United States Exploring Expedition

The U.S. Exploring Expedition was an adventure by a group of scientists, sailors, and officers that sailed around the world in the early 1800s. The main purpose of the expedition was to explore different parts of the world and discover new land, animals and plants. The team was led by Lieutenant Charles Wilkes and they had a fleet of six ships. On their journey the expedition stopped in many different places, including the Antarctic, the South Pacific Islands, Australia, and the Oregon Territory. The expedition took four years and the team discovered many new species of fish and plants, mapped large parts of the ocean, and made detailed charts of many new lands. In addition, they took and brought back to the United States a large variety of specimens and artifacts from the different places they visited.