Pacific Mapper

James Cook combined exploration with careful observation and mapmaking during his famous voyages across the Pacific Ocean. This passage follows Cook from his childhood in England through his early experiences aboard ships and his work mapping parts of Canada. Students learn how his skill as a navigator and cartographer eventually led the British government to select him for major voyages of exploration.

This worksheet explores Cook’s journeys aboard the Endeavour and other ships, including his travels to Tahiti, New Zealand, Australia, Antarctica, and Hawaii. Readers also learn how Cook improved sailors’ health by encouraging better diets and cleanliness aboard his ships. Students practice identifying accomplishments, following a sequence of voyages, and understanding how Cook’s detailed maps and observations expanded European knowledge of the Pacific.