Cornelis Giles (in Dutch: Cornelis Cornelisz. Gielis; – 2 July 1722) was a Dutch whaler, navigator,

cartographer Cartography (; from grc, χάρτης , "papyrus, sheet of paper, map"; and , "write") is the study and practice of making and using maps. Combining science, aesthetics and technique, cartography builds on the premise that reality (or an im ...

, and

polar explorer This list is for recognised pioneering explorers of the polar regions. It does not include subsequent travelers and expeditions. Polar explorers * Jameson Adams * Stian Aker * Valerian Albanov * Roald Amundsen * Salomon August Andrée * Piotr F ...

Life

As a whaler in 1707, Giles traveled north of Nordaustlandet in

Svalbard Svalbard ( , ), also known as Spitsbergen, or Spitzbergen, is a Norwegian archipelago in the Arctic Ocean. North of mainland Europe, it is about midway between the northern coast of Norway and the North Pole. The islands of the group range ...

, and managed to reach a degree farther north of

Sjuøyane Sjuøyane (English: ''Seven Islands'') is the northernmost part of the Svalbard archipelago north of mainland Norway, and some 20 km north of the eastern major island Nordaustlandet. The islands are the northernmost landmass reachable by normal ...

without encountering ice. A published abstract in the

Royal Geographical Society The Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers), often shortened to RGS, is a learned society and professional body for geography based in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical scien ...

's proceedings remarked in 1873 that such voyages "have never been equalled up to the present day". He then continued his route eastward in an open sea and sighted an unknown high land at 80 degrees north—the island of

Kvitøya Kvitøya (English: "White Island") is an island in the Svalbard archipelago in the Arctic Ocean, with an area of . It is the easternmost part of the Kingdom of Norway. The closest Russian Arctic possession, Victoria Island, lies only to the ea ...

—which would not be seen again until 1876. The location appeared on charts as " Giles Land" for a number of years, and it was visited for an exploration in 1898 by

Alfred Gabriel Nathorst Alfred Gabriel Nathorst (7 November 1850 – 20 January 1921) was a Swedish Arctic explorer, geologist, and palaeobotanist. Life He was born in Väderbrunn in Sweden. Nathorst's interest in geology was awoken by Charles Lyell’s ‘’Prin ...

. Somehow hence, the island came to be considered mythical—as late as 1935—when an expedition by Georgy Ushakov in the icebreaker was described in the news as seeking "a phantom island" or "the alleged island" of Giles Island. Giles died at sea on 2 July 1722, and was buried in

Den Helder Den Helder () is a municipality and a city in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. Den Helder occupies the northernmost point of the North Holland peninsula. It is home to the country's main naval base. From here the Royal TESO fe ...

on 19 August. The

Gilessundet Gilessundet is a sound that separates Glenhalvøya from Søre Repøya, off Orvin Land at Nordaustlandet, Svalbard. The Gilessundet sound has a width of about one nautical mile. It is named after Dutch navigator Cornelis Giles Cornelis Giles (in ...

inlet in Svalbard was named in his honor.

Life

References

Further reading