C
| Name | Nationality | Century | Main area/s explored |
|---|---|---|---|
| Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca | Spanish | 16th | southwestern United States, Mexico, Argentina |
| John Cabot | Italian | 15th | North American mainland (Canada) |
| Sebastian Cabot | Italian | 15th | Northwest Passage |
| Pedro Álvares Cabral | Portuguese | 15th/16th | Brazil, Madagascar |
| João Rodrigues Cabrilho | Portuguese | 16th | California |
| Alvise Cadamosto | Italian | 15th | Cape Verde islands |
| René Caillé | French | 19th | North Africa |
| Álvaro Caminha | Portuguese | 15th | São Tomé and Príncipe islands |
| Pêro Vaz de Caminha | Portuguese | 15th | Brazil |
| Diogo Cão | Portuguese | 15th | west coast of Africa (including the Congo River) |
| Hermenegildo de Brito Capelo | Portuguese | 19th | African continent |
| John Carpini | Italian | 13th | Central Asia, Mongolia |
| Juan Carrasco | Spanish | 18th | Pacific Northwest |
| Jan Carstensz | Dutch | 17th | New Guinea coast, Gulf of Carpentaria |
| Jacques Cartier | French | 16th | St. Lawrence River |
| René-Robert Cavelier | French | 17th | Mississippi embayment |
| Thomas Cavendish | British | 16th | Virginia, Pacific coast of Central and South America |
| Samuel de Champlain | French | 16th/17th | Quebec, Great Lakes |
| Jean Chardin | French | 17th | Persia, India |
| Fletcher Christian | British | 18th | Polynesia |
| Hugh Clapperton | British | early 19th | west and central Africa |
| William Clark | American | early 19th | western United States |
| Gonçalo Coelho | Portuguese | 15th/16th | South American coast |
| Nicolau Coelho | Portuguese | 15th | Brazil |
| Frank Cole | Canadian | 20th | Sahara |
| Christopher Columbus | Italian | 15th/16th | Caribbean |
| George Comer | American | 19th/20th | Arctic |
| Niccolò Da Conti | Italian | early 15th | India, Southeast Asia |
| Frederick Cook | American | 19th/20th | Arctic |
| James Cook | British | 18th | Australasia, Oceania |
| Francisco Vázquez de Coronado | Spanish | 16th | New Mexico |
| Diogo Álvares Correia | Portuguese | 16th | Brazil |
| Gaspar Côrte-Real | Portuguese | 16th | Newfoundland, Greenland |
| João Côrte-Real | Portuguese | late 15th | Azores, Newfoundland |
| Miguel Côrte-Real | Portuguese | 16th | Newfoundland, Massachusetts |
| Hernán Cortés | Spanish | 16th | Mexico |
| Juan de la Cosa | Spanish | 15th/16th | Caribbean, South America |
| Thomas Coulter | Irish | 19th | Mexico, Alta California |
| Jacques-Yves Cousteau | French | 20th | the deep sea |
| Pêro da Covilhã | Portuguese | 15th/16th | Ethiopia |
| Tom Crean | Irish | 20th | Antarctica |
| Andrew Croft | English | 20th | Arctic |
| Tristão da Cunha | Portuguese | 16th | Tristan da Cunha islands |
| Jeremy Curl | British | 20th | African continent |
| Chang Chun | Chinese | 13th | Central Asia, Mongolia |
Read more about this topic: List Of Explorers