Antonio José Muñoz y Valcárcel (born 19 November 1958), commonly known as Kitín Muñoz, is a Spanish adventurer, scientist and former
commando
Royal Marines from 40 Commando on patrol in the Sangin">40_Commando.html" ;"title="Royal Marines from 40 Commando">Royal Marines from 40 Commando on patrol in the Sangin area of Afghanistan are pictured
A commando is a combatant, or operativ ...
.
He was appointed as a
UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador
UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador is an official postnominal honorific title, title of authority, legal status and job description assigned to those goodwill ambassadors and advocates who are designated by the United Nations. UNESCO goodwill ambas ...
in 1997.
["Biography of Kitín Muñoz"]
''UNESCO''.
Life and career
Inspired by
Thor Heyerdahl
Thor Heyerdahl KStJ (; 6 October 1914 – 18 April 2002) was a Norwegian adventurer and ethnographer with a background in zoology, botany and geography.
Heyerdahl is notable for his ''Kon-Tiki'' expedition in 1947, in which he sailed 8,000& ...
, Muñoz made three attempts to cross the
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the contin ...
, two of which failed,
[ and one failed attempt to cross the ]Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...
to prove that ancient seafarers sailing in reed boat
Reed boats and rafts, along with dugout canoes and other rafts, are among the oldest known types of boats. Often used as traditional fishing boats, they are still used in a few places around the world, though they have generally been replaced with ...
s could have crossed the oceans before the European expeditions of the 15th century.
Muñoz is also a former member of the Spanish Army special forces (the Mando de Operaciones Especiales), and an honorary consul of Morocco
Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria t ...
.
Marriage
On 26 October 2002, Muñoz married Princess Kalina of Bulgaria, Duchess of Saxe, Countess of Murány, only daughter of Simeon II of Bulgaria
Simeon Borisov von Saxe-Coburg-Gotha ( bg, Симеон Борисов Сакскобургготски, translit=Simeon Borisov Sakskoburggotski, ; born 16 June 1937) is a Bulgarian politician who reigned as the last tsar of the Kingdom of Bul ...
. The royal
Royal may refer to:
People
* Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name
* A member of a royal family
Places United States
* Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community
* Royal, Illinois, a village
* Royal, Iowa, a ...
wedding was the subject of a television documentary.
Their son, Simeon Hassan Muñoz, was born on 14 March 2007 in Sofia
Sofia ( ; bg, София, Sofiya, ) is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain in the western parts of the country. The city is built west of the Iskar river, and h ...
, Bulgaria
Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedo ...
. In 2015, Muñoz, Kalina, and their son were living near Rabat, in Morocco.[Paloma Barrientos]
Kalina de Bulgaria, la hermana transgresora de Kardam
dated 04.12.2015 at elvonfidencial.com
See also
* The Viracocha expedition
References
''Kitin Muñoz sets out for a new maritime challenge''
Information on "Mata Rangi III" expedition
Information on the "Uru" expedition in Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries
**Spanish cuisine
Other places
* Spanish, Ontario, Can ...
Kitín Muñoz
mini-bio in Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries
**Spanish cuisine
Other places
* Spanish, Ontario, Can ...
Obituary of his father
in Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries
**Spanish cuisine
Other places
* Spanish, Ontario, Can ...
Obituario of his mother
in Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries
**Spanish cuisine
Other places
* Spanish, Ontario, Can ...
External links
Kitín Muñoz – UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador
1958 births
Living people
House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (Bulgaria)
Spanish explorers
Spanish scientists
Spanish sociologists
Spanish anthropologists
Spanish navigators
UNESCO Goodwill Ambassadors
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