FUN WITH MAPS ISSUE 2024-166

By Steve Kovacs (Introduction by Chuck Gibson)

LOVELAND, OH (September 4, 2024) – In this edition of Fun with Maps we celebrate the historic journey of Captain Cook – 250 years ago.   

ISLAND HOPPING

Today is the 250th anniversary of Captain James Cook’s discovery of the Pacific islands of New Caledonia – September 4, 1774.

Cook became the first European visitor to the islands on his second voyage to the South Pacific.  Repeat visitors were infrequent over the next 50 years, but the area was of interest for its sandalwood and whaling.  The French colonized the area, and it is currently a territory of France.

New Caledonia is an archipelago located about 600 miles east-north-east of Australia.  It was once part of the continent of Zeelandia but broke off from the Australia edge about 65 million years ago and drifted to its current site. 

It is said to have the richest biodiversity in the world per square kilometer.  Its barrier reef was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2008 for its marine biodiversity. The territory is well known for unusually large animals.  In fact, the New Caldedonian imperial pigeon is the largest pigeon species in the world, and the world’s largest gecko species also lives there.

The French cartographer Levasseur created this rather ornate map of Oceania in 1850.

Steve Kovacs and his wife Theresa reside in Loveland, Ohio where they raised their two children. He is a passionate collector of antique maps.

Visit his antique map boutique world-on-paper online. Watch for his daily feature Steve Kovacs: Fun with Maps here on Loveland Beacon.