Russian geographers and travelers.
Russian geographers and travelers have contributed many glorious pages to the history of the geographical study of the globe.
Anuchin Dmitry Nikolaevich. 1843-1923
The largest Russian scientist in the field of anthropology, ethnography, archeology and geography. The first doctor of geographical sciences in Russia. Founder of the Department of Geography of Moscow State University. Founder of the school of Russian geographers and limnologists. Explored the origins of major rivers European Russia and lakes in the upper reaches of the Volga.
Baer Karl Maksimovich. 1792-1876.
Academician. In 1837 One of the first to carry out scientific research on Novaya Zemlya, and in 1840. - at the Kola p / o. In 1851-1856. engaged in the study of fisheries Lake Peipus and the Caspian Sea. Studies have established the suitability for consumption of Caspian herring, previously used only for fat burning. In excellent geographical descriptions, Baer characterized the peculiar hilly relief of the Caspian coast (Baer hillocks) and was the first to explain the uneven slope of river banks as a result of water deflection as a result of the Earth's rotation around its axis (Baer's law). He was the first chairman of the ethnography department of the Geographical Society.
Wrangel Ferdinand Petrovich. 1796-1870.
Admiral and famous navigator. In 1817-1819. circumnavigated the world on the sloop "Kamchatka" under the command of Captain Golovin. Spent four years in the north Eastern Siberia, where he made an inventory of the coast from the mouth of the Kolyma to the Kolyuchenskaya Bay. According to a number of signs, he predicted the existence of a large island, subsequently discovered by De Long and named Wrangel Island. In 1825-1827. circumnavigated the world on the military transport "Krotkiy". He was the main ruler of the Russian North American colonies (Alaska). Then the director of the Hydrographic Department. He compiled a very valuable description of his journey to the northeast of Siberia, translated into many languages.
Grumm-Grzhimailo Grigory Efimovich. 1860-1936.
Famous traveler. Researcher of nature, peoples, history of Central and Central Asia. Author of numerous major works on the Pamirs, Tuva, Mongolia, China. He made six large expeditions to the mountainous regions of Central Asia (Tien Shan, Pamir, Alai) and Central Asia. Gathered a huge amount of material on zoology, physical geography, ethnography of the peoples of Asia. He discovered the deepest depression in Central Asia - the Turfan depression. In recent years, he worked on questions of history nomadic peoples Asia. From 1914 to 1930 He published the monograph "Western Mongolia and the Uryankhai Territory", which is still a reference book for everyone working on Central Asian issues.
Knipovich Nikolay Mikhailovich. 1862-1939
Organizer of scientific and commercial research in the Barents and White Seas. The result of many years of research in the Barents Sea was an extensive monograph "Fundamentals of Hydrology of the European Arctic Ocean". He organized and led numerous scientific and fishing expeditions in the Black, Azov and Caspian Seas.
Krasheninnikov Stepan Petrovich 1711-1755
Outstanding geographer. One of the first Russian academicians, a contemporary of Lomonosov. Kamchatka explorer, author of the first full description this peninsula. Participated in Bering's second Kamchatka expedition. He worked in Siberia - in the basins of the Shilka and Barguzin rivers, along the Lena River from the upper reaches to Yakutsk. He carried out research on Kamchatka from the autumn of 1737 to the spring of 1742. Traveled more than 27,000 km in Siberia and Kamchatka. In 1743 Returned to Petersburg. At first he was a student of the Academy of Sciences, then he was appointed adjunct. Since 1747 - Head of the Botanical Garden. In 1750 Elected Professor of the Academy of Sciences and Rector of the Academic University. His classic "Description of the Kamchatka Land", published in 1755, after the death of the author, was repeatedly reprinted both in Russian and in many foreign languages.
Lepekhin Ivan Ivanovich 1740-1802
Academician, traveler and botanist. The son of an ordinary soldier, Lepekhin, thanks to his exceptional abilities and love for science, made his way on his own, graduated from an academic gymnasium and a university, and then from the University of Strasbourg. In 1768-1772. traveled through the northern and southeastern regions of European Russia. "Journey Diaries" is the summary of the description of this journey. In 1773 Produced studies of the western regions of European Russia. During the trip, he collected the richest botanical collection and organized the Botanical Garden.
Middendorf Alexander Fedorovich. 1815-1894
Academician and remarkable researcher of Siberia. In 1843-1844, at the suggestion and project of K.M. Baer made versatile studies of Siberia and Far East, having traveled 30,000 km. In very difficult conditions and once exposed to mortal danger. On expeditions, he collected the richest collections. The first explored the "permafrost" in Yakutia. In 1870, during a trip to Novaya Zemlya and the White Sea, he was engaged in temperature measurements and the study of the warm Gulf Stream. Later, he explored the Baraba steppe and gave its description. Organized agricultural exhibitions. Led an expedition to study cattle breeding in Russia.
Mushketov Ivan Vasilievich 1850-1902
One of the biggest travelers. At the same time a geologist and geographer, who created a large school of Russian geologists. He explored the Lower Volga region, the Urals, the Caucasus, but made the most outstanding trips to Turkestan in 1874-1880. The first one illuminated the geological structure of the vast regions of Turkestan, compiled their first geological maps. For a long time he studied the earthquakes of Russia and compiled their first catalog. Mushketov is one of the first explorers of the ore resources of the Urals. Author of the classic course "Physical Geology" and the monograph "Turkestan".
Roborovsky Vsevolod Ivanovich 1856-1910
Famous Russian traveler of Central Asia. Member of the last two expeditions of N.M. Przhevalsky. after the death of Przhevalsky, he worked in the Tibetan expedition of the Russian geographical society. Then he led a large expedition to Central Asia. He visited the Tien Shan mountain systems, visited Tibet, Kashgaria. With his work, Roborovsky largely contributed to the expansion of geographical knowledge in Central Asia, I continue best traditions famous Russian travelers in this distant country.
The contribution of Russian scientists is significant, which was facilitated by the diversity of nature in our vast country. They established the most important patterns of formation geological structure earth's crust and advanced the doctrine of natural areas and diverse physical and geographical processes that form natural environment and its natural resources. The works of A. P. Karpinsky, I. V. Mushketov, V. A. Obruchev, A. P. Pavlov, F. N. Chernyshev, I. D. Chersky, and others played a particularly important role in the development of geological science. P. A. Kropotkin, based on his observations in Siberia, developed a scientific theory about the ancient ice age in the history of the Earth. In the field of meteorology, the works of A. I. Voeikov, who revealed the essence of many climatic processes and substantiated the possibility of artificially influencing the climate, gained worldwide fame. In the development of Russian physical geography, a particularly important role was played by P. P. Semenov-Tyan-Shansky, under whose leadership the complete geographical description our country called "Russia"; D. N. Anuchin, who developed Russian geography, and V. V. Dokuchaev, the founder of modern soil science and the theory of natural zones. The names of prominent Russian botanists V. L. Komarov, G. I. Tanfilyev and zoologist N. A. Severtsov are inextricably linked with the creation scientific schools in the biological departments of earth sciences. Finally, the famous Russian navigators I.F. Krusenstern, F.F. Belingshausen, M.P. Lazarev, F.P. Litke and others, the greatest oceanographers S.O. Makarov, Yu.M. Shokalsky.
It should be noted that the leading Russian scientists had unusually broad scientific views. Developing a specific field of science, studying their object of study, they always linked them with general ideas modern natural science, with phenomena and processes that bind together the whole nature of the Earth as a whole.
The progressive foundations of the Earth sciences, created by Russian scientists, received a particularly fruitful development after the Great October Socialist Revolution.
Socialist reconstruction of the national economy in our country, the creation of new industrial regions and the radical modernization of old ones, the expansion and increase in productivity Agriculture and the development of literally all sectors of the economy required the immediate identification and use of ever new natural resources, and, moreover, in increasing quantities. For this it was necessary to develop modern earth sciences; they began to grow especially rapidly as they strengthened economic power the world's first country of victorious socialism.
It is characteristic that in tsarist Russia there was not a single large research institute in the field of earth sciences: the study of nature was carried out mainly by scientific societies, museums, and university professors. There was also no unified hydrometeorological network. Therefore, from the very first days of the establishment of Soviet power, at the direction of V. I. Lenin, a whole system of scientific institutions was formed in our country - the Academy of Sciences, the Supreme Council of the National Economy (VSNKh), the People's Commissariat of Education and a number of production people's commissariats. At the same time, the foundations of the future network of institutions of the Earth sciences were laid, not only in Moscow and Petrograd, but also on the periphery, in the former outskirts of tsarist Russia, which became union republics. In addition, for the speedy and uninterrupted satisfaction of the needs of the growing national economy in mineral raw materials and all other types of natural resources a special system of state research and production services is being created. The cartographic service provided a high modern degree of topographic and geodetic knowledge of our Motherland, the compilation and publication of excellent geographical maps and atlases. The Geological Survey has conducted and is conducting geological surveys, exploration and discovery of a vast number of major deposits various kinds mineral. The Hydrometeorological Service organized a massive network of observation stations, which accumulated vast information about climatic and water resources over the vast territory of the country, which made it possible to carry out meteorological and hydrological forecasts. Land and forest management services did a great job of studying land funds, natural fodder and forest resources, terrestrial and aquatic fauna, and contributed to the organization of their protection and rational use.
The wide front of research carried out during the years of Soviet power created favorable conditions for the development of the Earth sciences, which contributed to the formation of a number of research areas that have taken a leading position in world science.
So, in the field of geology, in the works of A. D. Arkhangelsky, D. V. Nalivkin, N. S. Shatsky, N. M. Strakhov and others, new historical-geological and structural-tectonic directions were developed, based on the doctrine of the main stages geological history Earth, the system of modern concepts is specified; In the works of V. I. Vernadsky, A. E. Fersman, A. N. Zavaritsky, A. P. Vinogradov and other prominent Soviet scientists, new principles and methods for studying the material composition of the Earth and its shells, as well as the conditions for the formation of various mountainous breeds. A large galaxy of Soviet geologists - A. N. Zavaritsky, S. S. Smirnov, I. M. Gubkin, D. I. Shcherbakov and others - developed a theory of the formation of various minerals and put forward brilliantly justified scientific forecasts for the search for deposits of various ores, coal, oil, gas Druyanov V.A. Mysterious biography Earth. - M., 1991.
Geography is now a complex system scientific disciplines studying nature, farms, the population of their country and the whole world. Along with the identification and study of various types of natural resources, the responsibility for the most effective economic development and geographical distribution of productive forces in various regions of the country. AT recent times great attention of researchers-geographers was attracted to the scientific development of plans for the purposeful transformation of nature with the help of large-scale hydrotechnical construction, inter-basin transfer of river waters, extensive land reclamation - irrigation, watering, drainage, field-protective afforestation, etc. An important place was occupied by research on population problems, urban development, settlements, transport routes, etc. The term constructive research is now applied to all these works, which emphasizes that geography, in addition to educational and cognitive goals, is actively involved in solving the most important tasks of national economic development.
The achievements of the general theory of Soviet geography are largely due to L. S. Berg, who laid the foundations of landscape science, A. A. Grigoriev, who developed the theory of the role of the balance of heat and moisture in natural processes, and N. N. Baransky, who developed scientific foundations economic geography.
Within the general framework of the geographical sciences, geomorphology, the science of relief, developed very successfully. earth's surface, formed as a result of the interaction of internal and external forces (Ya. S. Edelshtein, A. A. Borzov, etc.); glaciology - the science of glaciers, their formation and movement; permafrost - the study of underground ice, frozen soils and rocks (M. I. Sumgin and others); climatology, especially in the study of the radiation balance as the main climate-forming factor, the movement and interaction of air masses, moisture circulation, moisture transfer and microclimate; hydrology, which has done much in the study of surface and river runoff and the water balance of a territory (V. G. Glushkov and others); soil science, which continued the study of genetic soil types and soil cover structures (K. D. Glinka, S. S. Neustruev, L. I. Prasovlov, B. B. Polynov, and others); geobotany and zoogeography both in the study of the geography of plants and animals and in the development of the theory of biogeocenoses, their dynamics, and biological productivity (V. N. Sukachev and others).
Such a science as oceanology has received independent development. In addition to remarkable geographical research in the Arctic basin (P. P. Shirshov, V. Yu. Vize, N. N. Zubov, etc.), and in recent years, in connection with international work in the Antarctic, numerous ocean raids have played a huge role in this regard. research ships "Vityaz" and others, which opened up new horizons in oceanology.
In addition to completely new ideas about physical phenomena in the ocean interesting discoveries were made in hydrobiology (L. A. Zenkevich and others), as well as in the structure of the ocean floor and the composition of bottom sediments. For example, entire systems of underwater sea ridges and depressions have been discovered in the ocean. Undoubtedly, in this field of Earth sciences, there is still a lot of new things waiting for us Bogoslovsky B.B., Samokhin A.A., Ivanov K.E., Sokolov D.P. General hydrology. - L., 1984. - 356 p.
RESULTS OF RUSSIAN CIRCUITS AND THEIR CONTRIBUTION TO GEOGRAPHICAL SCIENCE
Russian circumnavigations in the first half of the 19th century. completed an important stage in the history of navigation and geographical discoveries. They were the most massive of all the voyages that took place in the history of the Russian sailing fleet and covered the vast waters of the oceans. In 1854, the first steam ship came from the Baltic Sea to the seas of the Far East, and three years later the construction of military sailing ships was stopped in Russia. began new era- the dominance of the steam, and later diesel fleet. Expeditions could now freely sail the oceans in any given direction, regardless of winds and currents. Travel time has been greatly reduced. Russian circumnavigations continued to expand knowledge about our planet and made a significant contribution to the history of geographical discoveries and exploration of the oceans.Most important event geographically there was a discovery in Antarctic waters Atlantic Ocean expedition of F. Bellingshausen - M. Lazarev of the new continent of Antarctica. The discovery of Antarctica is the greatest geographical discovery of the 19th century. Significant geographical discoveries, except for the discovery of Antarctica, were made in the Pacific Ocean, in its tropical and Antarctic parts. Scientific expeditions Under the leadership of O. E. Kotzebue, F. F. Bellingshausen, M. P. Lazarev, and F. P. Litke, they undertook a special study of the waters in these regions. They discovered and described numerous coral "low-lying" islands, and in some cases, entire archipelagos of islands in the system of the Tuamotu, Marshall and Caroline Islands (Fig. 13).
Russian geographical discoveries in the Pacific Ocean were highly appreciated by progressive foreign naturalists and undoubtedly had a profound influence on them. As we have already indicated above, C. Darwin used the material of Russian scientists in creating a theory about the origin of coral islands, and when describing them in detail, he directly used the advice of Krusenstern and Litke, as well as the works of Kotzebue, Bellingshausen, Lisyansky, Lazarev and others. He gives characteristic descriptions of the atolls of Rimsky-Korsakov, Menshikov, Rumyantsev, Suvorov and many others. Here is what Darwin wrote about some archipelagos Pacific Ocean in his work: “We are well acquainted with this group (the Marshall Islands. - V. E.) from the excellent maps of individual islands compiled during two expeditions of Kotzebue; a reduced map of the entire group can be seen in the atlas of Kruzenshtern and in the second journey of Kotzebue. "The Caroline Archipelago is well known chiefly from the hydrographic works of Litke".
The memory of the achievements of Russian navigators and scientists lives in the names of geographical objects. And today on world maps we see Russian names in the names of islands, archipelagos, harbors, etc. Part of the Tuamotu Islands in the central part of the Pacific Ocean, for example, is called the Russian Islands. In the Antarctic sector of the Pacific Ocean, the Russians discovered the islands of Peter I and Alexander I Land, and also described many of the South Shetland Islands. Great importance had inventories of little-known coasts, especially in the northwestern part of North America and northeast Asia, as well as the Sakhalin Islands, the Kuril and Aleutian Islands. Important discoveries in the northern part of the Pacific Ocean were the discoveries of Kotzebue in the Bering Sea, as well as the inventory by G. I. Nevelsky of the Tatar Strait and the mouth of the Amur. The voyage of Nevelskoy proved that Sakhalin was an island and opened up a navigable route along the Amur, and contributed to the consolidation of Russia's influence in the Far East.
Rice. 14. Title page of the "Atlas" by I. F. Kruzenshtern
Rice. 15. Title page of the Atlas by G. A. Sarychev
A great contribution was made by Russian navigators around the world in the study of physical and chemical properties World ocean and atmosphere. The crews of the ships, participating in the voyages, conducted quite a variety of observations of the weather: air temperature, atmospheric pressure, cloudiness, precipitation, direction and strength of the wind, and other phenomena. Sailing on small ships, Russian scientists and navigators managed to do a lot in science and, moreover, at a time when other states did not achieve similar results. “In other words,” wrote Yu.M. Shokalsky, - Russian sailors showed not only zeal in their work, but also discovered an outstanding initiative in scientific work on the study of the ocean. Russian scientists and navigators not only made good use of knowledge about natural phenomena in the ocean and atmosphere of previous researchers, but also made a significant contribution to the development of these branches of natural science.
Navigation contributed to the elucidation of the patterns of movement of air masses in the atmosphere and the circulation of water in the oceans.
Russian geographical discoveries in the Pacific served as material for compiling more accurate maps and atlases used for navigation and other purposes. Outstanding cartographic works of the first quarter of the 19th century, in addition to the atlases compiled by each expedition, were the Atlases created by I.F. Kruzenshtern and G.A. Sarychev. Kruzenshtern's Atlas of the South Sea (Fig. 14), published in two parts (1st part - St. Petersburg, 1824; II part - St. Petersburg, 1826), included maps and plans for the Pacific Ocean as a whole. The first part of the "Atlas" contains 21 maps and 11 plans of the southern part of the ocean, the second - 23 maps and 7 plans of its northern part. The atlas was accompanied by the publication of hydrological records (part I - 1823, part II - 1826, part III - 1836). The most interesting in the atlas are the "General Maps" of both parts of the Pacific Ocean, northern and southern. The content of the maps differs from those previously compiled not only in completeness, but also in a more rigorous scientific selection and processing of geographic data and all the cartographic material accumulated by the beginning of the second quarter of the 19th century. across the Pacific Ocean. They reflect numerous new discoveries, and in particular the discoveries that took place during the Russian voyages around the world, including the discoveries of Bellingshausen and Lazarev. Private maps and plans (mainly of individual archipelagos or islands) are of great interest, since they indicated soundings, reefs and shoals, compass declinations and anchorages. This work of Kruzenshtern, together with three-volume hydrographic descriptions, was highly appreciated by sailors of all countries of the world and for many years served as a guide for them when sailing in the Pacific Ocean. The author of the works was awarded the full Demidov Prize from the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences out of competition. Academicians K. M. Baer, F. P. Litke, A. Ya. Kupfer and others, evaluating the Atlas of the South Sea, noted the high scientific and practical value of the Atlas of Krusenstern, its superiority over the maps of the English hydrographers Arrosmit and Nori. F. P. Wrangel wrote that Kruzenshtern used such materials that foreigners did not know, and brought him to such a degree of perfection that could not be achieved in other states. Experienced English captain R. Fitz-Roy, who led an expedition around the world in 1831-1836. on the ships "Adventure" and "Beagle", indicated that during his voyage, the maps and records of Krusenstern were the only guide for him.
The work of G. A. Sarychev "Atlas of the Northern Part of the Eastern Ocean" (St. Petersburg, 1826) included 26 maps and plans, as well as 7 profiles with views of the coasts of Asia and North America (Fig. 15). The general map - "The Mercator Map of the Eastern Ocean and Part of the Arctic Sea" - covered the space between 5-80 ° N. sh. and 75-254° E. (from St. Petersburg). Most of the regional maps depicted individual areas of the coasts of the Pacific and Arctic Oceans, as well as islands. Buzzards reflected on general map new discoveries of Russian navigators and included in the "Atlas" separate maps of the regions compiled as a result of certain expeditions. Thus, the "Atlas" includes the "Map of St. Lawrence" (Kotsebu), "Map of North-West America" (Gagemeister), maps of the islands of Atha (Vasiliev), Attu (Golovnin), etc.
The atlases of I.F. Kruzenshtern and G.A. Sarychev were the first detailed Russian atlases of the Pacific Ocean, covering all its water areas in the north, south, west and east (Fig. 16). Later, other atlases appeared, for example, "Atlas of the Eastern Ocean ...". A. F. Katnevarova (1850), "Atlas of the North-Western Coasts of America..." M. D. Tebenkov (1852).
On August 18, we celebrate the birthday of the Russian Geographical Society - one of the oldest Russian public organizations, and the only one that has continuously existed since its inception in 1845.
Just think about it: neither wars, nor revolutions, nor periods of devastation, timelessness, and the collapse of the country did not stop its existence! There have always been daredevils, scientists, mad researchers who, both in prosperous and in the most difficult times, took any risk for the sake of science. And even now, at the moment, new full members of the Russian Geographical Society are on their way. "MIR 24" tells only about some of the great travelers who glorified the Russian Geographical Society.
Ivan Krusenstern (1770 - 1846)
Photo: unknown artist, 1838.
Russian navigator, admiral, one of the initiators of the creation of the Russian Geographical Society. He led the first Russian round-the-world expedition.
Even in their youth, study comrades at the Morskoy cadet corps noted the unbending, "marine" nature of the future Russian admiral. His faithful colleague, friend and rival Yuri Lisyansky, who became the commander of the second ship in their legendary circumnavigation, noted that the main qualities of cadet Kruzenshtern were "reliability, commitment and lack of interest in everyday life."
It was then, during the years of study, that his dreams were born to explore distant lands and oceans. However, they did not come true soon, only in 1803. As part of the first Russian round the world expedition included the ships "Nadezhda" and "Neva".
During this expedition, a new route was established to the Russian possessions in Kamchatka and Alaska. The western coast of Japan, the southern and eastern parts of Sakhalin were plotted on the map, and part of the Kuril ridge was comprehensively studied.
Photo: "I. F. Krusenstern in Avacha Bay, Friedrich Georg Veich, 1806
During his round-the-world trip, measurements of current speed, temperature at different depths, determination of salinity and specific gravity of water, and much more were carried out. Thus, Ivan Kruzenshtern became one of the founders of Russian oceanology.
Pyotr Semenov-Tyan-Shansky (1827 - 1914)
Photo: Alexandre Quinet, 1870
Vice-chairman of the Imperial Russian Geographical Society and its leading scientist - but not an armchair. He was a brave and stubborn pioneer. He explored Altai, Tarbagatai, Semirechensky and Zailiysky Alatau, Lake Issyk-Kul. Only mountaineers will be able to appreciate the way the brave traveler traveled through the hard-to-reach mountains of the Central Tien Shan, where Europeans have not yet been able to reach. He discovered and for the first time conquered the peak of Khan Tengri with glaciers on its slopes and proved that the opinion of the international scientific world that a range of volcanoes erupts in these places is erroneous. The scientist also found out where the sources of the Naryn, Sarydzhaz and Chu rivers come from, penetrated into the upper reaches of the Syr Darya, which had not been traveled before.
Semenov-Tyan-Shansky became the actual creator of the new Russian geographical school, offering the international scientific world a fundamentally new way of knowledge. Being at the same time a geologist, botanist and zoologist, he first began to consider natural systems in their unity. And he compared the geological structure of the mountains with the mountainous relief and revealed patterns on which the whole scientific world.
Nikolai Miklukho-Maclay (1846-1888)
Photo: ITAR-TASS, 1963
The famous Russian traveler, anthropologist, explorer, who made a number of expeditions to the previously unexplored New Guinea and other Pacific islands. Accompanied by only two servants, he lived among the Papuans for a long time, collected the richest materials about primitive peoples, made friends with them, and helped them.
Here is what his biographers write about the scientist: “The most characteristic of Miklouho-Maclay is an amazing combination of traits of a brave traveler, a tireless enthusiastic researcher, a widely erudite scientist, a progressive humanist thinker, an energetic public figure, a fighter for the rights of the oppressed colonial peoples. Such qualities separately are not particularly rare, but the combination of all of them in one person is a completely exceptional phenomenon.In his travels, Miklouho-Maclay also collected a lot of information about the peoples of Indonesia and Malaya, the Philippines, Australia, Melanesia, Micronesia and western Polynesia. He was ahead of his time. His work was not sufficiently appreciated in the 19th century, but anthropological researchers of the 20th and 21st centuries consider his contribution to science to be a real scientific feat.
Nikolai Przhevalsky (1839-1888)
Photo: ITAR-TASS, 1948
Russian military figure, major general, one of the greatest Russian geographers and travelers, who consciously prepared himself for travel since the gymnasium.
Przhevalsky devoted 11 years of his life to long expeditions. First, he led a two-year expedition to the Ussuri region (1867-1869), and after that, in 1870-1885, he made four trips to the little-known regions of Central Asia.
The first expedition in the region of Central Asia was devoted to the study of Mongolia, China and Tibet. Przhevalsky collected scientific evidence that the Gobi is not a plateau, and the Nanshan mountains are not a ridge, but a mountain system. The explorer owns the discovery of a whole series of mountains, ranges, and lakes.
During the second expedition, the scientist discovered new Altyntag mountains, and for the first time described two rivers and a lake. And the border of the Tibet highlands, thanks to his research, had to be moved more than 300 km to the north on the maps.
In the third expedition, Przhevalsky singled out several ranges in Nanshan, Kunlun and Tibet, described Lake Kukunor, as well as the upper reaches of the great rivers of China, the Huang He and Yangtze. Despite his illness, the discoverer also organized the fourth expedition to Tibet in 1883-1885, during which he discovered a number of new lakes and ridges.
He described more than 30 thousand kilometers of the path he traveled, collected unique collections. He discovered not only mountains and rivers, but also hitherto unknown representatives of the animal world: a wild camel, a Tibetan bear, a wild horse.
Like many prominent geographers of that time, Przhevalsky was the owner of a good and lively literary language. He wrote several books about his travels, in which he gave a vivid description of Asia: its flora, fauna, climate and the peoples inhabiting it.
Sergei Prokudin-Gorsky (1863-1944)
Photo: Sergei Prokudin-Gorsky, 1912
Ancestor of the era of color photography in Russia. He was the first to capture in color nature, cities and people's lives on a vast stretch from the Baltic Sea to the East of Russia.
He created a system of color reproduction for photography: from the recipe of the emulsion, which is applied to glass plates for photography, to the drawings of special equipment for color photography and the projection of the resulting color images.
Since 1903, he has been constantly on trips: with the obsession of a real traveler, he takes pictures of the natural beauties of Russia, its inhabitants, cities, architectural monuments - all genuine sights Russian Empire.
In December 1906-January 1907, with the expedition of the Russian Geographical Society, Prokudin-Gorsky traveled to Turkestan to photograph solar eclipse. It was not possible to capture the eclipse in color, but the ancient monuments of Bukhara and Samarkand, colorful local types of people and much more were filmed.
In the autumn of 1908, Nicholas II himself provided Prokudin-Gorsky with the necessary vehicles and gives permission to shoot in any place, so that the photographer can capture "in natural colors" all the main sights of the Russian Empire from the Baltic Sea to the Pacific Ocean. In total, it is planned to take 10 thousand pictures in 10 years.
A few days after meeting with the tsar, the photographer sets off along the Mariinsky waterway from St. Petersburg almost to the Volga itself. For three and a half years he has been constantly moving and taking pictures. First, he takes pictures of the northern part of the industrial Urals. Then he makes two trips along the Volga, capturing it from its very source to Nizhny Novgorod. In between, he shoots the southern part of the Urals. And then - numerous monuments of antiquity in Kostroma and the Yaroslavl province. In the spring and autumn of 1911, the photographer manages to visit the Trans-Caspian region and Turkestan twice more, where he tried color filming for the first time in history.
This is followed by two photo expeditions to the Caucasus, where he photographs the Mugan steppe, undertakes a grandiose trip along the planned Kama-Tobolsk waterway, conducts extensive surveys of areas associated with the memory of Patriotic War 1812 - from Maloyaroslavets to Lithuanian Vilna, photographs Ryazan, Suzdal, the construction of the Kuzminskaya and Beloomutovskaya dams on the Oka.
Then financial difficulties begin, the financing of expeditions is interrupted. In 1913-1914. Prokudin-Gorsky is engaged in the creation of the first color cinema. But the First World War prevented the further development of this new project. None of Prokudin-Gorsky's experimental color films has yet been found.
Artur Chilingarov (born 1939)
Photo: Lev Fedoseev/ITAR-TASS
Famous polar explorer, Hero of the Soviet Union, Hero of the Russian Federation, prominent Russian scientist, author of several scientific works on the problems of development of the North and the Arctic. Lives and works in Moscow.
Since 1963, he has been studying the Arctic Ocean and the oceanic atmosphere at the Arctic Research Observatory in the village of Tiksi. In 1969, he headed the North Pole-19 station, created on drifting ice, since 1971 he worked as the head of the Bellingshausen station, and since 1973 - the head of the North Pole-22 station. In 1985, he led an operation to rescue the expedition ship Mikhail Somov, which was covered in Antarctic ice. The icebreaker "Vladivostok" broke the ice around the diesel-electric ship and freed its crew from the blockade, which lasted as much as 133 days.
In 1987, Chilingarov led the team of the nuclear-powered icebreaker Sibir, which reached the geographic North Pole. In January 2002, the traveler proved the possibility of operating light aircraft in Antarctica: he reached South Pole on a single-engine aircraft An-ZT.
Photo: Roman Denisov/ITAR-TASS
In the summer of 2007, the famous polar explorer led an Arctic expedition aboard the ship Akademik Fedorov, which proved that the shelf of the Arctic Ocean is a continuation of the Siberian continental platform. The Mir-1 and Mir-2 vehicles were submerged to the bottom of the ocean, one of which was carrying Chilingarov himself. He also set a kind of record as the first person in the world to visit both the South and North Poles within six months.
Nikolai Litau (born 1955)
Photo: from the archive
Honored Master of Sports, Russian yachtsman, who made three round-the-world trips on the Apostol Andrey yacht built under his leadership. Awarded with the Order Courage. During three round-the-world trips, Apostol Andrew left 110,000 nautical miles astern, visited all the continents of the planet, passed all the oceans and set five world records.
Here is what Nikolai Litau told a MIR 24 correspondent: “I made three round-the-world voyages on the Apostle Andrey. The first is around the Eastern Hemisphere through the Northern sea route, the second - around the Western Hemisphere, the straits of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago and the third - Antarctic: in 2005-06 we went around Antarctica, being all the time above 60 degrees of latitude, the invisible border of Antarctica. The latter has not yet been repeated by anyone. The fourth global voyage, in which I happened to take part, took place in 2012-13. It was international trip around the world, his route passed mainly through warm and comfortable tropical latitudes. I was the captain-mentor on the Russian yacht Royal Leopard and covered half the distance. During this voyage, I crossed my jubilee - the tenth equator. In recent years, we have been engaged in memorial trips on the yacht "Apostol Andrei" in the Russian Arctic. We recall the names of outstanding Russian sailors: Vladimir Rusanov, Georgy Sedov, Boris Vilkitsky, Georgy Brusilov and others.”
Photo: from the archive
Exactly one year ago, Nikolai Litau traveled to the Arctic for the eleventh time on the yacht Apostol Andrey. The route of this journey passed through the White, Barents and Kara Seas, the islands of the Arctic Institute in the Kara Sea were explored. Ahead - new expeditions.
