards were actively used in military affairs for attack.
In 1768, James Cook received the rank of officer and became the leader of the first round-the-world expedition in his life in Southern Hemisphere. This expedition will last more than three years. The expedition rounded Cape Horn, reached Tahiti. On the island of Tahiti, Cook and a team of scientists were supposed to explore the dome of the starry sky of the Southern Hemisphere, but, unfortunately, the local natives stole most of the equipment.

As a result, it was not possible to conduct a proper study, and the ship headed further south. Along the way, they passed New Zealand, reached Australia. It was this fact that then allowed England to claim its rights to the green continent.

In addition, on this expedition, Cook discovered the wonder of the world - the Great Barrier Reef, which we now hear so often about.

The second expedition in 1772 was shorter but no less productive.

Cook's ship went south and couldn't get through the ice. The team conducted a study of the boundaries of the ice. Along the way, the archipelago of Tonga and New Caledonia were discovered.

Cook's last voyage took place in 1776. The purpose of the journey was to open a passage connecting the two oceans in the north. The ship reached the 71st parallel and could not move further because of the ice. Cook ordered a course set for Hawaii. By the way, James Cook also discovered Hawaii to the world a few years earlier.

Arriving in Hawaii, the team went ashore. But on the shore, hostile, aggressive locals were waiting for them. A multi-day bloody brawl began and on February 14, 1779, the natives of Hawaii killed James Cook, and his ships Resolution and Discovery returned to England.

James Cook left behind a huge legacy.

What did James Cook discover?

More than 20 geographical large objects are named after him. Sadly, James Cook left no heirs. The fact is that he was married and had 6 children. Unfortunately, all the children died at an early age. This is not simple fate by a great man.

For children by dates

Interesting facts and dates from life

Main article: Exploration of the World Ocean

In the 18th century, Great Britain (England) became the "mistress of the seas", in the anthem of which there are the words: "Rule, Britain, the seas." In 1768, an expedition was sent to the Pacific Ocean in search of new lands. James Cook.

A smart and brave sailor, he went from cabin boy to ship captain. Twice Cook circumnavigated the world and died during the third in 1779.

Cook completed the discovery of the coast of New Zealand, proving that this is not the mainland, but two large islands. He mapped the east coast of Australia for the first time. The navigators were convinced that Australia (translated as "southern land") is the size of a mainland.

Cook discovered many islands in the Atlantic, Indian and especially in the Pacific Ocean. The islands of Oceania are very diverse. Among them there are small coral islands - atolls, rising only 2-3 meters above sea level.

There are small and large, up to several thousand meters high, volcanic islands. There are large islands, such as New Guinea and New Zealand, whose nature is similar to that of the mainland. Several islands close to each other form an archipelago.

The inhabitants of small islands - the Polynesians - were excellent sailors and fishermen. Most of them warmly welcomed Cook and his companions. The inhabitants of New Guinea, New Zealand, the Hawaiian Islands were warlike, often fought among themselves.

In a skirmish with local residents - the natives of the Hawaiian Islands - James Cook was killed.

First circumnavigation of the world (1768-1771)

Off the eastern coast of Australia, Cook discovered one of the wonders of the world - the Great Barrier Reef - a ridge of coral underwater and surface elevations about 2000 km long.

Corals are limestone skeletons of the smallest marine animals of the warm seas. There can be so many of them that together they form underwater platforms and islands that make navigation difficult. The underwater inhabitants of coral reefs, fish, starfish, and crabs are very interesting and beautiful.

Birds of paradise live in New Guinea, so named for the beauty of their plumage. Many New Zealand birds cannot fly - there are no predators on the island, and they calmly search for food on the ground all day long.

Second circumnavigation of the world (1772-1775)

Cook believed that a vast land could lie near the South Pole, and in search of the southern mainland he sailed far to the south, beyond the Antarctic Circle.

His path was blocked by thick fogs, ice and icebergs. Cook turned back, believing that no one could penetrate further south than he. Material from the site http://wikiwhat.ru

Third circumnavigation of the world (1776-1779)

In the Pacific North, Cook was looking for ways to the Atlantic. He sailed along the coasts of North America, described them, rounded the Alaska Peninsula in the northwest of the mainland and, having passed the Bering Strait, entered the Arctic Ocean.

Hawaiian Islands, discovered by Cook in the Pacific Ocean - a large volcanic archipelago. The peaks of the volcanoes exceed 4000 m.

What did James Cook discover? Travels of the legendary navigator

Eruptions occur frequently. Lava, like a fiery river, flows into the ocean. Coconut palms grow on the banks. Their large, hard-shelled nuts fall into the ocean and are carried by the currents.

Cast ashore, they sprout on a new island. There is a lot of liquid inside the nut - coconut milk. On atolls where there are no streams and rivers, this milk often replaced water for the inhabitants. There are many different birds on the islands and there are almost no animals.

On this page, material on the topics:

• Wikiwhat.ru

• James cook 1768-1779 what he discovered

• The main contribution of the discovery of the land of James Cook

• James Cook was close to the discovery of which continent

• james cook contribution contribution to the study of the pacific

Questions for this article:

• What hemisphere is Australia in?

• What is an archipelago?

• What is called Oceania?

• Tell us about the nature of the Pacific Islands.

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British navigator James Cook: biography of a young man who became a captain

Cook James(1728-1779) - English navigator.

He was born into the family of a daily worker and received a modest school education. Cook worked as a grocery store assistant, then as a sailor. In 1757 he volunteered to serve in the Navy. Cook's unusual ability allowed him to earn the title of navigator within two years.

She for a long time has worked as a surveyor in challenging environments in North America, where she conducts surveys and coastal surveys. Consequently, dozens of geographical maps were created, which were the result of five years of research.

On his first expedition to the widespread southern sea, Cook left the command at the age of 40.

Its purpose is to astronomically observe the transit of Venus through the solar panel. This happened in early June 1769 and was only visible in the southern tropics. Thus, the official part of the expedition was developed. However, one more important thing: to determine whether this is really the land of the southern state (Antarctica), and if so, then it should become the owner of the British crown. But as a result of his first trip, Cook cannot be sure of the existence of the continent.

Nevertheless, the expedition discovered and explored many islands, explored the east coast of Australia and declared it a colony of England.

The question arises of organizing a new expedition. Exactly one year after his return, Cook sets off on a second expedition, and only three years later will he see the coast of England again.

During this journey, the expedition for the first time in the world crossed the Antarctic Circle and separated them from Antarctica by only a hundred kilometers.

However, it was impossible to move on. Now Cook could say with complete certainty: there is no unknown southern country. He writes: "I passed through the southern ocean at high latitudes and crossed it so that there was no place for the continent except in the vicinity of narcotics in places inaccessible to navigation."

But in fact there was an unknown southern country and wrong conclusions. Hook greatly hampered further exploration of the Antarctic spaces.

During the second expedition, Cook prepared several new islands and visited Mysterious Island Easter.

In July 1776, Cook set out on his third and final journey, from which he did not have to return. The purpose of this expedition is to find the transition from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean in northern latitudes.

This has been happening for a long time. On the east coast of the Bering Strait, ships reach Alaska. But the search for a passage is in vain: impenetrable ice blocks the path. Almost three months Cook went to the subpolar latitude; during this period he manages to explain the card. In 1778, the ships returned, and in January 1779 they reached the Hawaiian Islands.

Their discovery was the most important achievement of the third expedition.

The inhabitants of the islands, who were outraged by the behavior of the sailors and the police, were killed by J. Cook.

Contrasting information about how he died. On February 22, 1779, the weary remains of James Cook were released into the sea. It was a tragic end to the life of one of the greatest navigators in human history.

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Biography and discoveries of James Cook
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Expeditions and finds

James Cook's first expedition

In the fundamental work of the English historian J. Baker "The History of Geographical Research and Discovery", one of the chapters is called "Cook's Age". With a clear exaggeration of the achievements of an outstanding navigator, one cannot but give him his due: each of his three round-the-world voyages deserves mention.

James Cook. Portrait by Nathaniel Dance-Holland, c. 1775. National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London

James Cook served as a navigator in Canada during the French war. IN free time engaged in self-education. When in 1768 the Royal Society (Academy) and the British Admiralty organized a major scientific expedition to the Southern Hemisphere, James Cook was placed at the head of it.

The official goal of the expedition was "observations of the passage of the planet Venus through the solar disk, June 3, 1769." Cook did not know about the main goal of the expedition. He was handed a sealed envelope, which was supposed to be opened upon arrival at George III Island (later renamed Tahiti), where astronomical observations were to be made.

For long-distance navigation, Cook chose the three-masted barque Endeavor (Attempt) with 22 guns. In the summer of 1768 they set off from Plymouth, crossing the course to the south-west of the Atlantic. There were 80 crew members and 11 scientists on board.

In the bay of Rio de Janeiro, an incident characteristic of that time occurred: they were mistaken for pirates, several members of the team were arrested. Subsequently, the voyage was successful. We passed Cape Horn in February in excellent weather.

A small fort was built in Tahiti to keep them safe. Settled friendly relations with the natives. However, one of them, having snatched a gun from the guard, tried to escape. The British caught up with him and killed him. Only Cook's skillful diplomacy avoided further conflicts.

The authoritative expedition did not make any special astronomical discoveries. “Around the entire planet, we saw an atmosphere or a luminous nebula,” Cook wrote, “reducing the accuracy of determining the moments of contact ... as a result of which there were more discrepancies in our observations than could be expected.” (At the same time, the “loner amateur” M.V. Lomonosov, making similar observations, did not cite assumptions, but scientifically based evidence of the existence of an atmosphere on Venus.)

Cook had troubles with his team as well. Several sailors stole a large batch of nails (apparently, with them they paid for the "intimate services" of the natives). One thieving sailor was seized and flogged, but he did not betray his accomplices. The result of specific communication with local residents was a venereal disease spreading in the crew, due to which a special stop had to be made for treatment.

But this, of course, was not the main result of staying on the island. Botanical and geological studies were carried out there, a volcano was discovered and it was found out that itinerant local musicians had already composed several songs about the sailors who had arrived.

On June 3, James Cook opened the package with the secret instructions. He was invited to go in search of Terra Australis Incoqnita (Southern Unknown Land), which was supposed to be located at about 40 ° - 35 ° south latitude. The local priest Tupia wished to go to England. He became an indispensable intermediary in Cook's communication with the inhabitants of the Pacific Islands.

After a long search in October 1769, the British saw at 30 ° 30 south latitude in the west the land not marked on the map (this was the east coast of the North Island of New Zealand). The aliens met a warlike Maori tribe.

During the auction, a bloody skirmish ensued. The officer, angry with the native, shot him. Nevertheless, Cook was able to establish good relations with the Maori. The ship proceeded north along the coast of the island, rounded it and proclaimed the possession of Britain. Cook explored the strait, which received his name, once again on the east coast. It turned out that this is an island, and not a ledge of the southern mainland, as previously assumed.

True, there was also land to the south. Her Cook began to go around, moving now to the south. And this land was surrounded on all sides by water. Thus, Cook mapped the "island duo" - New Zealand, the area exceeding the island of Great Britain. In this region of the Pacific Ocean, contrary to expectations and maps, there were no traces of Australia Unknown.

Off the Great Barrier Reef off Australia, the Endeavor suffered a hole and almost sank. In the nearest bay, a hole was closed up for two months.

Heading west, Cook reached a vast land (Tasman called it Van Diemen's) and walked along it to the north. Dark-skinned hairy naked natives gave the impression of the most perfect savages. Cook explored almost the entire (except for the southern outskirts) eastern coast of New Holland (Australia), called it New South Wales and declared it an English possession.

After spending a little over three years sailing, Cook returned to his homeland. “I did not make great discoveries,” he wrote, “however, I explored a significant part of the Great South Seas to a much greater extent than all my predecessors.”

James Cook in Search of the Southern Unknown Land

Image of a kangaroo, from the illustrations for the Endeavor sailing magazine

This round-the-world voyage James Cook began in 1772, having two ships: "Resolution" ("Determination") and "Adventure" ("Adventure"). The scientific support of the expedition was provided by the German naturalists Johann Forster and his son Georg.

The main goal: to discover the Unknown Southern Continent (in whose existence Cook lost faith) and establish British rule there.

Passing further south, the ships now and then fell into a storm. About 51 ° south latitude, ice floes began to occur, and then ice fields. It was cold even though it was November (Antarctic spring). Floating ice mountains, sparkling in the sun, turned into terrible ghosts during fogs, and during storms they threatened to shatter ships like nutshells.

Moving forward was extremely difficult and dangerous. But Cook did not stop searching. In mid-February 1773, for the first time in the history of navigation, his ships crossed the Antarctic Circle to a latitude of 67 ° 15. Spread out ahead solid ice. No sign of sushi. I had to head north. Both ships parted in the fog.

"Resolution" continued for some time the search for new lands. The ships then met again at the designated New Zealand location. And then a sharp difference in the state of the two teams became clear: on the flagship all the people were healthy, and on the Adventure most were in a deplorable state, two dozen patients did not get out of bed, suffering from scurvy, one was dying.

Captain Furno, leading an independent route, ceased to fulfill Cook's firm instruction: to use sauerkraut daily by the whole team. This seemed to be a quirk of the strict leader of the expedition, as well as his requirement to keep the cabins clean and aired regularly. Why do this when it's already cold?

Now it became clear to everyone how reasonable Cook's demands were. Even in his first round-the-world voyage, he realized, having lost a third of the team, what an insidious enemy of sailors - scurvy. And after consulting with experienced doctors, I learned about the measures to combat it. Dry cod and crackers, which sailors usually fed on long trips, did not save them from scurvy. Cook abandoned an exclusively traditional menu and managed to overcome a dangerous disease.

The ships continued to sail together in June. But already in October, in inclement weather near New Zealand, they parted again - completely. After waiting for the Adventure in the agreed bay, Cook sent his ship south.

In the meantime, the Adventure team has gone through a severe upheaval. Late to the meeting point, they saw an inscription on a tree: "Look below." Having dug a hole, they took out a bottle with a letter in which Cook reported on his further route.

Preparing for the voyage, Furneaux sent a boat with ten sailors ashore for provisions. None of them returned. The next day, a detachment was sent out to look for them under the command of Mate Barney. Here is what he wrote in his report:

“On the shore we found two dozen baskets closed and tied with twine ... filled with fried meat and fern roots, which are used by the natives as bread. Continuing to inspect the contents of the baskets, we found shoes and a hand. By the letters "T. X." tattooed on his arm. we immediately established that it was the hand of the sailor Thomas Hill.

There were no natives on the shore, smoke was smoking over the neighboring bay, the sailors on the boat went there. A large group of Maori sat around the fire. The sailors fired a volley, the crowd took to flight. The English landed on the beach. What they saw was terrible: the heads and entrails of their comrades lay on the ground. The dogs purred as they ate the bloodied remains. Taking with them two hands and one head, the sailors returned to the ship.

... This story and some like it aroused unhealthy passions in Europe. About savage cannibals there were also terrible stories. The belief spread that these monsters in human form eat their own kind from gastronomic perverted addictions. (When a century later New Guinea Miklukho-Maclay went to live, everyone vied with each other to frighten him with cannibals.)

However, in this case and many like him have nothing to do with food interests. The natives believed that the soul, abilities, strength of the killed enemy passes into the one who tastes his body. They did not specifically kill people for meat. But if after the battle there were dead bodies, then it was customary to eat them. Physiologically, this was justified: the Maori did not raise cattle, and almost all wild animals on the island were destroyed. The lack of proteins of animal origin with a monotonous plant food caused a strong need for meat. (By the way, naive cannibals were perplexed: how can whites kill so many people in the war that they have to be buried in the ground? This is monstrous cruelty and stupidity!).

In the tragedy with the unfortunate sailors of the Adventure, they themselves were the culprits. During the trade, having accused or convicted one native of petty theft, the sailors began to beat him. Relatives tried to intercede for him. The sailors fired a volley into the crowd and killed two. Without letting the aliens reload their guns, the Maori attacked them and killed everyone.

Cook also sent his people to trade with the Maori, forbidding violence. But he knew that they were cannibals. One sailor brought a boiled human head bought for three nails. To exclamations of disgust and indignation, Cook objected: they do it from hunger. If you teach them to grow potatoes and raise domestic animals, cannibalism will stop!

He was right, but only partly. It is not so easy to master new forms of economy, and his attempts of this kind were not successful. It is difficult for people to give up old traditions. And the rite of "eating human flesh" existed among the natives for more than one millennium.

James Cook has developed a normal relationship with the locals. His ship prepared for a long voyage and again set off south. There was thick fog near the Antarctic Circle in calm weather. The dank damp exhausted the team from day to day. And the ice fields closed closer and closer. The ship could be in a death trap.

The courageous navigator was forced to retreat. They went into warm waters, visited Easter Island, again plowed the ocean, “closing” dubious lands and clarifying the position of many islands, explored the New Hebrides archipelago. On one of the islands there was a skirmish with the natives, and Cook was forced to give the command: "Fire!". Two islanders were killed and two wounded. Realizing the power of the aliens' weapons, the locals chose to establish business relations with them.

In further voyages, Cook discovered a large island - New Caledonia - and several small ones. His general conclusion about the tribes he encountered was favorable: "I must say that the islanders, although they are undoubtedly cannibals, have a natural good disposition and humanity."

On the way back to his native shores, he explored Tierra del Fuego, which turned out to be a group of islands. Another mountainous land, even closer to the Antarctic Circle, he named Lord Sandwich, the head of the British Admiralty. It was not Cook's subservience that manifested itself, but his subtle irony. Here is how he characterized Sandwich Island:

"This new earth terrible. Very high sheer cliffs dotted gaping caves. Waves raged at their foot, and their peaks were hidden behind clouds… As far as we managed to establish, this whole island was deserted and scary… The only inhabitants of these places were great cormorants nesting in the rocks. We did not find even shapeless amphibians and elephant seals here.”

Cook's last journey

"The Death of Captain Cook". Painting by Sean Linehan

Cook's second circumnavigation of the world lasted three years. On this he could end his voyages. He was rewarded according to his deserts, having determined a calm position with a good salary. But ten years after the completion of the second expedition, he again decided to go on an exploratory voyage.

By this time, Britain, which was becoming the “mistress of the seas” and expanding its colonial possessions, was preoccupied with the development of the Russian Far East and adjacent waters with a transition to North America. The Spaniards, in turn, moved north along the American west coast. There was hope to find a northern sea route to Alaska.

Cook volunteered to be the commander of this expedition. His candidacy was immediately approved, and Resolution and Discovery were placed at his disposal. In July 1776 they set sail south across the Cape of Good Hope, reached New Zealand and visited where their comrades from the Adventure had been killed. There was a temptation to take revenge. But, having found out the cause of the former conflict, the commander abandoned the punitive action.

Continuing sailing, Cook discovered several islands in the archipelago that received his name. In the Hawaiian archipelago, he discovered a group of quite plausible islands, giving them the name Sandwich (apparently, this lord was not such a hopeless person after all).

From Hawaii, Cook went to the American continent, explored its northwestern outskirts and visited Alaska, where he met the Russian industrialist Potap Zaikov. For the second time after the Russians, English ships passed the northwestern tip of Alaska, calling it Cape Prince of Wales.

After sailing to Chukotka, Cook turned back and went north of the American coast. He hoped that he would finally be able to find a way out to the Atlantic Ocean. However, they got in the way heavy ice at a cape called Ice Cape (Ice Cape). I had to turn back.

From the polar latitudes, they moved to the tropical, in the Hawaiian archipelago they discovered the largest of these islands (Hawaii). The appearance of white people on huge ships stunned the natives, they came in crowds to Cook, paying him honors as a deity.

White aliens behaved in a businesslike way, took away many gifts, not bestowing on the natives and violating their prohibitions. There were clashes during exchanges (and deceptions), and the Hawaiians sometimes arbitrarily took some things, not considering theft a great sin.

During one conflict, Cook went ashore with a dozen sailors and took the leader and his sons hostage. The natives wanted to recapture the prisoners. Cook fired, a fight began; two or even three dozen Hawaiians were killed, as well as several Englishmen, including Cook.

The Hawaiians divided his body into parts that were intended for ritual cannibalism. The British carried out a cruel punitive operation, after which they received some parts of the body of the murdered commander: the head, hands. Describing the morals of the "civilizers", it can be noted that at that very time, two heads of Hawaiians, cut off by punishing sailors, hung on the yardarm of the "Resolution".

Charles Clark, who assumed the duties of commander, sent the ships north to the Chukchi Sea; bad weather and ice soon forced them to turn back. Clark died and was buried in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. The captain of the Discovery, John Gore, sailed the ships around Asia and Africa through the Pacific and Indian oceans, passed the Cape of Good Hope, went out into the Atlantic and completed the expedition off the coast of England on October 4, 1780.

... The circumnavigation of James Cook marked the end of the era of exploration of the oceans. True, this development was superficial, in literally this word. There were almost no more or less complete data on sea currents and depths, bottom structure, chemical and biological features water areas, temperature distribution with depth, etc. These studies are still being carried out.

Despite heroic efforts, Cook never discovered the Unknown Southern Land. Returning from the second circumnavigation, he wrote:

“I went around the Southern Ocean at high latitudes and did it in such a way that I undeniably rejected the possibility of the existence of a mainland here, which, if it can be found, is only near the pole, in places inaccessible to navigation ... An end has been put to further searches for the Southern mainland, which is on for two centuries has invariably attracted the attention of some maritime powers ...

I will not deny that there may be a continent or a significant land near the pole. On the contrary, I am convinced that such a land exists there and, perhaps, that we saw part of it (“Sandwich Land”) ... These are lands doomed by nature to eternal cold, deprived of the warmth of sunlight ... But what should be the countries located even further south ... If anyone shows determination and perseverance to resolve this issue, and penetrates further south than me, I will not envy the glory of his discoveries. But I must say that his discoveries will bring little benefit to the world.

The risk involved in sailing these unexplored and ice-covered seas in search of the mainland is so great that I can safely say that no man will ever dare to penetrate further south than I did. Lands that may be in the south will never be explored.

This assumption of his was refuted by Russian sailors. And the great thing is that their discovery was scientifically predicted.

James Cook (\(1728\)–\(1779\)) - English navy, explorer, cartographer and discoverer, Fellow of the Royal Society and Captain of the Royal Navy. Led\(3\) expeditions to explore the oceans, all were around the world. During these expeditions he made a number of geographical discoveries.

J. Cook's first circumnavigation

Bark Endeavor

In \ (1769 \) the expedition barge Endeavor (Effort) left London in order to observe the passage of Venus through the Sun. Captain Cook was appointed its leader, who, together with the astronomer C. Green, was supposed to be engaged in research on the island of Tahiti. In January \ (1769 \) they rounded Cape Horn and reached the coast of Tahiti. Having landed astronomers on the island, Cook began to explore the archipelago and along the way discovered the Partnership Islands. Having set off in search of Novaya Zemlya, seen by Tasman in \(1642\), in October he approached the eastern shores of New Zealand. More three months Cook sailed along its shores and made sure that these were two large islands separated by a strait (later named after him). The hostility of the locals did not allow him to penetrate deep into the islands.

Then he went to the shores of Australia. In \ (1770 \) he approached the unknown eastern coast of the Australian mainland (called New Holland at that time). By August of the same year, Cook reached its northern tip. He gave the name New South Wales to the entire east coast of the mainland, and declared Australia the property of England. Cook was the first to explore and map about \ (4 \) thousand km of its eastern coast and almost the entire (\ (2300 \) km) discovered by him Great Barrier Reef.

On the mainland, Cook saw strange animals from long legs and strong tail. These animals moved by jumping. When Cook asked the locals what these animals were called, they replied “we don’t understand,” which sounded like “kangaro” in the Aboriginal language. And so the name appeared - kangaroo.

Through the Torres Strait, Cook passed to the island of Java and, rounding the Cape of Good Hope, \ (13 \) July \ (1771 \) returned home, having lost a person due to tropical fever \ (31 \). Thanks to the diet he developed, none of the team had scurvy. Cook's first circumnavigation of the world lasted a little over three years, after which he was awarded the rank of captain \ (I \) rank.

J. Cook's second round-the-world trip

During the first round-the-world expedition, Cook failed to find a large southern mainland south of Australia. In order to finally find out whether this mainland exists or not, the British government equipped a new expedition under the command of Captain Cook, consisting of two ships - "Resolution" ("Decision") and "Adventure" ("Adventure").

The ships left England in \ (1772 \) g. Having reached the Cape of Good Hope, they headed south. Soon it got colder, floating ice began to occur, fog appeared. Having met a continuous ice field, Cook was forced to turn east. After numerous attempts to break through to the south, Cook turned north. He came to the firm conviction that the vast land at the South Pole does not exist. This erroneous conclusion was refuted only in the \(XIX\) century. Russian navigators Bellingshausen and Lazarev.

"Resolution" and "Adventure" in the Gulf of Matavai (Tahiti). Painting. \(1776\)

Floating in the Pacific Ocean, Cook again visited the island of Tahiti, which is part of the Society (Partnership) archipelago, discovered many new islands, including New Caledonia. Cook's second voyage lasted \(3\) years and \(18\) days.

J. Cook's third round-the-world trip

After some time, Cook accepted the offer to lead a new expedition, which was supposed to pass from the Pacific to the Atlantic along the coast of North America. In \ (1776 \) on the ship "Resolution" and the new ship "Discovery" ("Discovery"), he went on a third and last voyage.

For a long time ships sailed in the tropical Pacific Ocean. Several new islands were discovered there. Then Cook headed north. Soon the ships again noticed the land. They were unknown then Hawaiian Islands.

The islanders greeted the British in a friendly way: they brought a lot of fruits, edible roots, drove pigs, helped the sailors pour barrels fresh water and load them into boats. Scientists - members of the expedition - went deep into the islands for their research.

From the Hawaiian Islands, the ships headed east to the shores of America, and then went along them to the north. Coming out through the Bering Strait into the Arctic Ocean, they stumbled upon solid floating ice. Cook decided to return for the winter to Hawaiian Islands. This time, the British did not get along with the local population and turned the Hawaiians against them. In a fierce battle, Captain Cook was killed.

"The Death of Captain Cook". Painting by Sean Linehan

The travels of James Cook gave a lot of new things for the development of Earth science. He penetrated further than his predecessors into the southern latitudes. Scientists-naturalists took part in his expeditions, collecting a variety of scientific material about the nature and population of the numerous islands he discovered. His voyages are valuable for development geographical science the fact that they refined knowledge about the southern parts of the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific oceans.

Sources:

But why did the natives eat Cook? For what - it is not clear, the science is silent. It seems to me a very simple thing - they wanted to eat and ate Cook ...

V.S.Vysotsky

On July 11, 1776, Captain James Cook, the world-famous English navy sailor, traveler, explorer, cartographer, discoverer, who led three round-the-world expeditions of the British fleet, set off from Plymouth on his third (last) circumnavigation of the world. He died in a collision with the natives in the Hawaiian Islands.

James Cook

Captain James Cook (1728-1779) is one of the most revered figures in the history of the British Royal Navy. The son of a poor Scottish farmhand, at the age of eighteen he went to sea as a cabin boy to get rid of hard work on the farm. The young man quickly mastered marine science, and after three years the owner of a small merchant ship offered him the position of captain, but Cook refused. On June 17, 1755, he signed up as a sailor in the Royal Navy and 8 days later was assigned to the 60-gun ship Eagle. The future navigator and traveler took an active part in the Seven Years' War, as a naval military specialist (master) participated in the blockade of the Bay of Biscay and the capture of Quebec. Cook was given the most important task: to furnish the fairway of the section of the St. Lawrence River so that British ships could pass to Quebec. I had to work at night, under fire from French artillery, repulsing night counterattacks, restoring the buoys that the French managed to destroy. Successfully completed work brought Cook an officer rank, enriching him with cartographic experience, and was also one of the main reasons why the Admiralty, when choosing the leader of a round-the-world expedition, settled on him.

Cook's round-the-world expeditions

Hundreds, if not thousands of books have been written about D. Cook's round-the-world travels, which greatly expanded the ideas of Europeans about the world around them. Many of the maps he compiled were unsurpassed in their accuracy and accuracy for many decades and served navigators until the second half of XIX century. Cook made a kind of revolution in navigation, having learned how to successfully deal with such a dangerous and widespread disease at that time as scurvy. A whole galaxy of famous people took part in his expeditions. English sailors, researchers, scientists such as Joseph Banks, William Bly, George Vancouver and others.

Two round-the-world voyages under the leadership of Captain James Cook (in 1768-71 and 1772-75) were quite successful. The first expedition proved that New Zealand is two independent islands separated by a narrow strait (Cook Strait), and not part of an unknown mainland, as was previously believed. It was possible to put on the map several hundred miles of the east coast of Australia, until that time completely unexplored. During the second expedition, the strait between Australia and New Guinea was discovered, but the sailors failed to reach the coast of Antarctica. Members of Cook's expeditions made many discoveries in the field of zoology and botany, collected collections of biological samples from Australia, South Africa and New Zealand.

The purpose of Cook's third expedition (1776-1779) was the discovery of the so-called Northwest Passage - a waterway that crosses the North American continent and connects the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans and Australia.

For the expedition, the Admiralty allocated two ships to Cook: the flagship Resolution (displacement 462 tons, 32 guns), on which the captain made his second trip, and the Discovery with a displacement of 350 tons, which had 26 guns. The captain on the Resolution was Cook himself, on the Discovery - Charles Clerk, who participated in Cook's first two expeditions.

During the third circumnavigation Cook discovered the Hawaiian Islands and several previously unknown islands in Polynesia. Having passed the Bering Strait into the Arctic Ocean, Cook tried to go east along the coast of Alaska, but solid ice blocked the path of his ships. It was impossible to continue the road north, winter was approaching, so Cook turned the ships, intending to spend the winter in more southern latitudes.

On October 2, 1778, Cook reached the Aleutian Islands, where he met Russian industrialists who provided him with their map for study. The Russian map turned out to be much more complete than Cook's map, it contained islands unknown to Cook, and the outlines of many lands, plotted by Cook only approximately, were displayed on it with a high degree detail and precision. It is known that Cook redrawn this map and named the strait separating Asia and America after Bering.

Why did the natives eat Cook?

On November 26, 1778, the ships of the Cook squadron reached the Hawaiian Islands, but a suitable parking was found only on January 16, 1779. The inhabitants of the islands - the Hawaiians - concentrated around the ships in large numbers. In his notes, Cook estimated their number at several thousand. Later it became known that the high interest and special attitude of the islanders to the expedition was explained by the fact that they mistook white people for their gods. locals they dragged from the ships of the Europeans everything that lay badly there, and often stole what lay well: tools, rigging and other things necessary for the expedition. Good relations, established at first between the members of the expedition and the Hawaiians, began to deteriorate rapidly. Every day, the number of thefts committed by the Hawaiians increased, and the skirmishes that arose due to attempts to recover the stolen became hotter. Detachments of armed islanders flocked to the parking lot of the ships.

Feeling that the situation was heating up, Cook left the bay on February 4, 1779. However, the storm that began soon caused serious damage to the Resolution's rigging, and on February 10 the ships were forced to return. There was no other anchorage nearby. The sails and parts of the rigging were brought ashore for repair, where it was increasingly difficult for travelers to protect their property. During the absence of ships, the number of armed islanders on the coast only increased. The natives were hostile. At night, they continued to commit theft, sailing in their canoes to the very ships. On February 13, the last pincers were stolen from the deck of the Resolution. The team's attempt to return them was unsuccessful and ended in an open clash.

The next day, February 14, a longboat was stolen from the Resolution. This finally pissed off the leader of the expedition. To return the stolen property, Cook decided to take Kalaniopu, one of the local leaders, as a hostage. Landing with a group of armed men, consisting of ten marines led by Lieutenant Phillips, he went to the leader's dwelling and invited him to the ship. Having accepted the offer, Kalaniopa followed the British, but at the very shore he suspected evil and refused to go further. In the meantime, several thousand Hawaiians had gathered on the shore, who surrounded Cook and his people, pushing them back to the water itself. A rumor spread among them that the British had killed several Hawaiians. In the diaries of Captain Clerk, one native is mentioned who was killed by Lieutenant Rickman's people shortly before the events described. These rumors, as well as Cook's not entirely unambiguous behavior, pushed the crowd to start hostilities. In the ensuing battle, Cook himself and four sailors died, the rest managed to retreat to the ship. There are several conflicting eyewitness accounts of those events, and it is difficult to judge from them what really happened. With a sufficient degree of certainty, we can only say that panic began among the British, the crew began to randomly retreat to the boats, and in this turmoil, Cook was killed by the Hawaiians (presumably with a blow to the back of the head with a spear).

Captain Clerk emphasizes in his diaries: if Cook had abandoned defiant behavior in the face of a crowd of thousands and had not started shooting Hawaiians, the accident could have been avoided. From the diaries of Captain Clerk:

“Considering the whole matter as a whole, I firmly believe that it would not have been carried to extremes by the natives if Captain Cook had not made an attempt to punish a man surrounded by a crowd of islanders, relying entirely on the fact that, if necessary, the soldiers of the Marine Corps could fire scatter the natives with muskets. Such an opinion was undoubtedly based on extensive experience with various Indian peoples in various parts light, but the unfortunate events of today have shown that in this case this opinion turned out to be erroneous. There is good reason to believe that the natives would not have gone so far if, unfortunately, Captain Cook had not fired at them: a few minutes before this they began to clear the way for the soldiers so that the latter could reach that place on the bank against which the boats stood (I have already mentioned this), thus giving Captain Cook the opportunity to get away from them.

According to Lieutenant Philips, a direct participant in the events, the Hawaiians were not going to prevent the return of the British to the ship, let alone attack them. The large number of the gathered crowd was explained by their concern for the fate of the king (not unreasonable, if we bear in mind the purpose for which Cook invited Kalaniop to the ship). And Phillips, like Captain Clerk, puts the blame for the tragic outcome entirely on Cook: outraged by the previous behavior of the natives, he was the first to shoot one of them.

After Cook's death, the post of expedition leader passed to the captain of the Discovery. The clerk tried to obtain the extradition of Cook's body peacefully. Failing, he ordered a military operation, during which the landing under the cover of cannons captured and burned to the ground the coastal settlements and drove the Hawaiians into the mountains. After that, the Hawaiians delivered to the Resolution a basket with ten pounds of meat and a human head without a lower jaw. It was completely impossible to identify this as the remains of Captain Cook, so the Clerk took their word for it. On February 22, 1779, Cook's remains were buried at sea. Captain Clerk died of tuberculosis, which he was ill with throughout the voyage. The ships returned to England on February 4, 1780.

The name of the great navigator James Cook is known to most of our compatriots only by the names on geographical map, yes to the song of V.S. Vysotsky "Why did the natives eat Cook?". In a playful way, the bard tried to beat several reasons for the death of a brave traveler:

Do not grab onto someone else's waist, Escaping from the arms of your girlfriends. Remember how the now deceased Cook sailed to the shores of Australia. As in a circle, sitting under an azalea, Ride from sunrise to dawn, Ate in this sunny Australia Friend to friend evil savages. But why did the natives eat Cook? For what? It is not clear, science is silent. It seems to me a very simple thing - they wanted to eat and ate Cook. There is an option that their leader Big Buka, Shouted that a very tasty cook on Cook's ship. The mistake came out, that's what science is silent about, They wanted a cook, but they ate Cook. And there was no trick or trick at all. They entered without knocking, almost without a sound, Launched a bamboo club, Bale right on the crown and there is no Cook. But there is, however, still the assumption that Cook was eaten out of great respect. That everyone was incited by a sorcerer, a cunning and wicked one. Atu, guys, grab Cook. Whoever eats it without salt and without onions, He will be strong, brave, kind, like Cook. Someone came across a stone, Threw a viper, and there is no Cook. And now the savages are wringing their hands, Breaking spears, breaking bows, Burning and throwing bamboo clubs. They worry that they ate Cook.

Apparently, the author of the song did not know the real details of the incident on February 14, 1779. Otherwise, the curious theft of ticks and the ill-fated longboat, which served as the main cause of the conflict between the islanders and the expedition leader, would not have been ignored, as well as the fact that James Cook did not die in Australia at all, but in the Hawaiian Islands.

Unlike the inhabitants of Fiji and most other peoples of Polynesia, the Hawaiians did not eat the meat of victims, and especially enemies, for food. During the solemn ceremony, only the left eye of the victim was usually offered to the presiding chief. The rest was cut into pieces and burned as a ritual sacrifice to the gods.

So, Cook's body, as it turned out, no one ate.

The captain of the Discovery, Charles Clerk, described the transfer of Cook's remains by the natives as follows:

“About eight in the morning, when it was still rather dark, we heard the swing of the oars. A canoe was approaching the ship. There were two people in the boat, and when they got on board, they immediately fell on their faces before us and, it seems, were terribly frightened by something. After much wailing and copious tears in connection with the loss of "Orono" - as the natives called Captain Cook - one of them told us that he had brought us parts of his body.

He handed us a small bundle from a piece of cloth, which he had previously held under his arm. It is difficult to convey the horror of all of us, holding in our hands a stump of a human body weighing nine or ten pounds. This is all that remains of Captain Cook, they explained to us. The rest, as it turned out, was cut into small pieces and burned; his head and all the bones, with the exception of the bones of the torso, now, according to them, belonged to the temple at Terreoboo. What we held in our hands was the share of the high priest Kaoo, who wanted to use this piece of meat for religious ceremonies. He said that he was handing it over to us as proof of his complete innocence in what happened and his sincere affection for us ... "

In December 1777, Captain James Cook and his ships Resolution and Discovery discovered the island, which was named Christmas Island. This island has become the largest atoll in the world. An outstanding English naval sailor made many geographical discoveries in his life.

CHRISTMAS ISLAND

Christmas Island is a small island in Indian Ocean, while the world's largest atoll (a coral island that looks like a solid or broken ring surrounding the lagoon). Its area is 321 km². The island has one of the highest seabird populations in the world.
Captain Cook and his ships Resolution and Discovery discovered the island on December 24, 1777. In connection with the holiday date on January 2, 1778, Cook named it Christmas Island.

Christmas Island. Photo: wikipedia. org

HAWAIIAN ISLANDS

The Hawaiian Islands are an archipelago of 24 islands and atolls located in the North Pacific Ocean. Cook discovered them on January 18, 1778, during his third world travel. Here he died on February 14, 1779, when he re-entered here after a year's voyage in the North Pacific Ocean. Cook gave them the name Sandwich Islands in honor of the first Lord of the Admiralty, John Montagu, the fourth Earl of Sandwich, whose name has remained in history thanks to the dish he invented - the sandwich.
The name Sandwich Islands was used only in the 18th and early XIX centuries. Then the archipelago got its name from the largest island - Hawaii. The main part of the islands of the archipelago has been the fiftieth state of the United States since 1959.

Hawaiian Islands as seen from space. Photo: wikipedia. org

NORFOLK

The island was discovered by Captain James Cook in 1774 during his voyage through the Southwest Pacific Ocean. It was a small inhabited island in the Pacific Ocean located between Australia, New Caledonia and New Zealand.
Despite the "resort" weather conditions, since 1788, Norfolk began to be used as a place of exile for prisoners from England. The fact is that the island is practically not protected from storms and hurricanes, so it is problematic to escape from it. In 1814, the colony was abandoned as a costly one, but in 1825 the prison was again restored, and both political and criminal offenders were placed in it. In 1854 the prison was finally closed.

Norfolk. Photo: Science Museum/Global Look Press

NEW CALEDONIA

The island of New Caledonia was discovered by Cook in 1774 and named after the ancient name of his ancestors' homeland of Scotland - Caledonia. It is represented by a large island of the same name and a group of small islands in the southwestern part of the Pacific Ocean, in Melanesia.
Active penetration of Europeans into New Caledonia began in the 1840s. France claimed the islands of New Caledonia as its possession in 1853, and from 1864 to 1896 the French government sent convicted criminals to this colony.
Now New Caledonia is an overseas special administrative-territorial entity of France.

New Caledonia, as seen from space. Photo: wikipedia. org

TUBUAI

The Tubuai Islands, or Austral Islands, were discovered by Cook in 1777. The group is located in the Pacific Ocean, in Polynesia. It consists of seven islands, five - Tubuai proper (volcanic Tubuai, Rurutu, Rimatara, Raivavae and one low Maria atoll) and two more - Bass Islands (Rapa Iti and Marotiri).
Today Tubuai is considered one of the the best places in French Polynesia for a quiet and unhurried holiday in the bosom of nature.


Tubuai Islands as seen from space. Photo: wikipedia. org

NIUE

Niue, or Savage, is an island in the South Pacific Ocean, in Polynesia, east of the Tonga Islands. The island was opened to Europeans in 1774. Cook named it Savage, or "Savage Island". In 1900, Niue fell under the protectorate of the British Empire, and in 1901 was annexed by New Zealand. In 1974, Niue became a self-governing state in commonwealth with New Zealand.

Niue island. Photo: wikipedia. org

MANUAE

Manuae is an island in the Pacific Ocean, part of the Southern Group of the Cook Islands. It was opened on September 23, 1773. Captain Cook gave it the name Sandwich Island, but later he decided to give this name to the Hawaiian Islands. Thus, the island was renamed and named Harvey after Admiral Augustus Harvey. However, in 1824, the Russian navigator Kruzenshtern suggested renaming the islands in honor of Cook, who discovered them.
The modern name of the island of Manuae translates as "house of birds" - birds were found on the island in large numbers.

Manuae Island, as seen from space. Photo: wikipedia. org

RAVAJERE

Rawahere is an atoll in the Tuamotu archipelago (French Polynesia, Pacific Ocean) in the Dieu Group group of islands. It was opened in 1768. The total area of ​​the atoll is 7 km². In the center is a lagoon, completely isolated from ocean waters. Ravajere is about 16 km long and 4 km wide.
Currently, the atoll is uninhabited, the island is completely lacking infrastructure.

Ravajere, photographed from space. Photo: wikipedia. org

PALMERSTON

Palmerston is an atoll in the Pacific Ocean, which was discovered by Cook on June 16, 1774, during his second voyage. However, he landed on the island only on his third voyage on April 13, 1777. The island was uninhabited at that time, although 12 old graves were found on it. The island was named by Cook in honor of the second Lord Palmerston.
Being a typical coral atoll, Palmerston consists of 35 sandy islands located within the coral reef surrounding the lagoon.

Palmerston, photographed from space. Photo: wikipedia. org

ANAA

Anaa is an atoll in the Tuamotu archipelago (French Polynesia), 350 km east of the island of Tahiti. The island was discovered in 1769. At the beginning of the 19th century, Anaa became part of the Pomare Kingdom. In the 1850s, copra production and pearl fishing developed on the island. By the middle of the 19th century, the population of the atoll reached almost 2 thousand people. However, during the numerous clashes between the followers of Catholicism and the Mormons, as well as the intervention of the French troops, the population of Anaa was significantly reduced.
The island is oval in shape and consists of 11 small islets, or motus, surrounding a shallow lagoon.

Anaa, image from space. Photo: wikipedia. org