- The Phoenicians (8th and 7th Centuries BCE)
- Opened route to Spain via Sicily, Sardinia, and the Balearic Islands
- Opened route to Spain via the coastline of North Africa
- General Hanno (fl. 5th Century BCE)
- Led a fleet from Carthage to the Canary Islands, then along the coast of Africa, and into the Gulf of Guinea (470 BCE)