Person
João da Nova
Galician explorer of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans in the service of Portugal
João da Nova (born c. 1460 in Maceda, Ourense, Galicia; died July 1509 in Kochi, India) is a Galician explorer of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans at the service of Portugal.
He is credited as the discoverer of Ascension and Saint Helena islands.
The Juan de Nova Island, in the Mozambique Channel, is named after him.
The Farquhar atoll (in the Seychelles) is, for a long time, known as the João da Nova islands.
It is sometimes thought that the Agaléga islands (in the Indian Ocean) were also named after him (although it is almost certain he never visited them).