Born 1659,
Holland
Died 1729,
Holland

0ne of the great legends that circulated among countries pursuing the exploration of the world was the possible existence of a vast southern continent. This land was imagined to encompass Antarctica’s South Pole and extend far into the South Seas, or the Pacific Ocean. The discovery of Australia, as well as much of the islands of the South Pacific, was the result of the search for this continent. Various expeditions whittled away at its contours by degrees over a period of many years. Finally explorers realized that Antarctica was not connected to Australia or to any other great landmass.

Pursues father’s dream

Jacob Roggeveen was a Dutchman who, late in life, decided to undertake a voyage his father had dreamed of making to search for Terras Australis, the great southern continent. Roggeveen’s father had interested the...