EXPLORERS from Indonesia

Top 2

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the most legendary Indonesian Explorers of all time. This list of famous Indonesian Explorers is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity.

1. Enrique of Malacca (1495 - 1600)

With an HPI of 60.90, Enrique of Malacca is the most famous Indonesian Explorer.  His biography has been translated into 20 different languages on wikipedia.

Enrique of Malacca (Spanish: Enrique de Malaca; Portuguese: Henrique de Malaca; Malay: Awang Hitam), 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 Ferdinand Magellan in 1511 at the age of 14 years, probably in the early stages of the capture of Malacca. Although Magellan's will calls him "a native of Malacca", Antonio Pigafetta states that he was a native of Sumatra. Magellan later took him to Europe, where he accompanied the circumnavigation expedition in 1519. According to some historians, it is possible that he could be the first person to circumnavigate the globe and return to his starting point, however, there is no record or source that confirms it. When Magellan appeared before the Spanish king, he spoke of Enrique as "a slave that he had had in Malacca, because he was from those islands they called him Enrique de Malacca." Antonio Pigafetta, a participant who wrote the most comprehensive account of Magellan's voyage, called him "Henrique" (which was Hispanicised as Enrique in official Spanish documents) and also referred to him as a slave.

2. Hendrik Brouwer (1581 - 1643)

With an HPI of 56.40, Hendrik Brouwer is the 2nd most famous Indonesian Explorer.  His biography has been translated into 20 different languages.

Hendrik Brouwer ([ˈbrʌu̯ər]; 1581 – 7 August 1643) was a Dutch explorer and governor of the Dutch East Indies.