Pedro Fernández de Quirós

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Pedro Fernández de Quirós

Portuguese explorer

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July 22, 2026

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Pedro Fernández de Quirós was a Portuguese explorer who, along with Álvaro de Mendaña de Neira, led Spanish expeditions in the Pacific during the late 16th and early 17th centuries. Motivated by the search for riches, the spread of Christianity, and exploration itself, Quirós's voyages aimed to discover a great southern continent.1

In 1606, Quirós reached the northern Cook Islands, Tikopia, and the New Hebrides (now Vanuatu). His chief pilot, Luis Váez de Torres, charted southeastern New Guinea and the strait between it and Australia. These Spanish expeditions marked the end of their significant exploration efforts in the Pacific, with the Dutch later taking a more prominent role in the region, primarily driven by commercial interests.1

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Banks Islands
The Portuguese navigator Pedro Fernández de Quirós was the first European visitor, in 1606; the islands were mapped in 1793 by Capt. William Bligh of the British navy and were named by him for his patron, the naturalist Sir Joseph Banks. Along with the nearby Torres Islands, the…
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The Portuguese navigator Pedro Fernández de Quirós was the first European visitor, in 1606; the islands were mapped in 1793 by Capt. William Bligh of the British navy and were named by him for his patron, the naturalist Sir Joseph Banks. Along with the nearby Torres Islands, the…
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Espiritu Santo
…1606 by the Portuguese navigator Pedro Fernández de Quirós, who, believing he had discovered the terra australis incognita (Latin: “unknown southern land”) that he was seeking for the Spanish crown, called it Tierra Austrialia del Espíritu Santo; Austrialia was a word Quirós coined to refer both to the Latin terra…
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…1606 by the Portuguese navigator Pedro Fernández de Quirós, who, believing he had discovered the terra australis incognita (Latin: “unknown southern land”) that he was seeking for the Spanish crown, called it Tierra Austrialia del Espíritu Santo; Austrialia was a word Quirós coined to refer both to the Latin terra…
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Pacific Islands
The 16th and 17th centuries
…de Mendaña de Neira and Pedro Fernández de Quirós. In 1567 the former set out from Peru to discover the great southern continent that was believed to exist in the South Pacific. He reached the Solomons but failed to find them again on his second journey, during which he died.…
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…de Mendaña de Neira and Pedro Fernández de Quirós. In 1567 the former set out from Peru to discover the great southern continent that was believed to exist in the South Pacific. He reached the Solomons but failed to find them again on his second journey, during which he died.…
Read More