This illustrated reference work covers all aspects of world exploration from Antarctica to the North Pole; from the discovery of the New World to the age of space exploration. The companion features 750 articles, carefully selected by a distinguished group of editors and advisers to examine exploration from different angles: thematically, geographically, historically, and biographically. The Oxford Companion to World Exploration is available in a two volume print version and as an e-reference text from Oxford's Digital Reference Shelf. Topics include: · Biographies of influential explorers such as Ferdinand Magellan, Cheng Ho, Hernán Cortés, Ibn Battuta, Vitus Bering, and Christopher Columbus · Navigational and marine sciences, navigational techniques, ancient and medieval navigation, ocean currents and winds, longitude and aerial surveys · Exploration in ancient cultures including Egypt, Persia, Greece, Byzantium, China, Polynesia, and Rome. Each entry is signed by a leading scholar in the field and contains a further reading bibliography and is cross-referenced to other useful articles.