1589day.year
Maarten Gerritsz Vries
(1589 - 1646)
Dutch explorer
Dutch explorer
17th-century Dutch cartographer and explorer who charted parts of the North Pacific.
Maarten Gerritsz Vries was born in 1589 and became a noted Dutch naval explorer.
In 1643, he led an expedition seeking the Northeast Passage to Asia.
He mapped regions of the east coast of Asia, including Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands.
A misinterpretation of his charts led to the mythical 'Company Land' on early maps.
His voyage expanded European knowledge of the North Pacific shores.
Vries's explorations paved the way for future voyages in East Asian waters.
Maarten Gerritsz Vries