How could the Americas and Australia go unnoticed by the rest of the world for such a long time?

by Jantelagen

I've read about how peoples from Northeast Asia surely would have crossed the Bering Strait at some early point in time, but I'm wondering how a seafaring nation such as Japan wouldn't venture east and happen upon North America, or why the people of Southeast Asia were surely aware of the islands in the Malay archipelago, but not Australia?

EDIT: I found a similar question, but that was about why the Romans hadn't explored the whole world by sea. I'm wondering more specifically why the neighbouring nations weren't aware of the Americas and/or Australia.

JocelynsAlex

I could just as easily ask "How could Europe, Asia and Africa go unnoticed by the rest of the world for so long?"

The shortest answer is that when transportation becomes possible and the potential gain from exploration is high enough, people naturally explore.

The_Alaskan

I'd theorize that translation and a lack of communication likely have as much to do with it as transportation problems.

Take Alaska, for example. Today, popular perception is that Vitus Bering "discovered" Alaska for the Russian Empire. (Leaving aside the fact that Alaska Natives have lived in Alaska for at least 10,000 years.)

In fact, the first Russian known to have visited Alaska was Semeon Dezhnev, who sailed through the Bering Strait in 1648 with as many as 121 people. Most of Dezhnev's party died in the attempt, which remained obscure for years. There are occasional references to his trip (or perhaps others about the same time). Johan Rodes, a Swedish trader who worked in Russia, wrote in 1652 about Russian plans to send a "voyage to America" through the sea routes north of Siberia. A generation later, Philip Avril, a Jesuit visiting Russia, recounted hearing of a similar journey.

Dezhnev may have been the first, or he may not have been. We simply don't know. Communication was not advanced enough to allow the easy spread of knowledge. Knowledge -- including that of safe routes to America or Australia -- could easily be lost in an era when communication usually meant stories being passed through word of mouth.