Lopes Gonçalves

Lopes Gonçalves or Lopo Gonçalves (15th century) was a Portuguese explorer of the African coast. He was the first European sailor to cross the equator, the first to reach the point where the coast turns south and the first to reach Gabon. In 1473 or 1474 he and Rui de Sequeira, pushing Portuguese exploration east along the Nigerian coast, reached the point where the coast begins to run south. He followed it south, crossed the equator, passed Cape Lopez in Gabon, which is named after him, and reached Cape St. Catherine (Cabo Santa Catarina), which is about 2 degrees south.