7 Famous Explorers Whose Discoveries Changed the World改变世界的七位著名探险家

The story of human exploration is as old as the story of civilisation， and many of the stories of these explorers have become legends over the cen-turies. From Christopher Columbus to Marco Polo， let’s take a look at these celebrated explorers who made groundbreaking discoveries across the globe.

人类探险的历史与人类文明发展的历史一样久，几个世纪以来，这些探险家的许多故事已经成为传奇。从克里斯托弗·哥伦布到马可·波罗，让我们来了解世界各地有开创性发现的著名探险家。

Marco Polo （1254–1324）

马可·波罗（1254—1324）

Marco Polo was a Venetian explorer known for the book The Travels of Marco Polo， which describes his voyage to and experiences in Asia. Polo traveled extensively with his family， journeying from Europe to Asia from 1271 to 1295， remaining in China for 17 of those years. As the years wore on， Polo rose through the ranks， serving as governor of a Chinese city. Later， Kublai Khan appointed him as an official of the Privy Council. At one point， he was the tax inspector in the city of Yanzhou.

马可·波罗是一位威尼斯探险家，以《马可·波罗游记》著称，这本书描写了他东行亚洲的见闻。自1271年至1295年，马可·波罗携全家从欧洲一路行至亚洲，游历各地，其中有17年在中国居留。岁月如梭，马可·波罗步步高升，在中国一座城市担任地方官，之后忽必烈大汗任命他为枢密院官员。还有一段时间，他在兖州任税务督察。

Around 1292， he left China， acting as consort along the way to a Mongol princess who was being sent to Persia1. In the centuries since his death， Polo has received the recognition that failed to come his way during his lifetime. So much of what he claimed to have seen has been verified by researchers， academics and other explorers. Even if his accounts came from other travelers he met along the way， Polo’s story has inspired countless other adventurers to set off and see the world.

马可·波罗在1292年左右离开了中国，护送要去波斯成婚的一位蒙古公主。在马可·波罗逝后的几个世纪里，他得到了生前没能得到的认可。研究人员、学者和其他探险家们证实了马可·波罗著述中自称看到的很多事物。即使他的记述来自沿途所遇其他旅人，他的故事还是激励了无数探险家开启探索世界之旅。

Zheng He （c. 1371–1433）

郑和（约1371—1433）

Known as the Three-Jewel Eunuch Admiral， Zheng He was China’s greatest explorer. Commanding the world’s mightiest fleet of 300 ships and as many as 30，000 troops， Admiral Zheng made 7 epic voyages to southeast Asia， south Asia， the Middle East and Africa between 1405 and 1433. Setting sail aboard his “treasure ships2”， he would exchange valuable goods such as gold， porcelain and silk for ivory， myrrh3 and even China’s first giraffe. The voyages helped spread China’s culture and influence throughout Southeast Asia， Arabia， and eastern Africa.

郑和是中国最伟大的探险家，世称“三宝太监”海军统帅。1405年到1433年间，郑和率领当时世界上最强大的舰队——海船300艘，水师人数多达3万——完成了七下西洋的航海壮举，航行至东南亚、南亚、中东和非洲。郑和登上“宝船”扬帆起航，沿途用黄金、瓷器和丝绸等贵重物品交换象牙、没药，乃至中国的第一只长颈鹿。这七次远航在东南亚、阿拉伯和东非传播了中国文化，增强了中国在这些地区的影响力。

Christopher Columbus （1451–1506）

克里斯托弗·哥伦布（1451—1506）

Christopher Columbus was an Italian explorer and navigator. Columbus first went to sea as a teenager， participating in several trading voyages in the Mediterranean and Aegean seas. One such voyage， to the island of Khios， in modern-day Greece， brought him the closest he would ever come to Asia.

克里斯托弗·哥伦布是意大利探险家、航海家，他在十几岁时第一次出海，参与了几次地中海、爱琴海贸易航行，其中有一次到了希俄斯岛（在如今的希腊），这是他离亚洲最近的一次。

In 1492， he sailed across the Atlantic Ocean from Spain in the Santa Maria， with the Pinta and the Niña ships alongside， hoping to find a new route to India.

1492年，为找到去印度的新航线，哥伦布乘“圣玛利亚”号从西班牙出发横渡大西洋，随行的还有“平塔”号和“尼尼亚”号。

Between 1492 and 1504， he made a total of four voyages to the Caribbean and South America and has been credited—and blamed—for opening up the Americas to European colonization. Columbus probably died of severe arthritis following an infection on May 20， 1506， still believing he had discovered a shorter route to Asia4.

1492年至1504年间，他总共四次远航至加勒比海和南美洲，并因在美洲开启欧洲人殖民活动而毁誉参半。1506年5月20日，哥伦布疑死于之前一次感染所致的严重关节炎，他至死都还认为自己发现的是通往亚洲的较短航线。

Amerigo Vespucci （1454–1512）

阿美利哥·韦斯普奇（1454—1512）

America was named after Amerigo Vespucci， a Florentine navigator and explorer who played a prominent role in exploring the New World.

美洲是以佛罗伦萨航海家、探险家阿美利哥·韦斯普奇的名字命名的，他在探索新大陆的过程中发挥了重要作用。

On May 10， 1497， Vespucci embarked on his first voyage， departing from Cadiz with a fleet of Spanish ships. In May 1499， sailing under the Spanish flag， Vespucci embarked on his next expedition， as a navigator under the command of Alonzo de Ojeda. Crossing the equator， they traveled to the coast of what is now Guyana， where it is believed that Vespucci left Ojeda and went on to explore the coast of Brazil. During this journey， Vespucci is said to have discovered the Amazon River and Cape St. Augustine.

1497年5月10日，韦斯普奇随一支西班牙船队驶离加的斯，开始了他的第一次航行。1499年5月，韦斯普奇在西班牙人阿隆索·德·奥赫达率领的探险队担任领航员，又一次启航。他们穿过赤道，到了如今的圭亚那海岸。据信，韦斯普奇在这里和奥赫达分道扬镳，继续前往巴西海岸考察。据说在此次航行中，韦斯普奇发现了亚马孙河和圣奥古斯丁角。

On his third and most successful voyage， he discovered present-day Rio de Janeiro and Rio de la Plata. Believing he had discovered a new continent， he called South America the New World. In 1507， America was named after him. He died of malaria in Seville， Spain， on February 22， 1512.

韦斯普奇第三次航行是最成功的一次，发现了如今的里约热内卢和拉普拉塔河。他认为自己发现了一片新大陆，便把南美洲命名为New World（新世界）。1507年，美洲以他的名字命名，1512年2月22日，韦斯普奇在西班牙塞维利亚去世，死于疟疾。