Abel Janszoon Tasman

Abel Janszoon Tasman was a Dutch merchant captain in the service of the Dutch East India Company remembered as the first European to reach Tasmania and New Zeland, and to explore the Tonga and the Fiji islands.

Born in Gronigen, Tasman entered the service of the company in 1633. From 1634 to 1639 he made exploratory and trading voyages to East and Southeast Asia to Japan, Formosa (Taiwan), Cambodia and Sumatra. Few years later in 1642, he was employed by Anthony van Diemen, the director of the company to find the hypothetical southern continent of the Pacific, so called Terra Australis Incognita, and to explore a route to Chile, the next target for Dutch colonial and commercial imperialism. Departing from Batavia Tasman sailed to Mauritius and from there to Tasmania which he named Van Diemen's Land after the director of the VOC.

In 1644 he went on a shorter expedition to confirm the size of Australia during which he made chart of northern Australia and western New Guinea. Since his voyages didn't reveal lands of wealth, they marked the end of Dutch participation in Australian discovery as the company decided to focus on trade in Asia.