What Did Sir Francis Drake Discover?

By Staff WriterLast Updated March 25, 2020

Sir Francis Drake is credited for many discoveries, including the passage between South America and the Antarctic — known today as Drake Passage — and Drake’s Bay in California. Drake is also thought to have discovered Prince of Wales island, which is located in Alaska’s chain of islands near British Columbia.

Much of Drake’s discoveries have been lost to history due to Queen Elizabeth destroying much of the documents that Drake turned over to her. Despite the loss of the records, most of which would show that Drake was far more than a pirate, it is well known that he was the first Englishman to circumnavigate the globe.