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Ɓlvaro Fernandes
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Flourished:
15th century
Flourished:
c.1426 - c.1475
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Ɓlvaro Fernandes

Portuguese explorer
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History

Ɓlvaro Fernandes (flourished 15th century) was a Portuguese sea captain, one of Prince Henry the Navigatorā€™s explorers of West Africa.

In 1445 Fernandesā€™ uncle, JoĆ£o GonƧalves Zarco, also an explorer, furnished him with a caravel on condition that he devote himself to exploration. Fernandes joined the princeā€™s fleet bound for Arguin Island (now in Mauritania) but sailed farther to the mouth of the SĆ©nĆ©gal River. After rounding Cape Verde, he traveled about a hundred miles farther to the ā€œCape of Masts,ā€ named for its numerous bare palm trees. In 1447 he returned to West Africa and reached the site of present-day Conakry, Guinea.

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