Circumnavigation of Australia and the name "Australia"
Circunnavegación de Australia y nombre de «Australia»
- Date
- 1801-1803 · confidence high
- Place
- Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- Credited to
- Matthew Flinders
- Field
- Cosmos & Earth
⚠️ Disputed: the sources disagree.
What was discovered
The first complete sea circuit of Australia, which proved it was a single large island rather than several, and charted the southern coast. Flinders proposed the name "Australia" in his 1814 book, which prevailed over "New Holland".
The name "Australia" had been used earlier by other authors (Dalrymple, 1771) and its official use spread after 1817; Flinders's merit is popularising it.
What it led to
- near-complete charting of the Australian coast
- official adoption of the continent-country's name