Pedro Fernandez de Quiros names the New Hebrides Australia del Espiritu Santo

Historical Context Note

Litencyc Editors (Independent Scholar - Europe)

The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 9.2: Pacific Islands Writing and Culture.

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Exploration

Dates

Date of occurrence 1606

Places

Vanuatu (Location)

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In 1598 Pedro Fernandez de Quiros asked King Philip III to support a voyage into the Pacific with the intention of finding Terra Australis, the mythical "great south land". The King agreed, and Quirós's party of 160 men on three ships left Callao on 21 December 1605. In May 1606 the expedition reached the islands later called the New Hebrides (now Vanuatu). He named the island he landed on "La Austrialia del Espiritu Santo" (The Austrian Land of the Holy Spirit), for King Philip III, who was of Austrian descent. The island is still called Espiritu Santo.

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93 words

Citation: Editors, Litencyc. "Pedro Fernandez de Quiros names the New Hebrides Australia del Espiritu Santo". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 01 January 2010 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=2088, accessed 06 May 2024.]

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