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Jakob Le Maire

Dutch navigator
Also known as: Jacques Le Maire

Quick Summary

Jakob Le Maire was a Dutch navigator who, along with Willem Schouten, discovered a new passage around the southern tip of South America in 1616. This route, now known as the Drake Passage, connected the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans and offered an alternative to the Strait of Magellan. The expedition, funded by Isaac Le Maire, also led to the naming of Cape Horn. Despite their significant discovery, the Dutch East India Company confiscated their cargo upon their arrival in Batavia, as the company held a monopoly on East Indies trade. Le Maire died during the return voyage to the Netherlands.

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