João de Lisboa facts for kids

João de Lisboa (born around 1470 – died 1525) was a brave Portuguese explorer. He was known for sailing with other famous explorers like Tristão da Cunha. João de Lisboa explored the Río de la Plata (a large river in South America) and possibly the San Matias Gulf around 1511-1512.

He also wrote an important book called the Treatise on the Nautical Needle in 1514. This book was like a guide for sailors, explaining how to use a compass. João de Lisboa passed away in 1525 while he was on a journey in the Indian Ocean.

João de Lisboa's Sailing Guide

João de Lisboa's important book is often called the Treatise of Seamanship. It includes two main parts: a Brief Treatise on Seamanship and a Treatise on the Nautical Needle. The book also has an atlas with 20 detailed maps.

A world map from the Treatise of Seamanship

Portuguese flags shown on castles in Peru in the Seamanship Treatise

Maps in the Sailing Guide

The 20 maps in João de Lisboa's guide showed many parts of the world known at that time. They were very helpful for sailors. Here are some of the places shown on the maps:

• Map 1: Newfoundland, Azores, Iceland, England, and Lisbon.
• Map 2: Central America, the Antilles Sea, and the northwest part of South America.
• Map 3: The Antilles Sea and the coast of South America from the Maracaibo Gulf to Maranhão.
• Map 4: The South American coast from Rio de Janeiro to the Strait of Magellan, including the Río de la Plata.
• Map 5: The coast from Maranhão to the south of Brazil.
• Map 6: From the northeast of Brazil to the west of Africa.
• Map 7: Islands in the South Atlantic Ocean.
• Map 8: The North Atlantic, with Newfoundland, Iceland, England, and Lisbon.
• Map 9: Western Europe.
• Map 10: West Africa and the Brazilian Northeast.
• Map 11: The Gulf of Guinea.
• Map 12: Western Africa.
• Map 13: Eastern Africa.
• Map 14: Southwest islands in the Indian Ocean.
• Map 15: The Red Sea and the Persian Gulf.
• Map 16: From the Persian Gulf coast to Sri Lanka.
• Map 17: The Far East from the Siamese Gulf to Japan.
• Map 18: The Bay of Bengal.
• Map 19: Insulindia (islands of Southeast Asia).
• Map 20: A globe of the world, centered at the North Pole.

You can find this important book at the Torre do Tombo National Archive in Portugal. The maps in the book were drawn on parchment, which is a special material made from animal skin.

A page from the Seamanship Treatise stating it was "found by João de Lisboa in the year 1514"

Images for kids

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  World map in the Treatise of Seamanship

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  Portuguese flags in castles on Peru - Seamanship Treatise

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  Seamanship Treatise - where it is written "found by João de Lisboa in the year 1514"

See also

In Spanish: Juan de Lisboa para niños