We head off the coast of East Africa for today's Geo Quiz. The waters off of Somalia have become a dangerous place for international shipping.

Pirates have attacked more than a hundred vessels -- and hijacked dozens of them -- just this year.

Countries that depend on shipping lanes there for oil and other goods are fed up with the menace.

And one country is sending its warships to the region for the first time in modern history.

But it's NOT the first time that ships from this Asian nation have plied the seas off Africa.

So, what's the country we're talking about?

The World's Matthew Bell is here with another hint:

Matthew Bell: "Yes, our country in question will be sending its modern navy to the Somali coast to conduct anti-pirate operations. And actually, there's an interesting parallel here with the 15th century. That's when this country dominated the high seas. Under the command of a legendary Muslim explorer."

Katy Clark: "OK, Matthew... Before we give our answer. Tell me more about this explorer."

Matthew Bell: "I won't give his name yet, but this famous admiral actually commanded the world's most powerful navy 600 years ago. His ships were known as treasure ships, which says something about what they were up to. The new ruler of the country he served was keen to establish his legitimacy. And one way he thought he could do that was by expanding trade, expanding diplomatic relations.

So, this explorer spent a lot of time trading... bringing back goods. Bringing back foreign diplomats. He even brought back a giraffe from Africa at one point."

Katy Clark: "Enough already, What's the explorer's name and where did he come from?"