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EXPLORER

Juan Sebastián Elcano

1476 - 1526

Photo of Juan Sebastián Elcano

Icon of person Juan Sebastián Elcano

Juan Sebastián Elcano (Elkano in modern Basque; sometimes given as del Cano; 1486/1487 – 4 August 1526) was a Spanish navigator, ship-owner and explorer of Basque origin from Getaria, part of the Crown of Castile when he was born, best known for having completed the first circumnavigation of the Earth in the Spanish ship Victoria on the Magellan expedition to the Spice Islands. He received recognition for his achievement by Charles I of Spain with a coat of arms bearing a globe and the Latin motto Primus circumdedisti me (You were the first to circumnavigate me).Despite his achievements, information on Elcano is scarce and he is the subject of great historiographical controversy, because of the scarcity of original sources which illuminate his private life and personality. Read more on Wikipedia

Since 2007, the English Wikipedia page of Juan Sebastián Elcano has received more than 1,070,626 page views. His biography is available in 57 different languages on Wikipedia (up from 56 in 2019). Juan Sebastián Elcano is the 25th most popular explorer (up from 27th in 2019), the 45th most popular biography from Spain (up from 46th in 2019) and the 3rd most popular Spanish Explorer.

Juan Sebastián Elcano is most famous for being the first person to circumnavigate the world.

Memorability Metrics

  • 1.1M

    Page Views (PV)

  • 73.45

    Historical Popularity Index (HPI)

  • 57

    Languages Editions (L)

  • 9.17

    Effective Languages (L*)

  • 3.07

    Coefficient of Variation (CV)

Page views of Juan Sebastián Elcanos by language


Among EXPLORERS

Among explorers, Juan Sebastián Elcano ranks 25 out of 405Before him are Xuanzang, Jacques Cousteau, Pedro Álvares Cabral, Jacques Cartier, Leif Erikson, and Vitus Bering. After him are Thor Heyerdahl, Willem Barentsz, Henry Morton Stanley, Vasco Núñez de Balboa, John Cabot, and Pytheas.

Most Popular Explorers in Wikipedia

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Contemporaries

Among people born in 1476, Juan Sebastián Elcano ranks 2Before him is Pope Paul IV. After him are 2nd Dalai Lama, Yeonsangun of Joseon, Louise of Savoy, Huayna Capac, Alfonso I d'Este, Duke of Ferrara, Girolamo Fracastoro, Cuitláhuac, Pierre Terrail, seigneur de Bayard, Helena of Moscow, and Anna Sforza. Among people deceased in 1526, Juan Sebastián Elcano ranks 2Before him is Louis II of Hungary. After him are Vittore Carpaccio, Isabella of Austria, Giovanni dalle Bande Nere, Emperor Go-Kashiwabara, Scipione del Ferro, Rodrigo de Triana, Ibrahim Lodi, Elisabetta Gonzaga, Peter Martyr d'Anghiera, and Shō Shin.

Others Born in 1476

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Others Deceased in 1526

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In Spain

Among people born in Spain, Juan Sebastián Elcano ranks 45 out of 2,932Before him are Charles III of Spain (1716), Isidore of Seville (560), Pope Callixtus III (1379), Arcadius (377), Muhammad al-Idrisi (1100), and El Cid (1045). After him are Alfonso XIII of Spain (1886), Pedro Almodóvar (1949), Lope de Vega (1562), Eugénie de Montijo (1826), John of the Cross (1542), and Maria Theresa of Spain (1638).

Among EXPLORERS In Spain

Among explorers born in Spain, Juan Sebastián Elcano ranks 3Before him are Hernán Cortés (1485) and Francisco Pizarro (1478). After him are Vasco Núñez de Balboa (1475), Francisco de Orellana (1511), Juan Ponce de León (1460), Diego de Almagro (1475), Lope de Aguirre (1518), Hernando de Soto (1500), Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar (1465), Alonso de Ojeda (1466), and Vicente Yáñez Pinzón (1460).