Global circumnavigation. 19th-century world map showing the wind strength and directions worldwide, with trade winds and monsoons marked. Trade winds are the prevailing pattern of easterly surface winds found in the tropics. The map also includes suggestions for land and sea routes to follow when circumnavigating the globe. This map was produced in 1856 by US naval officer and explorer Charles Wilkes (1798-1877) who led the United States Exploring Expedition in the Pacific from 1838 to 1842. This expedition was the last all-sail naval mission to completely circle the globe. He published his findings on winds in 'Theory of the Winds' (1856), accompanied by this map.