Map proves Portuguese discovered Australia: new book

[CapnAwesome]

It's also likely that Chinese explorers sailed along the coast of California pre-Columbus. There is something to be said for the first people to decide to permanently settle in a New Land. Since the Portuguese in this case may not have even touched down on land (We really don't know what they did, since all we have is a map that seems accurate to one part of one port.) It doesn't really surprise me that the Portuguese saw Australia, they had been to Japan by that time. However James Cook led to the colonization of Australia. He actually accurately categorized and claimed it. Whether it's moral or good is different, but it is far more historically significant. The same that Columbus's journey is far more important than the viking explorations, which didn't lead to anything long term.