Orthographic projection over Gough Island

Gonçalo Álvares (, ?? – 1524) was a Portuguese explorer who actively participated in the

Age of Discovery The Age of Discovery (or the Age of Exploration), also known as the early modern period, was a period largely overlapping with the Age of Sail, approximately from the 15th century to the 17th century in European history, during which seafarin ...

, starting from the second voyage of

Diogo Cão Diogo Cão (; -1486), anglicised as Diogo Cam and also known as Diego Cam, was a Portuguese explorer and one of the most notable navigators of the Age of Discovery. He made two voyages sailing along the west coast of Africa in the 1480s, explorin ...

. In 1497 he commanded the ship '' São Gabriel'' in the epic journey of

Vasco da Gama Vasco da Gama, 1st Count of Vidigueira (; ; c. 1460s – 24 December 1524), was a Portuguese explorer and the first European to reach India by sea. His initial voyage to India by way of Cape of Good Hope (1497–1499) was the first to link E ...

to India, and in 1505, aboard the fleet of

Francisco de Almeida Dom Francisco de Almeida (), also known as the Great Dom Francisco (c. 1450 – 1 March 1510), was a Portuguese nobleman, soldier and explorer. He distinguished himself as a counsellor to King John II of Portugal and later in the wars against the ...

– the first Viceroy of Portuguese India – he sailed south in the Atlantic to where "water and even wine froze", and discovered an island that was named after him. It was later renamed

Gough Island upright=1.3, Map of Gough island Gough Island ( ), also known historically as Gonçalo Álvares, is a rugged volcanic island in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is a dependency of Tristan da Cunha and part of the British overseas territory of Sain ...

by the British, who took possession in the nineteenth century. Gonçalo Álvares held the office of ''chief-pilot of the navigation to India and the Ocean Sea'' until his death in 1524.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Alvares, Goncalo Portuguese explorers Explorers of Asia 15th-century explorers 16th-century explorers 1524 deaths 15th-century births Maritime history of Portugal 15th-century Portuguese people 16th-century Portuguese people