This is a list of

circumnavigation Circumnavigation is the complete navigation around an entire island, continent, or astronomical body (e.g. a planet or moon). This article focuses on the circumnavigation of Earth. The first recorded circumnavigation of the Earth was the ...

s of

Earth Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. While large volumes of water can be found throughout the Solar System, only Earth sustains liquid surface water. About 71% of Earth's sur ...

. Sections are ordered by ascending date of completion.

Global

Nautical

16th century

* The 18 survivors, led by Juan Sebastián Elcano, of

Ferdinand Magellan Ferdinand Magellan ( or ; pt, Fernão de Magalhães, ; es, link=no, Fernando de Magallanes, ; 4 February 1480 – 27 April 1521) was a Portuguese explorer. He is best known for having planned and led the 1519 Spanish expedition to the Eas ...

's Spanish expedition (which began with 5 ships and 270 men); 1519–1522; westward from Spain; in . After Magellan was killed by Lapulapu off the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

on 27 April 1521, the circumnavigation was completed under the command of the Basque Spanish seafarer Juan Sebastián Elcano who returned to Sanlúcar de Barrameda, Spain, on 6 September 1522, after a journey of 3 years and 1 month. These men were the first to circumnavigate the globe in a single expedition.

Enrique of Malacca Enrique of Malacca ( es, Enrique de Malaca; pt, Henrique de Malaca), was a Malay member of the Magellan expedition that completed the first circumnavigation of the world in 1519–1522. He was acquired as a slave by the Portuguese explorer ...

, an interpreter from Sumatra who accompanied Magellan to Europe in 1511 and was part of Magellan's expedition, survived the Battle of Mactan. Enrique left the expedition on May 1 in Cebu, presumably to make the trip home.1938 ''Magellan. Der Mann und seine Tat'', , pp. 213–214 As Enrique is familiar with the region and Magellan had decreed in his will that Enrique is to be freed from service upon his death, he may have returned home to Sumatra. However, there is currently no historical record of Enrique completing his return to Sumatra after the Spanish left Cebu. * The survivors of García Jofre de Loaísa's Spanish expedition 1525–1536 including Andrés de Urdaneta; westward from Spain. None of Loaísa's seven ships completed the voyage, but ''Santa María de la Victoria'' reached the

Moluccas The Maluku Islands (; Indonesian: ''Kepulauan Maluku'') or the Moluccas () are an archipelago in the east of Indonesia. Tectonically they are located on the Halmahera Plate within the Molucca Sea Collision Zone. Geographically they are located ...

before being wrecked in a Portuguese attack. Successive chiefs of the expedition (Loaísa, Elcano, Salazar, Iñiguez, De la Torre) died during the voyages. Andrés de Urdaneta and other fellow men survived, reaching the

Spice Islands A spice is a seed, fruit, root, bark, or other plant substance primarily used for flavoring or coloring food. Spices are distinguished from herbs, which are the leaves, flowers, or stems of plants used for flavoring or as a garnish. Spices are ...

in 1526, to be taken prisoner by the Portuguese. Urdaneta and a few of his men returned to Spain in 1536 aboard Portuguese ships via India, the

Cape of Good Hope The Cape of Good Hope ( af, Kaap die Goeie Hoop ) ;''Kaap'' in isolation: pt, Cabo da Boa Esperança is a rocky headland on the Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula in South Africa. A common misconception is that the Cape of Good Hope is ...

and Portugal, and completed the second world circumnavigation in history. One of the four survivors was Hans von Aachen, who was also one of the 18 survivors of Magellan's expedition, making him the first to circumnavigate the world twice. *

Francis Drake Sir Francis Drake ( – 28 January 1596) was an English explorer, sea captain, privateer, slave trader, naval officer, and politician. Drake is best known for his circumnavigation of the world in a single expedition, from 1577 to 1580 ...

; expedition against the Spanish Main 1577–1580; westward from England; in ; discovered the Drake Passage but entered the Pacific via the

Strait of Magellan The Strait of Magellan (), also called the Straits of Magellan, is a navigable sea route in southern Chile separating mainland South America to the north and Tierra del Fuego to the south. The strait is considered the most important natural ...

; first English circumnavigation and the second carried out in a single expedition. Drake was the first to complete a circumnavigation as captain while leading the expedition throughout the entire circumnavigation. * Martín Ignacio de Loyola; 1580–1584, westward from Spain. * Thomas Cavendish; 1586–1588; westward from England; in . * Martín Ignacio de Loyola; 1585–1589, eastward from Spain (via Macau (then a Portuguese territory), China, and Acapulco, Mexico) to become the first to circumnavigate the world eastwards and first to use overland routes in his circumnavigation. * João da Gama; 1584 (or 1585)–1590; eastward from Portugal; from Lisbon to India, Malacca, Macau (then Portuguese) and Japan. Gama crossed the Pacific at a higher northern latitude; was taken prisoner in Mexico and carried in Spanish ships to the Iberian Peninsula. One of the first to go eastwards, mostly by sea.

17th century

* The survivors of the expedition of

Jacques Mahu Jacob (Jacques) Mahu (1564 – 23 September 1598) was a Dutch merchant and explorer. In 1598, he led an expedition with five vessels organised by Pieter van der Hagen and Johan van der Veeken intended to find a trade route to the Spice Islands a ...

; 1598–1601; westward from Holland; Of Mahu's five ships only one returned. * The survivors of the expedition of Olivier van Noort; 1598–1601; westward from Holland; Of Van Noort's four ships only one returned. * Francesco Carletti; Florentine merchant; 1594–1602; westward from Italy; travelled across the American continent overland, through Panama. All Carletti's other travel was by sea until he ended in the Netherlands; he travelled from there overland back to Italy. Carletti was perhaps the first to travel all legs as a passenger, not as a ship's officer or a crew member. Carletti described his journey in his autobiography, "My Voyage Around the World", translated into various languages. * Joris van Spilbergen; 1614–1617; westward from Holland. *

Willem Schouten Willem Cornelisz Schouten ( – 1625) was a Dutch navigator for the Dutch East India Company. He was the first to sail the Cape Horn route to the Pacific Ocean. Biography Willem Cornelisz Schouten was born in c. 1567 in Hoorn, Holland, S ...

and Jacob Le Maire; 1615–1617; westward from Holland; in ''Eendraght''; Discovered

Cape Horn Cape Horn ( es, Cabo de Hornos, ) is the southernmost headland of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago of southern Chile, and is located on the small Hornos Island. Although not the most southerly point of South America (which are the Diego Ramí ...

and the first expedition to enter the Pacific via the Drake Passage. * Admiral Jacques l'Hermite and vice-admiral

John Hugo Schapenham John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Seco ...

and rear-admiral

Jan Willemszn Verschoor Jan, JaN or JAN may refer to: Acronyms * Jackson, Mississippi (Amtrak station), US, Amtrak station code JAN * Jackson-Evers International Airport, Mississippi, US, IATA code * Jabhat al-Nusra (JaN), a Syrian militant group * Japanese Article Num ...

; 1623–1626; westward from Holland. * Pedro Cubero; 1670–1679; eastward from Spain; the first maritime circumnavigation including significant travel overland. *

William Dampier William Dampier (baptised 5 September 1651; died March 1715) was an English explorer, pirate, privateer, navigator, and naturalist who became the first Englishman to explore parts of what is today Australia, and the first person to circumnav ...

(English); 1679–1691; westward from England. * Gemelli Careri; 1693–1698; eastward from Naples; the first tourist to circumnavigate the globe, paying his own way on multiple voyages, crossing Mexico on land.

18th century

William Funnell William Ross Norman Funnell (born 10 February 1966, Ashford) is a top-class showjumper. Career Funnell has represented Britain internationally in many Nations Cup teams. In 2006 he won the Hickstead Derby for the first time and won it agai ...

(English); 1703–1706. *

Woodes Rogers Woodes Rogers ( 1679 – 15 July 1732) was an English sea captain, privateer, slave trader and, from 1718, the first Royal Governor of the Bahamas. He is known as the captain of the vessel that rescued marooned Alexander Selkirk, whose ...

(English); 1708–1711; with the ''Duke'' and the ''Duchess''; He rescued Alexander Selkirk on Juan Fernandez on 31 January 1709. Selkirk had been stranded there for four years. *

(English); 1708–1711; First person to circumnavigate the world three times (1679–1691, 1703–1707 and 1708–1711). * George Anson, 1st Baron Anson; 1740–1744; in . *

John Byron Vice-Admiral John Byron (8 November 1723 – 1 April 1786) was a British Royal Navy officer and explorer. He earned the nickname "Foul-Weather Jack" in the press because of his frequent encounters with bad weather at sea. As a midshipman, he sa ...

; 1764–1766; in . * Samuel Wallis and

Philip Carteret Rear-Admiral Philip Carteret, Seigneur of Trinity (22 January 1733, Trinity Manor, Jersey – 21 July 1796, Southampton) was a British naval officer and explorer who participated in two of the Royal Navy's circumnavigation expeditions in 176 ...

; 1766–1768; in and ; Carteret had served on Byron's expedition. ''Dolphin'' was the first ship to survive two circumnavigations. * Louis de Bougainville; 1766–1769; On board was

Jeanne Baré Jeanne Baret (; 27 July 1740 – 5 August 1807) was a member of Louis Antoine de Bougainville's expedition on the ships '' La Boudeuse'' and '' Étoile'' in 1766–1769. Baret is recognized as the first woman to have completed a voyage of c ...

, disguised as a man, the first woman to circumnavigate the globe; first French circumnavigation. *

James Cook James Cook (7 November 1728 Old Style date: 27 October – 14 February 1779) was a British explorer, navigator, cartographer, and captain in the British Royal Navy, famous for his three voyages between 1768 and 1779 in the Pacific Ocean and ...

; 1768–1771; in ; The first circumnavigation to lose no personnel to scurvy. * Tobias Furneaux; 1772–1774; in (Furneaux was a veteran of Byron's expedition.); Furneaux was part of Cook's 1772–1775 circumnavigation. *

; 1772–1775; in . * George Dixon and Nathaniel Portlock; 1785–1788; in and respectively; early pioneers of the

Maritime Fur Trade The maritime fur trade was a ship-based fur trade system that focused on acquiring furs of sea otters and other animals from the indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast and natives of Alaska. The furs were mostly sold in China in exc ...

between the

Pacific Northwest The Pacific Northwest (sometimes Cascadia, or simply abbreviated as PNW) is a geographic region in western North America bounded by its coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Thou ...

and China. * Alessandro Malaspina; 1786–1788. * Robert Gray; 1787–1790; first American circumnavigation. *

John Boit John Boit Jr (15 October 1774 – 8 March 1829) was one of the first Americans involved in the maritime fur trade. He sailed as fifth mate under Captain Robert Gray on the second voyage of the ''Columbia Rediviva'', 1790–1793. During the voyage ...

(American

maritime fur trade The maritime fur trade was a ship-based fur trade system that focused on acquiring furs of sea otters and other animals from the indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast and natives of Alaska. The furs were mostly sold in China in exc ...

r); 1794–1796; in '' Union''; first

sloop A sloop is a sailboat with a single mast typically having only one headsail in front of the mast and one mainsail aft of (behind) the mast. Such an arrangement is called a fore-and-aft rig, and can be rigged as a Bermuda rig with triangular sa ...

of her size and rig to sail around the world.

19th century

Ignacio Maria de Alava Ignacio is a male Spanish and Galician name originating either from the Roman family name Egnatius, meaning born from the fire, of Etruscan origin, or from the Latin name "Ignatius" from the word "Ignis" meaning "fire". This was the name of se ...

; 1795–1803; in ''Montañés'', flagship of a

Spanish Navy The Spanish Navy or officially, the Armada, is the maritime branch of the Spanish Armed Forces and one of the oldest active naval forces in the world. The Spanish Navy was responsible for a number of major historic achievements in navigation, ...

quadron. *_Adam_Johann_von_Krusenstern_and_Yuri_Lisyansky.html" ;"title="Adam_Johann_von_Krusenstern.html" ;"title="quadron. * Adam Johann von Krusenstern">quadron. * Adam Johann von Krusenstern and Yuri Lisyansky">Adam_Johann_von_Krusenstern.html" ;"title="quadron. * Adam Johann von Krusenstern">quadron. * Adam Johann von Krusenstern and Yuri Lisyansky; 1803–1806; the first Russian circumnavigation. *

Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen Fabian Gottlieb Thaddeus von Bellingshausen (russian: Фадде́й Фадде́евич Беллинсга́узен, translit=Faddéy Faddéevich Bellinsgáuzen; – ) was a Russian naval officer, cartographer and explorer, who ultimatel ...

and Mikhail Lazarev; 1819–1821; the first circumnavigation mostly between 60° and 70° S, discovered

Antarctica Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean, it contains the geographic South Pole. Antarctica is the fifth-largest cont ...

and the first islands south of the

Antarctic Circle The Antarctic Circle is the most southerly of the five major circles of latitude that mark maps of Earth. The region south of this circle is known as the Antarctic, and the zone immediately to the north is called the Southern Temperate Zone. So ...

. * ; 1826–1827; as part of her assuming the role of the flagship of the South American station squadron, from England via Cape of Good Hope, Burma, Australia and Brazil, returning to England via the Caribbean. * , 3 September 1826 – 8 June 1830; from New York by way of Cape Horn, visiting the Hawaiian islands in 1829 and Macau in 1830. Her return voyage was made by way of China, the Philippines, the Indian Ocean, and the Cape of Good Hope. After nearly four years, ''Vincennes'' arrived back in New York under Commander William B. Finch. * Two days later the ship was decommissioned. * ; 19 August 1831 – 23 May 1834; Commodore John Downes commanding, departed New York for the

first Sumatran Expedition The First Sumatran expedition, which featured the Battle of Quallah Battoo (Aceh: Kuala Batèë, Indonesian: Kuala Batu) in 1832, was a punitive expedition by the United States Navy against the village of Kuala Batee, presently a subdistrict i ...

via the

, and returned via

to Boston. * Robert Fitzroy; 1831–1836; in ; with

Charles Darwin Charles Robert Darwin ( ; 12 February 1809 – 19 April 1882) was an English naturalist, geologist, and biologist, widely known for his contributions to evolutionary biology. His proposition that all species of life have descended ...

. * Sir George Simpson; 1841–1842; made the first "land circumnavigation" by crossing Canada and Siberia. * ; May 1844 – September 1846; commanded by Captain

John Percival John Percival (3 April 1779 – 7 September 1862), known as Mad Jack Percival, was a celebrated officer in the United States Navy during the Quasi-War with France, the War of 1812, the campaign against West Indies pirates, and the Mexican–Amer ...

. * The paddle sloop ; 1845–1847; first steamship circumnavigation. * The first

Galathea expedition The ''Galathea'' expeditions comprise a series of three Danish ship-based scientific research expeditions in the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries, carried out with material assistance from the Royal Danish Navy and, with regard to the second and thi ...

; 1845–1847; first Danish circumnavigation. * ; 1845–1851; Discovered Herald Island in the Bering Straits while searching for the Sir John Franklin Expedition. * The screw frigate ''Amazonas''; 1856–1858; first Peruvian circumnavigation. * ; 1857–1859; first Austrian circumnavigation. * ; 1864–65; only Confederate ship to circumnavigate. Captain James Iredell Waddell. *

Casto Méndez Núñez Casto Secundino María Méndez Núñez (July 1, 1824 – August 21, 1869) was a Spanish naval officer. In 1866 during the Chincha Islands War between Spain, Peru and Chile, he was general commander of the Spanish fleet in the Pacific. As such, h ...

; 1865–1868; aboard ''Numancia''; first ironclad warship circumnavigation; ''"Enloricata navis que primo terram circuivit"''. *

Ulysses S. Grant Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant ; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was an American military officer and politician who served as the 18th president of the United States from 1869 to 1877. As Commanding General, he led the Union A ...

; 1877-1879; included the first meeting of a former United States president (Grant) and a monarch of the United Kingdom,

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 216 days was longer than that of any previ ...

. * The

corvette A corvette is a small warship. It is traditionally the smallest class of vessel considered to be a proper (or " rated") warship. The warship class above the corvette is that of the frigate, while the class below was historically that of the slo ...

''Vital de Oliveira''; 19 November 1879 – 21 January 1881; commanded by

Júlio César de Noronha Júlio César de Noronha (26 January 1845 – 11 September 1923) was Brazil's Minister of the Navy from 1902 to 1906. Under his direction, the country ordered a slate of warships from the United Kingdom that included three battleships, three armor ...

; first Brazilian circumnavigation. * King Kalākaua; 1881; first monarch to circumnavigate the globe. *

Nellie Bly Elizabeth Cochran Seaman (born Elizabeth Jane Cochran; May 5, 1864 – January 27, 1922), better known by her pen name Nellie Bly, was an American journalist, industrialist, inventor, and charity worker who was widely known for her record-breaki ...

; 1889–1890; one of the first female journalists to solo circumnavigate the globe at the record-breaking 72 days. *

Fernando Villaamil Fernando Villaamil Fernández-Cueto (November 23, 1845 – July 3, 1898) was a Spanish naval officer, remembered for his internationally recognized professionalism, for being the inventor of the destroyer warship and for his death in action during ...

; 1892–1894; aboard ''Nautilus''; first training ship circumnavigation. *

Joshua Slocum Joshua Slocum (February 20, 1844 – on or shortly after November 14, 1909) was the first person to sail single-handedly around the world. He was a Nova Scotian-born, naturalised American seaman and adventurer, and a noted writer. In 1900 he wr ...

; 1895–1898; first single-handed circumnavigation.

20th century

* The

Great White Fleet The Great White Fleet was the popular nickname for the group of United States Navy battleships which completed a journey around the globe from December 16, 1907 to February 22, 1909 by order of President Theodore Roosevelt. Its mission was ...

; 1907–1909; first fleet to circumnavigate the world. * HMS '' New Zealand'' 1913, first by a

Dreadnought The dreadnought (alternatively spelled dreadnaught) was the predominant type of battleship in the early 20th century. The first of the kind, the Royal Navy's , had such an impact when launched in 1906 that similar battleships built after her ...

era battleship or battlecruiser. *

Harry Pidgeon Harry Clifford Pidgeon (August 31, 1869 – November 4, 1954) was an American sailor, a noted photographer, and was the second person to sail single-handedly around the world (1921-1925), 23 years after Joshua Slocum. Pidgeon was the first perso ...

; 1921–1925; second single-handed circumnavigation. * Conor O'Brien; 1923 - 1925; in ''Saoirse,'' a 20 ton 42 ft ketch, designed by himself and built in Baltimore, Ireland. First small private craft to circumnavigate west to east and south of the three great capes: Cape Horn, Cape of Good Hope and Cape Leeuwin SW Australia - the ''Clipper'' route. * , , and the rest of the

Special Service Squadron The Special Service Squadron was a component of the United States Navy during the earlier part of the 20th century. The squadron patrolled the Caribbean Sea as an instrument of gunboat diplomacy. It was headquartered in Balboa, Panama Canal Zone ...

; 1923–24; in the Empire Cruise, a tour of the British Empire after World War I. * Francesco Aurelio Geraci; 1932–1935; first italian to circumnavigate the globe with his little wooden ship M.A.S. (Memento Audere Semper). *

; 1932–1937; third single-handed circumnavigation, first person to circumnavigate solo twice (1921–1925 and 1932–1937). * Electa and Irving Johnson; 1934–1958; sail training pioneers, circumnavigated the world seven times with amateur crews. * Vito Dumas; 1942; single handed circumnavigation of the southern oceans, including the first single handed passage of all three great capes. * Operation Sandblast; 1960; ; first underwater circumnavigation. * Operation Sea Orbit; 1964; , , and ; first circumnavigation by an all-nuclear naval task force. *

1966 Soviet submarine global circumnavigation The 1966 Soviet submarine global circumnavigation (Russian: Подводная кругосветка советских атомоходов), was announced to be the second submerged around-the-world voyage executed by the detachment of the nu ...

; 1966; '' K-133'' and '' K-116''; first underwater circumnavigation conducted by the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...

. * Sir Francis Chichester; 1966–1967; first single-handed circumnavigation with just one port of call. * Sir Alec Rose; 1967–1968; single-handed circumnavigation with two stops (in Australia and New Zealand). *

Leonid Teliga Leonid Teliga (28 May 1917 – 21 May 1970) was a Polish sailor, writer, journalist, translator, and the first Polish people, Pole to single-handedly circumnavigation, circumnavigate the globe on his yawl ''Opty''. Life Youth Although he was ...

; 1967–1969; single-handed circumnavigation aboard SY Opty. * Robin Knox-Johnston; 1968–1969; first single-handed non-stop circumnavigation. * Robin Lee Graham; 1965–1970; then youngest (at ages 16–21) solo circumnavigation aboard 24-foot sailboat ''Dove''. * Chay Blyth; 1971; first westwards single-handed non-stop circumnavigation. *

Edward Allcard Edward Cecil Allcard (31 October 1914 – 28 July 2017) was an English naval architect, marine surveyor, yachtsman and author. He was the first person to cross the Atlantic single-handed in both directions, and wrote several books about his pion ...

; 1957–1973; circumnavigation via the three great capes aboard his 36-foot wooden ketch ''Sea Wanderer''. *

Webb Chiles Webb Chiles (born 1941), born Webb Tedford, is an American sailor and author noted for his offshore sailing. He has completed six circumnavigations, several of them Single-handed_sailing, single-handed, and is the author of seven books. Early ...

; solo circumnavigation 6 times, with the first being in 1975-1976 * Jon Sanders; 1970–2021; completed eleven circumnavigations. ** 1970 First solo circumnavigation trip east to west mostly sailing through tropics. ** 1981–82 Double nonstop solo circumnavigation west to east via Southern Ocean. ** 1986–88 Triple non-stop solo circumnavigation: 657 days 21 hours and 18 minutes at sea. ''Guinness World Records'' cites this as the longest distance sailed non-stop by any vessel (71,023 nautical miles) ** 2016–17 Completed 10th circumnavigation at the age of 78, mostly singlehanded. ** 2019-21 Completed 11th circumnavigation at the age of 81 * ; ETR-3 crew September 1972 - September 1973 Circumnavigation via Panama Canal Norfolk VA. East to west. *

Krystyna Chojnowska-Liskiewicz Krystyna Chojnowska-Liskiewicz (15 July 1936 – 13 June 2021) was a Polish naval engineer and sailor as well as the first woman to have sailed single-handed (i.e. solo) around the world, repeating the accomplishment of Joshua Slocum. She saile ...

; 1976–1978; first woman to perform a single-handed circumnavigation. *

Naomi James Dame Naomi Christine James, DBE (née Power; born 2 March 1949) is the first woman to have sailed single-handed (i.e. solo) around the world via Cape Horn, the second woman to have ever sailed solo around the world. She departed Dartmouth, Devo ...

; 1977–1978; first woman to perform a single-handed circumnavigation via Cape Horn. * Mark Schrader; 1982; completed two solo circumnavigations. In 1982–1983 became the first American to complete a solo circumnavigation via the five southernmost capes. *

Marvin Creamer Marvin Charles Creamer (January 24, 1916 – August 12, 2020) was an American college professor and sailor, notable for being the first recorded person to have sailed around the globe without the aid of navigational instruments. Between December, ...

; 21 December 1982 – 17 May 1984; only known person to circumnavigate the globe by boat with no nautical aids *

Bertie Reed Stanley John Reed (more commonly known as Bertie Reed; 19 January 1943 – 18 December 2006) was a South African yachtsman. He was the first South African to complete three singlehanded circumnavigations. Life Reed was born in Port Elizabeth ...

– 1982 – the first South African to complete three singlehanded circumnavigations. * Nikolay Dzambasov; 1 September 1983 – 25 July 1985; the first Bulgarian to circumnavigate the globe; traveled in a self-made yacht. * David Scott Cowper; 1985; first single-handed circumnavigation by motor boat. * Peter Freeman; 14 October 1984 – 14 July 1985; Skippered a Hartley 32 ferro-cement sloop ''Laiviņa'', from Victoria, British Columbia, Canada in 236 days. Set a new Guinness World Record. *

Dodge Morgan Dodge David Morgan (January 15, 1932 – September 14, 2010) was an American sailor, businessman, publisher and "self-proclaimed contrarian." He flew fighter jets in the U.S. Air Force in the early 1950s, worked as a newspaper reporter in Alaska, ...

; 12 November 1985 – 11 April 1986; Aboard sailboat ''American Promise'', became first American to sail solo around the world, non-stop. * ; 28 September 1985 – 10 January 1987;

First Indian circumnavigation The first Indian circumnavigation in a sail boat was undertaken in 1985-1987 by a team comprising officers of the Indian Army Corps of Engineers on yacht '' Trishna'', a 1970-vintage Swan 37 sloop. '' Trishna'' was given the singular honour th ...

by an

Indian Army Corps of Engineers The Indian Army Corps of Engineers is a combat support arm which provides combat engineering support, develops infrastructure for armed forces and other defence organisations and maintains connectivity along the borders, besides helping the civil ...

crew. Also had the first handicapped (one-legged) sailor to sail around the globe. *

Serge Testa Serge Testa is an Australian yachtsman who holds the world record for the circumnavigation in the smallest boat, completing the voyage in 1987. His boat, the ''Acrohc Australis'', was designed so that all controls could be operated from inside e ...

; 1987; an Australian yachtsman who holds the world record for the circumnavigation in the smallest boat, completing the voyage in 1987, in his 11-foot-10-inch (3.61 m) boat, the Acrohc Australis. * Teddy Seymour; 1987; aboard sailboat ''Love Song''; the first African-American to complete solo single-handed circumnavigation. * Mike Plant; 1987–1991; completed three circumnavigations.''The Museum of Yachting''
Retrieved March 27, 2013 ** 1986–87: Won the

BOC Challenge The Velux 5 Oceans Race was a round-the-world single-handed yacht race, sailed in stages, managed by Clipper Ventures since 2000. Its most recent name comes from its main sponsor Velux. Originally known as the BOC Challenge, for the title sponsor ...

with a time of 157 days aboard ''Airco Distributor'', an

Open 50 The Open 50 is a type of monohull sailing yacht and former ISAF international class. It is also known as the IMOCA 50, due to its origin in the International Monohull Open Classes Association. See also * Open 60 The IMOCA ("Open 60"), is a 60f ...

sloop built by Plant and designed by Roger Martin.''VELUX 5 Oceans Race (BOC Challenge) Official Website''
Retrieved March 27, 2013''Roger Martin Design''
Retrieved March 27, 2013 ** 1989: Competed in the first

Vendée Globe --> The Vendée Globe is a single-handed (solo) non-stop round the world yacht race. The race was founded by Philippe Jeantot in 1989, and since 1992 has taken place every four years. It is named after the Département of Vendée, in France ...

on ''Duracell'', an

Open 60 The IMOCA ("Open 60"), is a 60ft development class monohull sailing yacht administered by the International Monohull Open Class Association (IMOCA). The class pinnacle event are single or two person ocean races, such as the Route du Rhum and th ...

sloop built by Plant and designed by Roger Martin. Although eliminated from the race after receiving help with a rudder repair in New Zealand, Plant still set a record for the fastest American to sail single-handed around the world with a time of 135 days. ** 1990/91: Finished 4th overall in the BOC Challenge, setting the highest mark in a solo-sailing event for an American with a time of 132 days. * Tania Aebi; 1985–1987; American woman who completed a solo circumnavigation by the age of 21, one stretch with crew disqualified her from an official record. *

Kay Cottee Kay Cottee (née McLaren, born 25 January 1954) is an Australian sailor, who was the first woman to perform a single-handed sailing, single-handed, non-stop and unassisted circumnavigation of the world. She performed this feat in 1988 in her ...

; 1988; first woman to perform a solo non-stop circumnavigation. * David Scott Cowper; 1990; first single-handed circumnavigation via the North West Passage. *

Duncan McQueen Duncan may refer to: People * Duncan (given name), various people * Duncan (surname), various people * Clan Duncan * Justice Duncan (disambiguation) Places * Duncan Creek (disambiguation) * Duncan River (disambiguation) * Duncan Lake ...

; 1992–1999; * Pat Lawless Snr 1993-1996 Irish solo sailor, took him 3 years and 3 days in his 32 foot yatch "Loon", he returned to Limerick, Ireland at the age of 70 after his solo circumnavigate. http://www.patlawlesssolocircumnavigator.com/ * Lisa Clayton; 1994–1995; first British woman to sail single-handed and non-stop around the world. *

Brian Caldwell Brian 'BJ' Caldwell (born December 17, 1975) is an American sailor. He spent seven years cruising the South Pacific with his parents when he was young, returning to Hawaii at age 15. He departed Hawaii aged 19 and completed his voyage on Septembe ...

; 1995–1996; '1st-Under-Age-21' to complete solo circumnavigation with stops, completed by age 20. *

David Dicks David Griffiths Dicks, OAM, CitWA, (born 6 October 1978) is an Australian sailor. He became the youngest person to sail non-stop and solo around the world. In February 1996, at the age of 17, he set out from Fremantle, Western Australia in his ...

; 1996; youngest recognized assisted circumnavigation, completed aged 18 years 41 days. * Henk de Velde; 1997; sailed a catamaran eastbound around the world in 119 days, non-stop. He is still the only person in the world to perform this feat single-handed with a catamaran, although others have made faster single-handed circumnavigations in trimarans ( Ellen MacArthur, 2005, and Francis Joyon, 2008). * ''Cable and Wireless Adventurer''; 1998; 74 days, 20 hours, 58 minutes, a new Guinness World Record for a powered vessel. *

Robert E. Case The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, ho ...

; 1998–2001; American who was the first solo amputee to sail around the world. *

Amyr Klink Amyr Klink (born 25 September 1955) is a Brazilian explorer, sailor and writer. One of his projects, "Antarctica 360", was circumnavigating the Antarctic continent on his own, in 88 days between 1998 and 1999. Career Amyr Klink was the first pe ...

; 1998–1999; Brazilian who completed a solo circumnavigation of

in 88 days. *

Jesse Martin Jesse Martin, OAM (born 26 August 1981) is a German-Australian sailor who in 1999 became the youngest person to circumnavigate the globe solo, non-stop, and unassisted, Martin's journey in the S&S 34 sloop ''Lionheart-Mistral'' took approxim ...

; 1999; youngest recognized unassisted circumnavigation, completed aged 18 years 66 days. * Azhar Mansor; 1999; first Malaysian to sail solo around the world. * Alex Thomson; 1999; youngest skipper ever to win a round the world race (Clipper 1998–1999). * Daniel D. Moreland; 1997–1998; first circumnavigation of sail training vessel . *

Vinny Lauwers Vincent Marc Thierry Lauwers (born 12 September 1967) is an Australian round-the-world yachtsman. In 2000 he became the first paraplegic sailor to sail solo, non-stop around the world. In 2001, he won the Laureus Award for "Sportsperson of the Y ...

; 1999–2000; 233d 13h 43m 8s; 21760 nm; ''Vision Quest''; first single-handed circumnavigation by a disabled sailor (paraplegic). * Wladek Wagner, 1932-1939, first Polish citizen to sail around the world. He wrote the book

By the Sun and Stars ''By the Sun and Stars'' is an editorial documentation of an epic journey around the globe by sailboat. It was written via a logbook by Capt. Wladek Wagner while he traversed the vast oceans of the world. The journey took six years, from 1932 ...

about the voyage.

21st century

Wilfried Erdmann Wilfried Erdmann (born 15 April 1940 in Czarnikau, Posen Province, Prussia) is a German sailor and author. He is known for his single-handed, non-stop circumnavigations. Biography Erdmann was born in Posen Province, Prussia but grew up in Kar ...

; 14 August 2000 – 23 July 2001 in 343 days; monohull Kathena Nui; solo westward non-stop circumnavigation. * Ellen MacArthur; 2001; monohull; circumnavigated singlehandedly as the then fastest woman. *

Mike Golding Mike Golding (born 27 August 1960) is an English yachtsman, born in Great Yarmouth and educated at Reading Blue Coat School. He is one of the few yachtsmen to have raced round the world non stop in both directions. He held the solo record for ...

; 2001; first person to circumnavigate non-stop in both eastward and westward directions. 1993 World record for a westward circumnavigation, 161 days, Group 4. 2001 Vendee Globe Race 7th position. * ; 2003–2004; first Indian sail naval ship to circumnavigate the globe with the theme of "building bridges of friendship across the oceans". *

Bruno Peyron Bruno Tristan Peyron (born 10 November 1955) is a French yachtsman who, along with his crew on the catamaran '' Orange II'', broke the outright round-the-world sailing record in March 2005. He was the first winner of the Jules Verne Trophy in ...

and crew; 2005; aboard maxi catamaran '' Orange II''; set the then current windpowered circumnavigation record, 50 days, 16 hours, 20 minute. * Ellen MacArthur; 2005; trimaran ''B&Q/Castorama''; then the fastest singlehanded circumnavigation (71 days), is still the fastest woman in 2010. See also 2001. * Dee Caffari; first female to sail non-stop round the world westabout and both ways; ** 2005–2006; first woman to perform a solo westward non-stop circumnavigation, in 178 days. ** 2008-2009 Vendee Globe Race (Solo Nonstop Eastabout) onboard

IMOCA 60 The IMOCA ("Open 60"), is a 60ft development class monohull sailing yacht administered by the International Monohull Open Class Association (IMOCA). The class pinnacle event are single or two person ocean races, such as the Route du Rhum and t ...

Aviva in 99 days 1 hrs 10 min 57 sec * ; 2007; First circumnavigation of the globe by a Spanish warship in 142 years. * ; 2007 world cruise; at 148,528 gross ton, the world's largest passenger ship to circumnavigate the globe. * Earthrace; 2008; wave-piercing trimaran, with two 540-horsepower multi-fueled engines; current world record holder for a motorized vessel (disputed with , 1960), in 60 days 23 hours and 49 minutes. * Francis Joyon; 2008; ''

IDEC 2 ''IDEC 2'' is an ocean racing trimaran skippered by Francis Joyon and sponsored by groupe IDEC. She is currently named ''Qingdao China''. As ''IDEC 2'' The main goal of Francis Joyon was to regain the single-handed round-the-world record from E ...

''; fastest singlehanded multihull circumnavigation at that time, 57 days 13 hours 34 minutes 06 seconds. *

Michael Perham Michael Perham (born 16 March 1992) is an England, English sailor and adventurer from Potters Bar. In 2007 at the age of 14 he became the youngest person in the world to successfully sail across the Atlantic Ocean single-handed sailing, single- ...

; 2009; then youngest person (aged 16–17 years) to perform a singlehanded circumnavigation (with stops, through Panama Canal). * Franck Cammas and a crew of 10; 2010; French trimaran

Groupama 3 ''Groupama 3'' is a high performance racing sailing trimaran designed for transoceanic record-setting ''IDEC SPORT'' ''Banque Populaire VII'', ''Lending Club 2'', ''IDEC 3''). She is one of the world's fastest ocean-going sailing vessels and t ...

; set the fastest maritime circumnavigation at the time, in a time of 48 days, 7 hours 44 minutes and 52 seconds. *

Dilip Donde Captain Dilip Donde (born 26 September 1967) is a retired Indian Naval officer and the first Indian to complete a solo, unassisted circumnavigation of the globe under sail. From April 2006 to May 2010 he planned and executed Project 'Sagar Par ...

(Indian Navy); 2009–2010; first Indian to carry out a solo circumnavigation; stopped in four ports – Fremantle, Lyttelton, Port Stanley and Cape Town. * Jessica Watson; 2009–2010; youngest person (aged 16) to perform a solo non-stop southern hemisphere circumnavigation (past

). * Reid Stowe; 2007–2010; eastbound circumnavigation, 1152 days; longest time spent at sea without resupply or touching land. * Minoru Saito; 2008–2011; oldest person (aged 77) to perform a singlehanded circumnavigation (westbound, past Cape Horn, with stops). He has made eight singlehanded circumnavigations; after the seventh (which was non-stop) at age 71 he was already the oldest. * PlanetSolar; 2010–2012; first solar vehicle to circumnavigate the globe. *

Laura Dekker Laura Dekker (; born 20 September 1995) is a New Zealand-born Dutch sailor. In 2009, she announced her plan to become the youngest person to circumnavigate the globe single-handed. A Dutch court stepped in, owing to the objections of the local ...

; 2011–2012; youngest person (aged 14–16 years) to perform a singlehanded circumnavigation (with stops, through Panama Canal). * Jerome Rand, Oct 2017 to June 2018, 271 day, unsponsored, nonstop circumnavigation from Gloucester MA on a Westsail 32 (Mighty Sparrow) * British sailor

Jeanne Socrates Jeanne Socrates (born 17 August 1942) is a British yachtswoman. She is from Lymington. She holds the record as the oldest female to have circumnavigated the world single-handed, and she is the only woman to have circumnavigated solo nonstop from ...

; 2018–2019; oldest woman (aged 77) to single-handedly sail around the world, non-stop without outside assistance, for a year oldest person until Bill Hatfield sailed at a higher age. Also oldest woman at the time (aged 70) to do the same thing 2012–2013, also making her first woman to make solo non-stop unassisted circumnavigation from west coast of North America (Victoria BC, Canada). Oldest, in 2010–2011 (aged 68), to sail single-handedly around the world, with stops. Both were eastbound via Cape Horn. *

Bill Hatfield William Hatfield (born 14 January 1939) is an Australian retired engineer and fisherman who, at the age of 81, became the oldest person to have successfully sailed solo, non-stop and unassisted around the Earth. Hatfield simultaneously set th ...

; 2019-2020; oldest person (at 81) to sail solo non-stop unassisted single-handedly around the world, also first person (of any age) to sail solo non-stop unassisted single-handedly westabout (westbound) around the world in an under 40ft vessel. *

Abhilash Tomy Commander (Dr.) Abhilash Tomy, KC, NM is a retired Indian naval officer and yachtsman. In 2013, he became the first Indian to complete a solo, non-stop circumnavigation of the world under sail, and he also competed in the 2018 Golden Globe R ...

(Indian Navy); 2012–2013; first Indian to sail solo, non-stop around the world without outside assistance. Sailed south of the five southernmost capes. * Gerry Hughes; 2012–2013; first deaf yachtsman to sail single-handed around the world to pass the five great capes. On 1 September 2012, Hughes left Troon, Scotland to start his eight-month journey across the world. Hughes travel around the world solo, sailed 32,000 miles and became the first deaf yachtsman to passed all five southernmost capes. * (Indian Navy); 2017–2018; six female naval officers sailed south of the five southernmost capes during their

Navika Sagar Parikrama Navika Sagar Parikrama () was a circumnavigation of the globe by female officers of the Indian Navy. The six-member all-woman team circumnavigated and managed the whole operation in their first-ever global journey, on INSV ''Tarini''. The voya ...

expedition; they stopped in Fremantle, Lyttelton, Port Stanley and Cape Town. *

2020–2021 Vendée Globe The 2020–2021 Vendée Globe was a non-stop Around the world sailing record, round the world Yacht racing, yacht race for IMOCA 60 class yachts crewed by only one person. It was the ninth edition of the race, which started and finished in Les Sab ...

Race a total of 25 sailors completed a solo non-stop circumnavigation and 2 more completed a stopping * 2009-2022 first YouTuber No race just cleverly cruising around the life and the world Bryan Trotman on SV Delos has shown us the sea with envy and slow pace.

Fastest

* Operation Sandblast; 1960; ; first underwater circumnavigation, and fastest mechanically powered circumnavigation (disputed with Earthrace, 2008), in 60 days 21 hours. * Jon Sanders; 1986–1988; holds the world record for completing a single-handed, non-stop, triple circumnavigation, in 657 days 21 hours and 18 minutes. *

Jean-Luc Van Den Heede Jean-Luc Van Den Heede (born 8 June 1945 in Amiens) is a French sailor. He is best known for his achievements in single-handed sailing and set the current world-record for the westabout circumnavigation (he holds the overall record, i.e. althoug ...

(French); 2004; fastest westward single-handed circumnavigation, 122 days 14 hours 3 minutes 49 seconds. *

Adrienne Cahalan Adrienne Cahalan (born 1964) was the only woman competing in the 2005–06 Volvo Ocean Race. She is a qualified lawyer and had a master's degree in Applied Meteorology. Adrienne grew up on the Lane Cove River (part of Port Jackson) in Aust ...

(Australian); February–March 2004; fastest woman to complete a circumnavigation (crew of "Cheyenne") 58 days 9 hours 32 minutes 45 seconds. * Earthrace; 2008; wave-piercing trimaran, with two 540 horsepower multi-fueled engines; current world record holder for a motorized vessel (disputed with , 1960), in 60 days 23 hours and 49 minutes. *

François Gabart François Gabart (born 23 March 1983 in Saint-Michel-d'Entraygues, France) is a French professional offshore yacht racer who won the 2012-13 Vendée Globe in 78 days 2 hours 16 minutes, setting a new race record. In 2017 he set the speed record ...

(French); Nov 2017–Dec 2017; current fastest single-handed circumnavigation, in 42 days, 16 hours, 40 minutes, 35 seconds. * Francis Joyon and crew of five sailors; Dec 2016–Jan 2017; the Maxi trimaran

IDEC SPORT ''Groupama 3'' is a high performance racing sailing trimaran designed for transoceanic record-setting ''IDEC SPORT'' ''Banque Populaire VII'', ''Lending Club 2'', ''IDEC 3''). She is one of the world's fastest ocean-going sailing vessels and t ...

; current absolute (wind or mechanically powered) fastest maritime circumnavigation, in 40 days 23 hours 30 minutes 30 seconds of sailing. Average speed of 26.85 knots (30.71 mph), covering a total distance of . *

(Australian); 22 February 2020; fastest single-handed westbound circumnavigation in a vessel of under in length: 258 days, 22 hours, 24 minutes, and 9 seconds

Aerial

* Two open-cockpit biplanar Douglas World Cruiser

floatplane A floatplane is a type of seaplane with one or more slender floats mounted under the fuselage to provide buoyancy. By contrast, a flying boat uses its fuselage for buoyancy. Either type of seaplane may also have landing gear suitable for land, m ...

s of the

United States Army Air Service The United States Army Air Service (USAAS)Craven and Cate Vol. 1, p. 9 (also known as the ''"Air Service"'', ''"U.S. Air Service"'' and before its legislative establishment in 1920, the ''"Air Service, United States Army"'') was the aerial war ...

, piloted by Lowell H. Smith, Leslie P. Arnold, Erik H. Nelson and John Harding Jr., made the first aerial circumnavigation, in 1924, taking 175 days, covering . * LZ-127 '' Graf Zeppelin'', in 1929, piloted by Hugo Eckener made the first circumnavigation by an airship. It was also the then fastest aerial circumnavigation, in 21 days. * In 1930,

Charles Kingsford Smith Sir Charles Edward Kingsford Smith (9 February 18978 November 1935), nicknamed Smithy, was an Australian aviation pioneer. He piloted the first transpacific flight and the first flight between Australia and New Zealand. Kingsford Smith was b ...

completed the first circumnavigation by monoplane and first "true" circumnavigation (crossing equator) by air, in a journey spanning two years in all. * In 1932,

Wolfgang von Gronau Hans Wolfgang von Gronau (25 February 1893 - 17 March 1977) was a German aviation pioneer. Biography Wolfgang von Gronau was born in Berlin in a family hailing from the ancient dynasty of the House of Berg. He was the son of artillery General Ha ...

made the first aerial circumnavigation by

flying boat A flying boat is a type of fixed-winged seaplane with a hull, allowing it to land on water. It differs from a floatplane in that a flying boat's fuselage is purpose-designed for floatation and contains a hull, while floatplanes rely on fuselag ...

in a twin-engine Dornier seaplane, ''Gronland-Wal'' D-2053, in nearly four months, making 44 stops en route. He was accompanied by co-pilot Gerth von Roth, mechanic Franzl Hack, and radio operator Fritz Albrecht. * In 1933,

Wiley Post Wiley Hardeman Post (November 22, 1898 – August 15, 1935) was a famed American aviator during the interwar period and the first pilot to fly solo around the world. Also known for his work in high-altitude flying, Post helped develop o ...

repeated his 1931 circumnavigation by aeroplane, but this time solo, using an

autopilot An autopilot is a system used to control the path of an aircraft, marine craft or spacecraft without requiring constant manual control by a human operator. Autopilots do not replace human operators. Instead, the autopilot assists the operator' ...

and radio direction finder. He made the first solo aerial circumnavigation in a time one day faster than his previous record: 7 days, 19 hours, 49 minutes, in which he covered , but did not cross the equator. * Following the

Attack on Pearl Harbor The attack on Pearl HarborAlso known as the Battle of Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service upon the United States against the naval base at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii ...

in 1941, a Boeing 314 piloted by Robert Ford was forced to fly from

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The most populous urban area in the country and the fifth largest city in Oceania, Auckland has an urban population of about I ...

, New Zealand to

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

following the westerly route. Landing in Natal, Brazil and continuing on to New York, the Ford's Boeing 314 became the first commercial aircraft to circumnavigate the world. * Richarda Morrow-Tait became the first woman pilot to fly around the world, accompanied by navigator Michael Townsend, in a year and a day, from 18 August 1948 to 19 August 1949. * In 1949, the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Si ...

B-50 Superfortress The Boeing B-50 Superfortress is an American strategic bomber. A post–World War II revision of the Boeing B-29 Superfortress, it was fitted with more powerful Pratt & Whitney R-4360 radial engines, stronger structure, a taller tail fin, and ot ...

'' Lucky Lady II'' made the first non-stop aerial circumnavigation in 94 hours and 1 minute. Four

in-air refueling Aerial refueling, also referred to as air refueling, in-flight refueling (IFR), air-to-air refueling (AAR), and tanking, is the process of transferring aviation fuel from one aircraft (the tanker) to another (the receiver) while both aircraft a ...

s were required for the flight, which covered . * In 1957, three

Boeing B-52 Stratofortress The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress is an American long-range, subsonic, jet-powered strategic bomber. The B-52 was designed and built by Boeing, which has continued to provide support and upgrades. It has been operated by the United States Air ...

es made the first non-stop jet-aircraft circumnavigation in 45 hours and 19 minutes, with two in-air refuelings. The flight was completed at an average speed of 525 miles per hour. *

Geraldine Mock Geraldine "Jerrie" Fredritz Mock (November 22, 1925 – September 30, 2014) was an American pilot and the first woman to fly solo around the world. She flew a single engine Cessna 180 (registered N1538C) christened the '' Spirit of Columbus'' an ...

, 1964, first woman to complete a solo aerial circumnavigation, in a

Cessna 180 The Cessna 180 Skywagon is a four- or six-seat, fixed conventional gear general aviation airplane which was produced between 1953 and 1981. Though the design is no longer in production, many of these aircraft are still in use as personal aircr ...

. *

Flying Tigers The First American Volunteer Group (AVG) of the Republic of China Air Force, nicknamed the Flying Tigers, was formed to help oppose the Japanese invasion of China. Operating in 1941–1942, it was composed of pilots from the United States ...

Boeing 707 The Boeing 707 is an American, long-range, narrow-body airliner, the first jetliner developed and produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. Developed from the Boeing 367-80 prototype first flown in 1954, the initial first flew on December 2 ...

, crewed by five airline pilots, completed the first circumnavigation via the poles, 14–17 November 1965, in 62 hours 27 minutes. ''(Widespread introduction of

Very Low Frequency Very low frequency or VLF is the ITU designation for radio frequencies (RF) in the range of 3–30 kHz, corresponding to wavelengths from 100 to 10 km, respectively. The band is also known as the myriameter band or myriameter wave a ...

navigational aids)'' *

Elgen Long Elgen Marion Long (August 12, 1927 – January 26, 2022) was an American aviator and author who set fifteen aviation records and firsts, including his 1971 flight around the world over both poles. He received the FAI Gold Air Medal for his acco ...

, 1971, first solo circumnavigation via the poles, in a Piper Navajo. * Don Taylor, 1976, first circumnavigation by

homebuilt aircraft Homebuilt aircraft, also known as amateur-built aircraft or kit planes, are constructed by persons for whom this is not a professional activity. These aircraft may be constructed from "scratch", from plans, or from assembly kits.Armstrong, Kenn ...

. *

Ross Perot, Jr. Henry Ross Perot Jr. (born November 7, 1958) is a real estate developer and American businessman who is best known for his development of Alliance, Texas, an inland port near Dallas–Fort Worth, and making the first circumnavigation of the world ...

and

Jay Coburn A jay is a member of a number of species of medium-sized, usually colorful and noisy, passerine birds in the Crow family, Corvidae. The evolutionary relationships between the jays and the magpies are rather complex. For example, the Eurasi ...

, 1982, first circumnavigation by helicopter, by Bell 206L-1 LongRanger II * Dick Smith, 1982–1983, first solo circumnavigation by

helicopter A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forward, backward and laterally. These attribu ...

, in a Bell Jetranger III. * Dick Rutan and Jeana Yeager, 1986,

Voyager Voyager may refer to: Computing and communications * LG Voyager, a mobile phone model manufactured by LG Electronics * NCR Voyager, a computer platform produced by NCR Corporation * Voyager (computer worm), a computer worm affecting Oracle ...

, first non-stop non-refueled circumnavigation in an airplane, 9 days, 3 minutes and 44 seconds. * Dick Smith, 1988–1989, first circumnavigation landing at both poles, in a

Twin Otter The de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter is a Canadian STOL (Short Takeoff and Landing) utility aircraft developed by de Havilland Canada, which produced the aircraft from 1965 to 1988; Viking Air purchased the type certificate, then restar ...

. * In 1992 an

Air France Air France (; formally ''Société Air France, S.A.''), stylised as AIRFRANCE, is the flag carrier of France headquartered in Tremblay-en-France. It is a subsidiary of the Air France–KLM Group and a founding member of the SkyTeam global a ...

Concorde The Aérospatiale/BAC Concorde () is a retired Franco-British supersonic airliner jointly developed and manufactured by Sud Aviation (later Aérospatiale) and the British Aircraft Corporation (BAC). Studies started in 1954, and France an ...

, registration F-BTSD, achieved the fastest non-orbital circumnavigation in 32 hours 49 minutes and 3 seconds. * Fred Lasby, 1994, oldest circumnavigation, at 82 years of age, in

Piper Comanche The Piper PA-24 Comanche is an American four-seat or six-seat, low-wing, all-metal, light aircraft of semimonocoque construction with tricycle retractable landing gear. Piper Aircraft designed and developed the Comanche, which first flew on May ...

. * Dick Smith, 1994–95, first east-west circumnavigation by helicopter, in a

Sikorsky S-76 The Sikorsky S-76 is a medium-size commercial utility helicopter designed and produced by the American helicopter manufacturer Sikorsky Aircraft. It is the company's first helicopter specifically developed for the civilian market. The S-76 ...

, a distance traveled of 73,352 kilometres (39,407 nautical miles). *

Brian Milton Brian Milton is a British journalist, adventurer and aviation historian who made the first circumnavigation of the world in an ultralight aircraft in 1998. In the face of significant political, geographical, personal and physical hardships, he ...

, 1998, first

microlight Ultralight aviation (called microlight aviation in some countries) is the flying of lightweight, 1- or 2-seat fixed-wing aircraft. Some countries differentiate between weight-shift control and conventional three-axis control aircraft with aile ...

circumnavigation. He used an open-cockpit single engine Pegasus Quantum 912. No support aircraft escorted the flight. Keith Reynolds was copilot from Webridge, Surrey, to Yuzhno Sakhalinsk, Siberia. Then, as required by the Russian authorities, navigator Petr Petrov accompanied Milton to Nome, Alaska. Milton completed the rest of the 120-day voyage solo (71 flying days). *

Bertrand Piccard Bertrand Piccard FRSGS (born 1 March 1958) is a Swiss explorer, psychiatrist and environmentalist. Along with Brian Jones, he was the first to complete a non-stop balloon flight around the globe, in a balloon named Breitling Orbiter 3. He was ...

and Brian Jones, 1999, first non-stop

balloon A balloon is a flexible bag that can be inflated with a gas, such as helium, hydrogen, nitrous oxide, oxygen, and air. For special tasks, balloons can be filled with smoke, liquid water, granular media (e.g. sand, flour or rice), or lig ...

circumnavigation in ''

Breitling Orbiter 3 ''Breitling Orbiter'' was the name of three different Rozière balloons made by the Bristol based balloon manufacturer Cameron Balloons to circumnavigate the globe, named after the Swiss watchmakers Breitling. The third was successful in March ...

'', 19 days, 1 hour and 49 minutes, covering . *

Jennifer Murray Jennifer Murray (born June 1940 in Providence, Rhode Island) is a pilot. In 2000 she circumnavigated the globe in a Robinson R44 helicopter, traveling 36,000 miles in 97 days, earning her the Guinness World Record for the first helicopter circumnav ...

, 2000, first solo circumnavigation by a woman by helicopter. *

Colin Bodill Colin Bodill (born 1952) is an adventurer and pilot from Nottingham, England. Colin has won the UK microlight championships several times and became the World Champion in 1995. In 1998 he set a new World Speed Record for flying an open-cockp ...

, 2000, first solo circumnavigation by a

( Mainair Blade) in 99 days. Also held fastest circumnavigation by microlight until broken. Bodill was part of an entourage of 4 aircraft, one of which carried supplies and support. *

Steve Fossett James Stephen Fossett (April 22, 1944 – September 3, 2007) was an American businessman and a record-setting aviator, sailor, and adventurer. He was the first person to fly solo nonstop around the world in a balloon and in a fixed-wing aircraf ...

, 2 July 2002, first solo

circumnavigation. *

Matevž Lenarčič Matevž Lenarčič is an extreme light aircraft pilot from Slovenia. He is also an alpinist, paraglider, environmentalist, and a photographer. He has climbed all over the world and among others reached the top of 8051m Broad Peak in Himalaya a ...

; 2004; Circumnavigation with microlight aircraft

Pipistrel Pipistrel d.o.o Ajdovščina is a Slovenian light aircraft manufacturer established in 1989Or 1989... --> by Ivo Boscarol and based in Ajdovščina. Its facilities are located in Ajdovščina, Slovenia, and near the town of Gorizia, Italy. By M ...

". *

, 3 March 2005, GlobalFlyer, first non-stop, non-refueled solo circumnavigation in an airplane, 67 hours, covering . *

, 11 February 2006, GlobalFlyer, longest non-stop, non-refueled solo flight (with circumnavigation) in an airplane, covering , in 76 hours and 45 minutes. *

Barrington Irving Captain Barrington Irving Jr. (born November 11, 1983) is a Jamaican-born American pilot who previously held the record for the youngest person to pilot a plane around the world solo, a feat he accomplished in 2007. He is also the first black per ...

, 27 June 2007, Inspiration, youngest solo circumnavigation in an airplane, at that time, 23 years, 228 days; left Miami, Florida, March 23, 2007, first stop, Cleveland, Ohio. (record broken numerous times subsequently) * Rahul Monga and Anil Kumar, 2007, fastest circumnavigation in a

, 79 days. Team from the

Indian Air Force The Indian Air Force (IAF) is the air force, air arm of the Indian Armed Forces. Its complement of personnel and aircraft assets ranks third amongst the air forces of the world. Its primary mission is to secure Indian airspace and to conduct ...

to commemorate the 75 Anniversary of the founding of the

. Aircraft used was a Flight Design CTSW. They covered in a total flight time of 247 hours and 27 minutes. * Matt Guthmiller became the youngest pilot to circumnavigate by aircraft, solo in 2014. Since then the record has been surpassed by Australian Lachlan Smart in 2016, American Mason Andrews in 2018 and Englishman

Travis Ludlow Travis Ludlow (born 13 February 2003) is an English aviator. In 2021, he became the youngest person to fly solo around the world at age 18 years old, a record he held for 1 year. Early life Ludlow was born on 13 February 2003. He is from Ibsto ...

in 2021. * Swiss pilots

and André Borschberg, in the first circumnavigation by solar-powered aircraft, took off from

Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi (, ; ar, أَبُو ظَبْيٍ ' ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in the United Arab Emirates, second-most populous city (after Dubai) of the United Arab Emirates. It is also the capital of the Emirate of Abu Dha ...

aboard the Solar Impulse 2 on 9 March 2015, and were originally scheduled to complete their circumnavigation of the

Northern Hemisphere The Northern Hemisphere is the half of Earth that is north of the Equator. For other planets in the Solar System, north is defined as being in the same celestial hemisphere relative to the invariable plane of the solar system as Earth's Nort ...

in five months. Due to battery damage, continuation of the flight was postponed until April 2016. This circumnavigation was completed on 26 July 2016. * Michael Smith, November 2015, first solo circumnavigation in a single-engine flying boat in Progressive Aerodyne SeaRey two-seater light sport aircraft *

Fyodor Konyukhov Fyodor Filippovich Konyukhov (russian: Фёдор Филиппович Конюхов; born 12 December 1951 in Chkalovo, Pryazovskyi Raion, Zaporizhzhia Oblast, Ukrainian SSR) is a Russian survivalist, voyager, aerial and marine explorer, a ...

, 23 July 2016, broke the record for the fastest circumnavigation in a hot air balloon. He took "just over 11 days", breaking Steve Fossett's 2002 record of 13 and a half days. * Peter Wilson and Matthew Gallagher; 7 August 2017; First circumnavigation by helicopter through antipodes. *

Ravinder Bansal Ravinder Bansal (born 26 February 1949), is an Indian American entrepreneur, philanthropist, and amateur pilot from Clarence, New York. He was the first person of Indian origin to fly around the world solo in a single engine plane. Early life ...

, 20 August 2017, became the first person of Indian origin to complete a solo circumnavigation in a single engine plane. *

Shaesta Waiz Shaesta Waiz (born 1987) is an American aviator. She is the first female certified civilian pilot born in Afghanistan, and in 2017, became the youngest woman to fly solo around the world in a single-engine aircraft - a record she held until Zara ...

, 4 October 2017, became the youngest woman to fly solo around the world in a single-engine aircraft, a feat superseded by

Zara Rutherford Zara Rutherford (born 5 July 2002) is a Belgian-British aviator. At age 19, she became the youngest female pilot to fly solo around the world and the first person to complete a circumnavigation in a microlight aircraft after a five-month journ ...

. *

Norman Surplus Norman Surplus (7 February 1963 – 19 April 2022) was a pilot from Northern Ireland who circumnavigated the globe in an autogyro, nicknamed "Roxy". His trip began in 2010 and ended on 28 June 2019. In 2010, during the first leg of his trip, Su ...

, 28 June 2019, first Gyroplane/Autogyro circumnavigation. Using an open cockpit, Rotorsport UK MT-03 Autogyro (Registered G-YROX - "Roxy"), Surplus flew a distance of 27,000 NM, through 32 Countries and set 19x FAI new world records. Initial departure was on 22 March 2010, but difficulty with Russian permission delayed the aircraft in Japan for 3.5 years. The circumnavigation was reset/continued from the Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum, McMinnville, Oregon on 1 June 2015 and was finally successfully completed on return to the same place on 28 June 2019. * Terry W. Virts and Hamish Harding, 11 July 2019, fastest circumnavigation of the globe via the North and South Poles. Virts and Harding headed a crew of eight in a Gulfstream G650ER jet to circumnavigate the globe in a time of 46 hours, 40 minutes and 22 seconds, with an average speed of 860.95 km/hr (534.97 mph). *

Robert DeLaurentis Robert DeLaurentis (born De Laurentiis) is an American television producer and television writer. DeLaurentis wrote the 1982 film ''A Little Sex'', and has also written a proposed script for a ''Doctor Who'' film. He has both written and produced ...

, 10 August 2020, the first pilot and aircraft (Turbine Commander 900 "Citizen of the World" N29GA) to successfully circumnavigate and use biofuels over the North and South poles. Initial departure from Gillespie Field, El Cahon, CA, was November 17, 2019, completed August 10, 2020 with a five-month delay due to Pandemic. Other first-time records include the longest distance flown in a twin or single engine turboprop—18.1 hours; first and fastest Polar circumnavigation in a twin or single engine turboprop; first testing for plastic microfibers across the globe including over the South and North poles. *

, 20 January 2022, became the youngest woman to fly solo around the world and the first person to complete the circumnavigation in a

. She began her westabout journey from her native Belgium on 18 August 2021. *

Mack Rutherford Mack Rutherford (born 21 June 2005) is a British-Belgian aviator. On 24 August 2022, under the name Macksolo, he became the youngest person ever to fly solo around the world (and first ever minor/under eighteen years old). He holds four Guinness ...

, 24 August 2022, became the youngest person to circumnavigate the world by aircraft solo and youngest person to circumnavigate the world by microlight.

Spacecraft

* On 12 April 1961

Yuri Gagarin Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin; Gagarin's first name is sometimes transliterated as ''Yuriy'', ''Youri'', or ''Yury''. (9 March 1934 – 27 March 1968) was a Soviet pilot and cosmonaut who became the first human to journey into outer space. T ...

made the first human flight in space, and completed the first orbit of the Earth, in '' Vostok 1'', in 108 minutes. * The second and third orbital circumnavigations, the first two to have multiple orbits, were made by Gherman Titov (17.5 orbits, a little over a day, for the Soviet Union) and

John Glenn John Herschel Glenn Jr. (July 18, 1921 – December 8, 2016) was an American Marine Corps aviator, engineer, astronaut, businessman, and politician. He was the third American in space, and the first American to orbit the Earth, circling ...

, in '' Friendship 7'' (3 orbits, almost five hours, for the US, first American orbital flight), respectively. * The first woman to circumnavigate the Earth in orbit, and to also do so multiple times, was

Valentina Tereshkova Valentina Vladimirovna Tereshkova ( rus, Валентина Владимировна Терешкова, links=no, p=vɐlʲɪnʲˈtʲinə vlɐˈdʲimʲɪrəvnə tʲɪrʲɪʂˈkovə, a=Valentina Tereshkova.ogg; born 6 March 1937) is an engine ...

, who made forty-eight orbits between 16 and 19 June 1963, aboard

Vostok 6 Vostok 6 (russian: Восток-6, ''Orient 6'' or ''East 6'') was the first human spaceflight to carry a woman, cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova, into space. Mission The spacecraft was launched on 16 June 1963. While Vostok 5 had been delayed by ...

. * Frank F. Borman II, James A. Lovell Jr., and William A. Anders, 21–27 December 1968, first human circumnavigation of the Earth-Moon system, 10 orbits around the moon in about 20 hours, aboard ''

Apollo 8 Apollo 8 (December 21–27, 1968) was the first crewed spacecraft to leave low Earth orbit and the first human spaceflight to reach the Moon. The crew orbited the Moon ten times without landing, and then departed safely back to Earth. The ...

''; total trip to the moon and back was more than 6 Earth days.

Human powered

Motorized transportation is permitted over water and where otherwise needed, but the human-powered distance must be a minimum of to qualify for a world record, according to Guinness rules since 2013. * Thomas Stevens was the first person to circle the globe by bicycle. The feat was accomplished between 1884 and 1886. While impressive at the time, a good portion of the trip was by steamer due to technical and political constraints. * Dave Kunst walked around the world between 20 June 1970 and 10 October 1974. * Rick Hansen, a paraplegic athlete, became the first person to travel around the world in a wheelchair from 21 March 1985 to 22 May 1987, covering over through 34 countries on four continents. *

Robert Garside Robert Garside (born 6 January 1967), calling himself The Runningman, is a British runner who is credited by Guinness World Records as the first person to run around the world. Garside began his record-setting run following two aborted attem ...

is credited by

Guinness World Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...

as the first person to run around the world from 20 October 1997 to 13 June 2003, taking 2,062 days to cover across 29 countries and 6 continents. * Steve Strange completed the first true cycling circumnavigation, riding for 276 days in 2004–2005, following updated Guinness World Record rules for a proper circumnavigation.

Nick Sanders Nicholas Mark Sanders (born 1958) is a British bicyclist, motorcyclist and author noted for his long-distance riding and has ridden around the world seven times. In 1992 he rode around the world on a Royal Enfield Bullet motorcycle. On 9 June ...

had set the record for cycling around the

in 1984, which was considered a circumnavigation by earlier Guinness rules. * Jesper Olsen travelled from 1 January 2004 to 23 October 2005 during a circumnavigation solely on foot except for ocean crossings. * Colin Angus circumnavigated the Northern Hemisphere solely by human power in 2006 but did not qualify under the Guinness guidelines as a human powered circumnavigation. His attempt, however, was recognized by National Geographic. * Jason Lewis completed the first true human-powered circumnavigation (without sails or any motorized transport) from 12 July 1994 to 6 October 2007, covering in both the southern and northern hemispheres and reaching two

antipodal points In mathematics, antipodal points of a sphere are those diametrically opposite to each other (the specific qualities of such a definition are that a line drawn from the one to the other passes through the center of the sphere so forms a true ...

, gaining accreditation from Guinness World Records and Adventurestats by Explorersweb. *

Rosie Swale-Pope Rosie Swale-Pope, MBE (born 2 October 1946) is a British author, adventurer and marathon runner. She successfully completed a five-year around-the-world run, raising £250,000 for a charity that supports orphaned children in Russia and to high ...

travelled from 2 October 2003 to 25 August 2008 during a circumnavigation solely on foot except for ocean crossings. * Erden Eruç completed the first ''solo'' human-powered circumnavigation (without sails or any motorized transport) traveling by rowboat, sea kayak, foot and bicycle from 10 July 2007 to 21 July 2012. Erden crossed the equator two times, passed over 12 pairs of antipodal points, and logged while setting 13 Guinness records for ocean rowing. * Juliana Buhring completed the first cycling circumnavigation by a solo female in 2012 following updated Guinness World Record rules for a cycling circumnavigation. She began in July and finished in December 2012 after 152 days of riding over , averaging about a day. *

Paola Gianotti Paola is a female given name, the Italian form of the name Paula. Notable people with the name include: People In arts and entertainment *Paola Del Medico (born 1950), Swiss singer * Paola e Chiara, pop music duo consisting of two sisters born ...

set the current record for the fastest cycling circumnavigation by a female in 2014. She began her attempt on 8 March and finished on 30 November 2014—including four months of recovery after an accident that broke a

vertebra The spinal column, a defining synapomorphy shared by nearly all vertebrates, Hagfish are believed to have secondarily lost their spinal column is a moderately flexible series of vertebrae (singular vertebra), each constituting a characteristi ...

—riding for 144 days over , averaging about a day. * Mark Beaumont set the current record for the fastest cycling circumnavigation in 2017. He began his attempt on 2 July and finished on 18 September 2017, after 78 days, 14 hours, and 40 minutes, averaging about a day on an ride across Europe, Asia, Australia, New Zealand, and North America. Beaumont had also broken the same record in 2008. *

Jenny Graham Jenny Graham is a Scottish endurance cyclist. In 2018 she became the fastest woman to cycle around the world unsupported. Biography Graham is part of the Adventure Syndicate (a collective of female endurance cyclists) and a member of Cycling ...

set the current record for the fastest unsupported cycling circumnavigation in 2018. She completed the attempt in 124 days, 10 hours and 50 minutes, starting in Berlin on the 16th of June 2018, and arriving back on the 18th of October.

Miscellaneous

* King Kalākaua traveled around the world, over land and sea, thus becoming the first reigning monarch to complete such a journey in 1881. *

traveled around the world with public steamboats and trains in 72 days (from November 14, 1889, to January 25, 1890), a world record, resembling the ''

Around the World in Eighty Days ''Around the World in Eighty Days'' (french: link=no, Le tour du monde en quatre-vingts jours) is an adventure novel by the French writer Jules Verne, first published in French in 1872. In the story, Phileas Fogg of London and his newly employe ...

'' novel. * Clärenore Stinnes and Carl-Axel Söderström were the first persons to drive around the world in a car between 25 May 1927 and 24 June 1929. *

Friedrich Karl von Koenig-Warthausen Friedrich Karl Richard Paul August Freiherr Koenig von und zu Warthausen (2 April 1906 – 15 December 1986) was a German aviator who made the first solo flight around the world in 1928–1929. His flight took him eastwards from Berlin to Moscow, ...

, in a Klemm L.20 aircraft over land and via ship for ocean legs, circumnavigated the globe solo, between August 1928 and November 1929. * Mrs Victor Bruce completed the first solo partially aerial circumnavigation by a woman (crossing oceans by vessel) in 1931. * Beginning in

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple- ...

, Ben Carlin circumnavigated the world in a modified Ford GPA

Jeep Jeep is an American automobile marque, now owned by multi-national corporation Stellantis. Jeep has been part of Chrysler since 1987, when Chrysler acquired the Jeep brand, along with remaining assets, from its previous owner American Motors ...

between 1950 and 1958, becoming the first person to circumnavigate the world by

amphibious vehicle An amphibious vehicle (or simply amphibian), is a vehicle that is a means of transport viable on land as well as on or under water. Amphibious vehicles include amphibious Amphibious cycle, bicycles, Amphibious ATV, ATVs, Amphibious automobile, ca ...

. *

Heinz Stücke Heinz Stücke (born 11 January 1940) is a long-distance itinerate cyclist from Hövelhof, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany — noted for setting the world record for bicycle touring in 1995. In a global journey spanning more than 50 years, St� ...

has been cycling around the world since 1962. *

Arthur Blessitt Arthur Owen Blessitt (born October 27, 1940) is a traveling Christian preacher who is known for carrying a cross through every nation of the world. Biography Early life and career Blessitt was born in Greenville, Mississippi, and grew up in no ...

has been walking around the world carrying a wooden cross since 1968, covering through 324 countries. * Sir Ranulph Fiennes, Charles Burton, et al.; 1979–1982; first circumnavigation via the

North North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography. Etymology The word ''north ...

and

South South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both east and west. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþa ...

Poles on the

Transglobe Expedition The Transglobe Expedition (1979–1982) was the first expedition to make a longitudinal (north–south) circumnavigation of the Earth using only surface transport. British adventurer Sir Ranulph Fiennes led a team, including Oliver Shepard and C ...

. * Garry Sowerby holds four world records for circumnavigation in an automobile. * Vladimir Lysenko circumnavigated the globe from west to east, deviating no more than two degrees of latitude from the Equator. Starting in Libreville, Gabon, Lysenko crossed (in a car, a motor boat, a yacht, a ship, a kayak, a bicycle, and by foot) Africa, Indian Ocean, Indonesia, Pacific Ocean, South America and Atlantic Ocean, finishing in Libreville in 2012. * Kane Avellano became the youngest person to circumnavigate the globe by motorcycle on a trip completed just one day before his 24th birthday. The circumnavigation began on 31 May 2016 and ended on 19 January 2017, with a total duration of 233 days. Avellano covered more than , passing through 36 countries and 6 continents.

Non-global

Phoenicia Phoenicia () was an ancient thalassocratic civilization originating in the Levant region of the eastern Mediterranean, primarily located in modern Lebanon. The territory of the Phoenician city-states extended and shrank throughout their his ...

n expedition sent by

Pharaoh Pharaoh (, ; Egyptian: '' pr ꜥꜣ''; cop, , Pǝrro; Biblical Hebrew: ''Parʿō'') is the vernacular term often used by modern authors for the kings of ancient Egypt who ruled as monarchs from the First Dynasty (c. 3150 BC) until th ...

Necho II Necho II (sometimes Nekau, Neku, Nechoh, or Nikuu; Greek: Νεκώς Β'; ) of Egypt was a king of the 26th Dynasty (610–595 BC), which ruled from Sais. Necho undertook a number of construction projects across his kingdom. In his reign, accord ...

; c. 600 BC; possibly circumnavigating Africa. *

Pytheas of Massalia Pytheas of Massalia (; Ancient Greek: Πυθέας ὁ Μασσαλιώτης ''Pythéas ho Massaliōtēs''; Latin: ''Pytheas Massiliensis''; born 350 BC, 320–306 BC) was a Greek geographer, explorer and astronomer from the Greek colon ...

apparently circumnavigated the

British Isles The British Isles are a group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-western coast of continental Europe, consisting of the islands of Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Inner and Outer Hebrides, the Northern Isl ...

circa 325 BC, though his account of the exploration is lost, except for references to it in the works of classical historians. * Roman Governor Gnaeus Julius Agricola; c. 80; first confirmed circumnavigation of British Isles. *

Jacques Cartier Jacques Cartier ( , also , , ; br, Jakez Karter; 31 December 14911 September 1557) was a French- Breton maritime explorer for France. Jacques Cartier was the first European to describe and map the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and the shores of ...

; 1534–1535; first circumnavigation of

Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...

. *

García de Nodal García or Garcia may refer to: People * García (surname) * Kings of Pamplona/Navarre ** García Íñiguez of Pamplona, king of Pamplona 851/2–882 ** García Sánchez I of Pamplona, king of Pamplona 931–970 ** García Sánchez II of Pam ...

; 1619; first circumnavigation of

Tierra del Fuego Tierra del Fuego (, ; Spanish for "Land of the Fire", rarely also Fireland in English) is an archipelago off the southernmost tip of the South American mainland, across the Strait of Magellan. The archipelago consists of the main island, Isla ...

. *

Abel Tasman Abel Janszoon Tasman (; 160310 October 1659) was a Dutch seafarer, explorer, and merchant, best known for his voyages of 1642 and 1644 in the service of the Dutch East India Company (VOC). He was the first known European explorer to reach New ...

; 1642–1643; first circumnavigation of the Australian continent (including New Guinea and Tasmania). *

; 1769–1770; first circumnavigation of

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island coun ...

. *

; 1772–1775; first circumnavigation of

(including New Zealand's South Island). *

George Bass George Bass (; 30 January 1771 – after 5 February 1803) was a British naval surgeon and explorer of Australia. Early years Bass was born on 30 January 1771 at Aswarby, a hamlet near Sleaford, Lincolnshire, the son of a tenant farmer, George ...

and

Matthew Flinders Captain Matthew Flinders (16 March 1774 – 19 July 1814) was a British navigator and cartographer who led the first inshore circumnavigation of mainland Australia, then called New Holland. He is also credited as being the first person to ut ...

; 1798; first circumnavigation of

Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...

, Australia. *

; 1801–1803; first circumnavigation of

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...

(without Tasmania). *

; 1820–1821; first circumnavigation of

(without New Zealand). * Robert McClure; 1850–1854; first both to circumnavigate the Americas, and to transit the Northwest Passage. All by sea save for a 550 mile stretch on foot over pack ice from Mercy Bay to Beechey Island. * Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld; 1878–1879; first circumnavigation of

Eurasia Eurasia (, ) is the largest continental area on Earth, comprising all of Europe and Asia. Primarily in the Northern and Eastern Hemispheres, it spans from the British Isles and the Iberian Peninsula in the west to the Japanese archipelag ...

, via the

Northeast Passage The Northeast Passage (abbreviated as NEP) is the Arctic shipping routes, shipping route between the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic and Pacific Ocean, Pacific Oceans, along the Arctic coasts of Norway and Russia. The western route through the islands o ...

and the

Suez Canal The Suez Canal ( arz, قَنَاةُ ٱلسُّوَيْسِ, ') is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea through the Isthmus of Suez and dividing Africa and Asia. The long canal is a popula ...

, during the Vega expedition. * ''St Roch''; 1940–1942 and 1950; first vessel to circumnavigate

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and th ...

. 1940–1942 Vancouver to Halifax,

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native Eng ...

, via the

Northwest Passage The Northwest Passage (NWP) is the sea route between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans through the Arctic Ocean, along the northern coast of North America via waterways through the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. The eastern route along the ...

. 1950, Halifax to Vancouver, via the

Panama Canal The Panama Canal ( es, Canal de Panamá, link=no) is an artificial waterway in Panama that connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean and divides North and South America. The canal cuts across the Isthmus of Panama and is a condui ...

. * ; 1954; first vessel to circumnavigate North America in a single voyage, via the

. Halifax west through Northwest Passage. South to Panama canal and return to Halifax. * ; 1967; circumnavigated South America via the

. *

; December 23,

1968 The year was highlighted by protests and other unrests that occurred worldwide. Events January–February * January 5 – " Prague Spring": Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia. * J ...

; first crewed circumnavigation of the Moon. * CCGS ''Hudson''; 1970; first circumnavigation of

and South America. * Miles Clark; 1992; circumnavigation of Europe, going from the

White Sea The White Sea (russian: Белое море, ''Béloye móre''; Karelian and fi, Vienanmeri, lit. Dvina Sea; yrk, Сэрако ямʼ, ''Serako yam'') is a southern inlet of the Barents Sea located on the northwest coast of Russia. It is s ...

to the

Black Sea The Black Sea is a marginal mediterranean sea of the Atlantic Ocean lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bounded by Bulgaria, Georgia, Rom ...

through several Russian waterways. * The making waves foundation project team, 2003, achieved the world record for a non-stop, unassisted circumnavigation around Australia by a monohulled vessel. The 7 person crew was made up of

Albert Lee Albert William Lee (born 21 December 1943) is an English guitarist known for his fingerstyle and hybrid picking technique. Lee has worked, both in the studio and on tour, with many famous musicians from a wide range of genres. He has also mai ...

(double amputee), Al Grundy (polio), Kim Jaggar (amputee), David Pescud (dyslexic), Phil Thompson(amputee), Harald Merlieb (hearing impaired) and Brett Pearce (spina bifida). It took skipper David Pescud, and his disabled crew 37 days and 1 hour to complete the sail. * ''

'' (a replica of a

n ship); 2009–2010; remade the possible circumnavigation of Africa, but completed the modern trip by going from

Syria Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...

to the

Red Sea The Red Sea ( ar, البحر الأحمر - بحر القلزم, translit=Modern: al-Baḥr al-ʾAḥmar, Medieval: Baḥr al-Qulzum; or ; Coptic: ⲫⲓⲟⲙ ⲛ̀ϩⲁϩ ''Phiom Enhah'' or ⲫⲓⲟⲙ ⲛ̀ϣⲁⲣⲓ ''Phiom ǹšari''; ...

via the

. *

Børge Ousland Børge Ousland (born 31 May 1962) is a Norwegian polar explorer. He was the first person to cross Antarctica solo. He started his career as a Norwegian Navy Special Forces Officer with Marinejegerkommandoen, and he also spent several years wor ...

in the yacht ''Northern Passage'' July–October 2010 and

Daniel Gavrilov Daniel is a masculine given name and a surname of Hebrew origin. It means "God is my judge"Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 68. (cf. Gabriel—"God is my strength ...

in the yacht ''Peter I''; June–November 2010; first circumnavigation of the

Arctic The Arctic ( or ) is a polar regions of Earth, polar region located at the northernmost part of Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean, adjacent seas, and parts of Canada (Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut), Danish Realm (Greenla ...

in a single season. Ousland claims to have crossed his wake north of Bergen on 14 October; it's unclear when Gavrilov crossed his wake. *

Matt Rutherford ''Glee'' is a musical comedy-drama television series that aired on Fox in the United States for six seasons from 2009 to 2015. It focuses on the high school glee club New Directions competing in the show choir competition circuit, while its membe ...

; June 2011 – April 2012; first single-handed, non-stop sailing circumnavigation of the

Americas The Americas, which are sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North America, North and South America. The Americas make up most of the land in Earth's Western Hemisphere and comprise the New World. ...

, leaving from the mouth of the

Chesapeake Bay The Chesapeake Bay ( ) is the largest estuary in the United States. The Bay is located in the Mid-Atlantic region and is primarily separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the Delmarva Peninsula (including the parts: the Eastern Shore of Maryland / ...

, through the

, around

, and back to the Chesapeake Bay. The

Scott Polar Research Institute The Scott Polar Research Institute (SPRI) is a centre for research into the polar regions and glaciology worldwide. It is a sub-department of the Department of Geography in the University of Cambridge, located on Lensfield Road in the south ...

officially recognized Rutherford's sailboat as the smallest vessel to ever transit the Northwest Passage. * Tim Batstone; 1984; first non-stop windsurfing circumnavigation of the British Isles. *

Jonathan Dunnett Jonathan "Jono" Dunnett (born 11 March 1974) is a British-born Spanish-based adventurer, writer and windsurfing instructor. In May 2019, he has completed a solo expedition to windsurf the European mainland coastline on a windsurfer, landing at ...

; June–September 2015; first single-handed and unsupported, non-stop windsurfing circumnavigation of Britain. *

; May 2017 – May 2019; first single-handed and unsupported, non-stop windsurfing circumnavigation of Europe, from the border of Russia with Norway, to the border between Russia and Ukraine.After completing the maritime part (limited by the land separation), Dunnett rode a tour bicycle with a trailer, back to the starting point of the journey. He has reached Grense Jakobselv on 30 September 2019, 863 days after he started the journey.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Circumnavigations Geography-related lists Lists of expeditions Lists of firsts