Which explorer is associated with early British claims on Australia?

• A. Ferdinand Magellan
• B. Vitus Bering
• C. Roald Amundsen
• D. Captain James Cook

Answer: (D)

Captain James Cook is the explorer who first asserted British sovereignty over the eastern coast of Australia during his voyage in the late 1760s and early 1770s. While charting and mapping the coastline on the Endeavour, he reached the eastern shores in 1770 and claimed the land for Britain, an act symbolized when he raised the British flag at Possession Island. This claim provided the basis for future British colonization, including the establishment of a penal colony at Port Jackson in 1788. The other explorers listed are associated with different regions or purposes: Magellan circumnavigated the globe for Spain, Bering explored areas nearer Siberia/the Arctic for Russia, and Amundsen is known for polar exploration; none are linked to early British claims on Australia.