What nationality was Abel Janszoon Tasman the voyager, explorer and map maker?
Abel Tasman also worked on ANZAC War Memorial in Hyde Park and the crypt at St Mary's Cathedral, Sydney. Abel Tasman Abel Janszoon Tasman (; 1603 – 10 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 the islands of Van Diemen's Land (now Tasmania) and New Zealand, and to sight the Fiji islands. Tasman originated from Lutjegast, a small village in the province of Groningen, in the north of the Netherlands. The oldest
Tasman (name) - not related to Abel Janszoon Tasman, who came from Lutjegast in Groningen - counted so many seamen at the end of 1600 that their ships were divided in color: "De Zwarte Tas" ("black bag") of Jan Tasman, "De Groene Tas" ("green bag") of Pieter Janszoon Tasman, "De Roode Tas" ("red bag") of Pieter Corneliszoon Tasman and "De Witte Tas" (white bag) of Wigger Tasman. The second etymology of the name Tasman comes from the German surname Tessmann, which is made of the Slavic 'tešiti', meaning 'consolation' and the German 'Mann'. A notable bearer of this name is Abel Tasman.